Need to better address the 'new nature of innovation' through clusters
New enabling technologies, global competition, global knowledge sourcing, and today’s societal challenges ... all change the nature of innovation and pave the way for new industries to be born.
Emerging industries, which combine knowledge in new and novel ways, are associated with innovation and entrepreneurial activities. New competitive advantages are tapped by better involving users into cluster activities or by exploiting innovation opportunities to be found at the interface of different sectors, industries and clusters. As a result, new clusters are emerging that follow different approaches and require different sets of support policies.
Concerning the optimal institutional mix for clusters in emerging fields of economic activity no 'good practice' examples exist yet, and this leaves much room for mutual policy learning at Community level. There is little theory to assist places as they attempt to anchor new industries and harness their economic potential due to a limited understanding of how new industries emerge and their relationship to existing activity.
The questions discussed at the meeting were as follows.
- What are the framework conditions that should be addressed to facilitate the development of new industries?
- How can clusters be beds of innovation to enhance emerging industries?
- What is the role of cluster organisations to help reinforce emerging industries?
The preliminary policy recommendations from the meeting will follow shortly.
Greeting members at the start of the meeting: Ms Tea Terezija Petrin, Professor at the University of Ljubljana,
former Minister of Economic Affairs of Slovenia and chairwoman of the ECPG group together with Professor Dr Dušan Mramor, Dean of the Faculty of Economics (the host
institution).
- 349 reads
