INNO-Actions - European initiative for excellence of cluster organisations
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Rationale
Cluster organisations are considered as new and highly efficient forms of innovation support providers channelling more specialized and customized business support services (often with public support) to enterprises, who expect better access to information, know how or technologies not available within their own network. According to the Global Cluster Initiative Survey a large share of stakeholders acknowledge cluster initiatives and organisations as improving their competitiveness and helping the growth of the cluster.
Cluster management of high quality is important to promote cluster excellence in Europe as efficient cluster organisations are the driving engine of clusters. Their performance is very much linked to the professional expertise and the capability of cluster managers with cluster insight to provide efficient support to cluster members, furthermore to their organisation and communication structure of high quality. As cluster management is a relatively new profession there is still scope for further improvement in this respect. A growing demand is emerging on behalf of cluster managers, facilitators and regional or national stakeholders supporting cluster initiatives to learn more about the success factors of cluster organisations and professional cluster management.
Cluster managers play also a key role in facilitating transnational cooperation between innovation actors of different clusters, since international linkages between companies are rising in importance. Cluster organisations create a front door to assure international lead of the cluster and to strengthen the cluster’s market position worldwide. Better linking among cluster managers and cluster organisations can foster this process.
To support the further professionalisation of cluster management in Europe, a European quality scheme for cluster organisations would help to facilitate mutual lear ning and to foster high quality standards for cluster management. This may result in a voluntary “European Label for Cluster Management Excellence” developed and maintained by a neutral organisation, which would serve as the basis for further training, coaching and networking of cluster managers.
This action shall be implemented through an open Call for proposals as an "INNO-Action" under the PRO INNO Europe® initiative.
Objectives
The objective of this action is to promote the professionalisation and excellence of cluster management in Europe, by promoting high quality standards of cluster organisations and offering further training and coaching to cluster managers. This will raise the quality of services provided by cluster organisations to enterprises and foster the recognition of cluster management as a new profession, which is important to attract talented people to this new profession and to offer them promising career paths.
An important lesson learned from the Europe INNOVA cluster networks is t hat personal contacts between cluster managers from different cluster initiatives are a driving force of excellence and trans -national cooperation. This action aims at creating a community of cluster managers in Europe which will foster the further specialisation of cluster initiatives in Europe, by better identifying regional strengths and exploiting complementarities between them. This requires the establishment of mutual trust and confidence.
Better efficiency of cluster organisations will also ensure t hat public support will be managed in the most efficient manner. This is in particular a concern in Member States where clusters are still in its infancy and benefit from public support, such as through the Structural Funds. A “European Label for Cluster Management Excellence” would certainly help ensuring an efficient use of public support of cluster organisations.
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