Cluster-Excellence.eu
Cluster-Excellence.eu brings together the most experienced persons and organisations in Europe in order to promote the excellence of cluster management by developing sound quality indicators and peer-assessment procedures. The objective is to set up an approach for quality labelling of cluster management and to develop training materials in order to help cluster organisations achieve high levels of excellence in their work. Cluster-Excellence.eu will then create and act as a club of professionals and institutions, to promote cluster management excellence, and diffuse the adoption of a Quality Label among its members.
For more information visit: www.cluster-excellence.eu
The European Commission has launched a number of cluster related projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing cluster policy within Europe and improving the efficiency of existing efforts in cluster management. Starting in September 2009 Cluster-Excellence.eu – the European Cluster Excellence Initiative – constitutes a central pillar within this approach.
Most often, strong clusters are driven by strong cluster organisations that provide cluster firms with customised services and who mediate among diverse actors as neutral agents of collaborative innovation projects. Cluster management of high quality is therefore seen as essential to promote cluster excellence.
Cluster-Excellence.eu brings together the most experienced persons and organisations to identify and set up a meaningful set of quality indicators and peer-assessment procedures for cluster management. The Quality Label will very likely follow the EFQM model, and the peer review system for the labelling will allow a rapid scaling of qualified reviewers. Training materials will be licensed to all organisations or academic institutions that want to engage in cluster management training and the Club created by Cluster-Excellence.eu, will be open to professionals and institutions under a membership scheme.
Specific objectives:
The objectives of Cluster-Excellence.eu are:
- To develop and test the acceptance of a Quality Management Approach for cluster management based on:
- mutual understanding of quality indicators
- and friendly peer-assessments
- To develop supporting materials to train cluster managers and help them achieve excellence in the quality indicators selected and defined in the project
- To offer a self-explanatory teaching methodology supported by case studies
- To raise the recognition of cluster management as an attractive profession
- To spread the peer-review procedure for the Quality Label among cluster managers
- To promote the availability of training schemes for cluster managers
The project activities are developed in five very clear work packages:
Cluster-Excellence.eu
- Takes a snapshot of the present situation of quality indicators, cluster managers needs and training programmes.
- Designs the quality management label and peer review system, indicating the skills needed to achieve them.
- Develops a dozen case studies, each one pointing at potential weaknesses or skills of cluster managers identified before.
- Establishes the European Club of Cluster Managers and sets the rules, so that it actively promotes excellence.
- Launches and promotes the Club services across Europe and disseminates the project outcomes.
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