First Cluster Management Excellence Labels GOLD awarded

At the European Cluster Conference 2012 in Vienna, the first Cluster Management Excellence Labels GOLD have been handed out by Reinhard Büscher from the European Commission, Directorate General Enterprise and Industry, to three excellent European Cluster Organisations that have participated in the cluster assessment organised by the European Cluster Excellence Initiative. "Excellent cluster management is a key requisite for the success of clusters", said Mr  Büscher. He invited public authorities responsible for cluster policies to nominate cluster organisations from their countries or regions that are interested to obtain the Cluster Management Excellence GOLD Label: "The European Cluster Excellence Initiative offers a free of charge assessment of the first eligible candidate from all countries that contribute to the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), under which this initiative has been funded", he said.

The first 3 Cluster Management Excellence Labels in Gold have been awarded to:

• NCE NODE - Norwegian Offshore Drilling Engineering, Kjell O. Johannessen [www.nodeproject.no]
• SILICON SAXONY e. V., Gitta Haupold [www.silicon-saxony.de]
• FEMAC.CAT The Cluster of Agricultural Machinery, [Enric Pedros, www.femac.org]

NODE is a Norwegian cluster organisation, which has successfully encouraged a broad range of collaborative work between the committed partners from the region. The joint foresight process (NODE 2020) impressively brought cluster participants together to develop a common understanding about the future strategic challenges and activities of NODE.

Silicon Saxony, founded in 2000, became in 2008 a sub-cluster of Silicon Saxony (Cool Silicon), which was selected as one of the first clusters in Germany as a "Leading-edge cluster". Linked to that, this cluster received 40 Mio. EUR of funding dedicated mainly for R&D projects. Since then the cluster has significantly "professionalised" its cluster management, by integrating all aspects of semiconductor and microelectronics technology and establishing close relations with other clusters and knowledge institutions in the region and worldwide.

FEMAC.CAT is a rather small cluster  in the traditional sector of agricultural machinery. The use of new concepts, materials for machines and equipment, the application of land-based technology for new applications in hydro-cultures (fish farming), and the development of agricultural machinery in particular for developing countries in Africa and South America are among the main objectives of this cluster.

All three cluster organisations have undergone a two day’s cluster assessment by expert teams of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative. The assessments showed that all three clusters are managed in an excellent manner. They have reached more than 80% of the maximum score of the 31 cluster management quality indicators of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative. "These three clusters come from different industries and countries, which shows that cluster excellence can be found everywhere", Mr Büscher said. "This should be taken as encouragement for cluster organisations from all over Europe to strive for excellence and to go for the Cluster Management Excellence Label GOLD."

For more information on the Cluster Management Excellence Labels GOLD, please contact Mr Gerd Meier zu Köcker: mzk@vdivde-it.de