Strengthening and
powering clusters
WHAT WE DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY
- Promote cluster initiatives as well as a better knowledge of the European clusters
- Support internationalisation projects
- Share good practices and improves the support for clusters
- Write position papers to public administrations at national, regional, and EU level
- Cooperate with other networks and organizations
- Obtain and promote through collective actions the official and representative statutory recognition by European and international institutions
- Initiate, support and engage in thematic regional and international events on clusters, policy development and industrial ecosystems.
AT A GLANCE: Our recent activities to strengthen clusters
Support for Ukraine:
We have been closely collaborating with the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance to support our colleagues since the beginning of the war. We held open online meetings to exchange on the needs and support opportunities. Our members have entered bilateral agreements to create new economic ties with Ukrainian clusters and companies.
We have also supported the call to make much needed donations of heating and other equipment. These are particularly important in winter. If you can help, please don´t hesitate to reach out to the Energy Community Secretariat, which coordinates the donations and logistics: Help to Ukraine
We also invite you to join the “EU Clusters Support Ukraine” forum to share information, needs, and given support: Support Ukraine Forum
Service contract for the European Cluster Collaboration Platform:
Together with other partners, we are managing events and services offered by the European Cluster Collaboration Plaform, an online hub for cluster organisations and cluster-related actors provided by the European Commission. We are working on matchmaking events, “Clusters meet Regions” workshops, online sessions on lastest EU policies, cluster collaboration labs, and many more.
Participate in those activities: www.clustercollaboration.eu
Institutional representation in:
- Industrial Forum Expert Group
- Expert Group on Cluster
- Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Expert Group
- Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) Expert Group
- Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA)
- European Economic Social Committee – CCMI group
Published position papers on:
- the role of clusters on the Next Generation EU
- clusters and the Interregional Innovation Investment
- the recognition of Industrial Clusters in the European Recovery Initiatives
In addition, we initiate, support and engage in thematic regional and international events on the role clusters, policy development and industrial ecosystems.
AT A GLANCE: Activities to fight the COVID-19 crisis
In March 2020, The European Clusters Alliance created the European Alliance Against Coronavirus:
- An open forum that joins social and industrial clusters with private and public agents and institutions, uniting more than 1,100 experts
- Virtual meeting on a regular basis since March 2020
- Exchange of information and suggestions on needs in the ecosystems, best practices and actions at local/regional/national level, examples of collaboration and projects, European policies and funding schemes, national/regional policies and programmes, blueprints for cross-sectorial solutions
- New approach to connect European stakeholders across sectors and disciplines among each other and with the public institutions
For this initiative, ECA’s President Antonio Novo received the Special Award for EU Cluster Mobilisation 2020 awarded by the European Commission.
In addition,
- ECA was entrusted to form part of the EU Rapid Alert Function to detect disruptions in European value and supply chains. Under contract with the European Commission and in collaboration with REI – Reindustria Innovazione, ECA analysed disruptions in European value and supply chains over 14 weeks. The alliance looked at evidence given by clusters and other entities across Europe, the stages of value chains affected and its geographical impact, as well as the duration of the disruption and possible solutions. Overall, the team identified 84 disruptions and disruptive trends in 14 industrial ecosystems and issued proposals for further actions. ECA submitted weekly reports and a final report to DG GROW, which supported the European Commission in their policymaking for the recovery phase. The final report is publicly available.
- With an international team, the European Clusters Alliance moderated the COVID-19 Response Forum of the European Clusters Collaboration Platform. The forum served as a place of exchange for the cluster community on best practices, needs and offers, news and contacts.
The European Alliance Against Coronavirus (EAAC) picked up signals from their networks, a work based on:
SHARED LIDERSHIP
UNDERSTAND
reality
- Conceptual frameworks
- Collective analysis and understanding
- Sharing concrete experiences from multi disciplinary knowledge
THINK
needs
- Conceptual frameworks
- Collective analysis and understanding
- Sharing concrete experiences from multi disciplinary knowledge
IDENTIFY
potential solutions
- Conceptual frameworks
- Collective analysis and understanding
- Sharing concrete experiences from multi disciplinary knowledge
TRANSFER & ACT
among networks
- Conceptual frameworks
- Collective analysis and understanding
- Sharing concrete experiences from multi disciplinary knowledge
