THE EUROPEAN CLUSTERS ALLIANCE

22 NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND AMBASSADORS

MORE THAN 900 CLUSTER ORGANISATIONS

MISSION

To be the common voice of the European cluster community, facilitating inputs, connections, and opportunities to meet our common challenges

VISION

To position industrial clusters as key agent in the European innovative ecosystem for the development and growth of our economy and competitiveness

OUR OBJECTIVES

Promote fast and agile inter-cluster collaboration at European level and reinforce the activities of the cluster network

Foster the internationalisation of the cluster members and promote a better knowledge of the European clusters

Build joint recommendations to public administrations in cooperation with national associations

Cooperate with other networks and organisations that support clusters at European and global level

Study, promote and defend collective interests of the cluster community

About us

The European Cluster Alliance joins:

22 national cluster associations, public agencies or country ambassadors
More than 900 cluster organisations
150,000 of our most innovative businesses
Over 11,000 universities, research centres and public institutions

The European Clusters Alliance is part of:

The European Commission’s Industrial Forum
The European Commission’s Expert Group on Clusters
The European Economic and Social Committee, CCMI
The service contract for the European Cluster Collaboration Platform

BOARD MEMBERS

PRESIDENT

Antonio Novo Guerrero

Short Bio

Antonio Novo combines his training as a technologist and psychologist to develop his professional life around Collaborative Innovation through Clusters.
Antonio is Managing Director of the Cluster IDiA, which brings together 81 Aragonese companies and institutions that collaborate in the development of ICT projects. He holds the presidency of the of the European Cluster Alliance and of Clusters.es, the Spanish Federation of Clusters. He is also member of the EU Industrial Forum, the Expert Group on Clusters of the European Commission and the CMMI (Consultative Commission on Industrial Change) in the European Economic and Social Committee.
Other key positions:
President of the Spanish Federation of Clusters
Managing Director of the Cluster IDiA

VICE-PRESIDENT

Hervé Floch

Short Bio

Hervé G. Floch is the General Manager of ALPHA – Route des Lasers & des Hyperfréquences® (ALPHA-RLH) French competitiveness cluster created in December 2016 and resulting from the merger between the ex-Route des Lasers® (Bordeaux) and Elopsys (Limoges) clusters. He instigated the signature of several inter cluster MoU as with Aerospace Valley, Medicen and Inno’Vin (France), Tecnalia (Spain), HPhos (Greece), Arizona Optics Valley (USA) or Optonique (Canada) and has supported inter regional clustering and attended European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) sponsored matchmaking missions. As the President of the “Europe” Committee of the French Association of Competitiveness Clusters (AFPC), he has been involved into the European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI2) launched by the European Commission to improve the European Cluster Excellence Policy leading to the creation of the European Cluster Labelling Excellence Structure (EUCLES) of which he is the first president elected last December. He is also currently the Vice-President of the European Cluster Alliance which was created in 2019. He has 37 years of experience in optics-photonics technology development in France after graduating from École Nationale de Chimie, Physique et Biologie de Paris with a MSc in Chemistry from Faculté des Sciences d’Orsay in 1984. He is CEA employee and since 2011 on-loan to take on the role of CEO of ALPHA-RLH, the cluster leading the organization of the INPHO Venture Summit biennial event. He has record of sustained and significant contributions, patents and technology transfers to the development of optical-coatings by the sol-gel process and high precision optics for high-power lasers (Laser Megajoule facility) and his work to develop optical thin-films and its transfer in the industry has been recognized by several awards.
Other key positions:
CEO of the ALPHA-RLH competitiveness cluster (France)
President of the ʺEuropeʺ committee at Association Française des Pôles de Compétitivité (AFPC)
President of the ʺEuropean Clusters Labelling Excellence Structure (EUCLES)

VICE PRESIDENT

Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė

Short Bio

Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė is currently CEO of AgriFood Lithuania, cluster established in 2011 in Vilnius that brings together major research, business and public stakeholders in Lithuania for the common mission of transforming agriculture, food and associated sectors with digital-based innovations. AgriFood Lithuania is recognized by the European Commission as good practice digital innovation hub, also acting as cluster, and as EIT Food hub in Lithuania. She is also a director at Lithuanian Cluster Network association Klaster LT uniting 57 clusters.

Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė has a vast experience in product development and innovation for research, development and implementation, with a focus on information technologies and services, and ICT products on a cross-sectoral basis. She has more than 12 years of experience as an international digitalization expert in national and international working groups. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in economics at the Institute of Economics and Rural Development of the Lithuanian Center for Social Sciences. Her scientific area of interest evaluates the effectiveness of the industries’ twin transition, digitalization and the Green Deal, in EU Member States. Since 2021 she is Chairwoman of the Agri – Food and Bioeconomy Committee and of the Labour, Social Policy and Human Resources Committee at the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists. In 2022 she was appointed as a Vice-Chair of the Food and Agriculture Committee at Business at OECD, won the title of European Cluster Manager of The Year, and was nominated by the EIT Food community for the EIT Women Leadership award. She acted as speaker during many national and international events on the twin transition in the EU, and is an active promoter of collaboration for the creation of ecosystems that transform the food sector.

BOARD MEMBER

Sébastien Thomas-Chaffange

Short Bio

More than 10 years of experience in export promotion, organising participations in exhibitions, business missions, representing member’s interests in different export promotion and knowledge transfer projects. Experience in implementation of EU founded COSME,ERASMUS+ projects. The founder, member of board and director of LitMEA association and SMART food cluster. In 2017 has initiated Eastern Europe food clusters network, in 2019 has initiated Lithuanian cluster network. Master’s degree in Finance. Has 18 years working experience in sales management consulting, process development and business analysis. Cluster and Internationalization Manager of Smart Food Cluster.
Other key positions:
CEO of the SMART food cluster (Lithuania)
President of the Lithuanian cluster network

TREASURER

Daniel Cosnita

Short Bio

Graduated both as an engineer and economist, Daniel Cosnita has been working in the last 15 years in the fields of technology transfer and innovation, regional economic development and clusters. Since 2008 he has been supporting the Romanian Ministry for Economy in the generation of the national cluster policy, by performing the cluster mapping exercise at national level, contributing to the elaboration of the Guide of Applicants of the financing schemes dedicated to the poles of competitiveness. Currently he is acting as an expert for the Romanian Ministry of Economy in the elaboration of the new competitiveness strategy document and for the Romanian Ministry for European Funds in the development of the new structural funds programming period 2021-2027. He acted as a consultant for the Algerian government in
setting up a national network of business incubators, for the Turkish government in the elaboration of the national cluster strategy and for the Armenian government in the elaboration of the innovation strategy. Since 2011 he has been the president of the Romanian Cluster Association. He has been a member of the Export Council of Romania since 2011 and of the National Council for Technology Transfer and Innovation since 2016.

Other key positions:
President of the Romanian Cluster Association
Member of the Export Council of Romania
Member of National Council for Technology Transfer and Innovation of Romania
ESCA Gold & Silver label expert
Member of the Research & Innovation and Cluster Working Groups of the Enterprise Europe Network.