Clusters are individuals - VDI/VDE-IT

2.3.1.6 Monitoring and evaluation system
At the program level the following evaluation activities take
place:
• A process evaluation of the program is implemented to
provide the program management with recommendations
for improvements in the strategic development of the program
on an on-going basis.
• A main evaluation will be carried out after five years of
activities (planned for in 2011) to analyze the results and effects
that have been achieved.
• On an annual basis a program report is published which
is informed by the annual reports of the NCE clusters.
The following main indicators are used to measure the performance
of the program:
INDICATORS
Output
Results
Impact
• Number of partners and participants (companies, R&D, others)
• Number of international partners
• Number of networks/foras/meeting places
• Number of participants in the before mentioned activities
• Number of innovation projects: a) with R&D partners and b) with international partners
• Funding from R&D programs
• EU funding
• Number of internationalization projects
• Number of competence/knowledge projects
• Increased collaboration
• Improved infrastructure for collaboration
• Improved innovation capabilities
• Increased international orientation
• Better access to knowledge resources
• Improved attractiveness for investors
• Increased value creation
• Increased competitiveness
Beside regular meetings with the cluster initiatives their performance
is monitored and evaluated as follows:
• At the end of each year projects shall submit an annual
report with the following contents: project activities (based
on standardized activity indictors), project results (based on
standardized result indicators), specific project activities and
results (based on the project plan), a self-assessment of the
quality and progress of the development process (based on
standardized self-evaluation procedures) and a discussion of
interesting results, adapted for external presentations.
• Evaluation of the results achieved as a basis for contract
renewal. The program’s renewal of contracts with individual
NCE projects will take place on the basis of two reports: a) At
the end of a contract period, individual NCE projects submit
their own assessment of results achieved and a description
of the positive effects to which the project has contributed.
Those aims, strategies and activity plans which have formed
the basis of the original contract will form the basis of these
assessments; b) The NCE program will also implement an
external evaluation of the individual project’s activities and
results. The project’s own documentation will form the basis
for such evaluations, but they may also gather their own data
to provide a basis for their assessments.
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