Clusters are individuals - VDI/VDE-IT

opean Commission in October 2008. The European Cluster
Policy Group consisted of 22 independent experts who were
tasked to improve the Commission’s and Member States’ understanding
of modern policy responses in support of cluster
excellence and to make recommendations on how to
better design cluster policies in the Community. 7
This project pays particular attention on the characteristics of
cluster management organizations and their effects on cluster
development. More than 140 cluster management organizations
from nine European countries were benchmarked to
base the analysis on a comprehensive comparative portfolio.
As many cluster management organizations are supported
through national funding programs the project also analyzed
16 cluster programs from nine countries in a benchmarking
exercise to facilitate a better understanding of successful strategies
and mutual learning between the program owners.
The project, which started in September 2010 and ended in
July 2011, addressed two target groups: On the one hand,
managers and staff of the cluster and network organizations
from the participating countries, and on the other hand,
program owners and policy makers responsible for national
cluster and network programs and policies. Benefits are new
insights and findings that can promote cluster management
excellence and the development of quality of cluster and
ticular field. Both innovation and economic development
policy makers consider them as instruments to raise innovation
and productivity in numerous ways. Companies and
research actors benefit from sharing knowledge about best
practices and reduce costs by jointly sourcing services, suppliers
and knowledge; increased interaction facilitates innovation.
Frequent interactions facilitate formal and informal
knowledge transfer and promote efficient and effective collaboration
between institutions with complementary assets
and skills. Once a cluster has gained a certain critical mass it
attracts further companies, investors, services and suppliers
as well as skilled labor forces.
In both developed countries and emerging economies enormous
efforts and investments have been made in the past
two decades to promote economic growth and competitiveness
through the development of clusters. In many cases
impressive progress has been achieved, although structures,
objectives and framework conditions of clusters as well as
level and nature of collaboration between the cluster stakeholders
differ considerably. Although yet not counted in
detail, nowadays several thousand clusters or would-be clusters
seem to exist in Europe.
The findings of the project were presented at the NGP Cluster Excellence
Conference on May 26th and 27th, 2011 in Copenhagen. More
than 450 participants from 27 countries participated in this event and
discussed the results of the project as well as many other cluster-related
topics in numerous workshops.
For the conference and workshop documentation please see
www.clusterexcellence.org.
network services for enterprises. Furthermore, the project
provides new insights, findings and best practice that can
improve the quality of the national cluster and network programs
and policy initiatives.
1.1 WHY DOES CLUSTER EXCELLENCE MATTERS
Clusters (which are sometimes also referred to as regional
networks) are, as already indicated, geographic concentrations
of interconnected companies and institutions in a par-
7 Commissions Decision of 22 October 2008 setting up a European Cluster Policy Group
(2008/824/EC). For further details on the European Cluster Policy Group see
www.proinno-europe.eu/ECPG
Whereas in the past considerable efforts have been made in
many European countries to set up clusters, today policy makers
and cluster stakeholder have to tackle the challenge that
clusters become and remain competitive in a globalized economy.
Only excellent clusters that can compete and grow in
the global economic environment can meet the expectations
from policy makers and cluster stakeholders. In other words:
cluster excellence matters. It contributes to more prosperity
for regions, better competitiveness for companies and more
return of investment for investors. Cluster excellence also matters
when seeking more value for money for research and innovation
public support. Excellence is needed at different levels,
including the levels of cluster policies, cluster programs
and cluster management organizations.
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