Cluster organisations

Cluster organisations are legal entities

Cluster organisations provide and channel specialised and customised business support services to stimulate innovation activities, especially in SMEs.

• Cluster organisations support the strengthening of collaboration, networking and learning in innovation clusters
• They usually facilitate strategic partnering across clusters, have experience in working cross-sectorial and between domains, and can set up multi-stakeholder projects
• Cluster organisations provide trustful relations within triple helix constellations among (regional) stakeholders and are knowledgeable about existing competencies, potentials and needs in the economic domain
• Cluster organisations come in many shapes, sizes, structures, and are developed top-down or bottom-up

Services of cluster organisations include:

• Innovation projects
• Networking and matchmaking
• Business / Market Intelligence
• Improving business environment
• Human resource upgrading
• Internationalisation
• Influencing legal framework

Europe has a rich landscape of cluster organisations. There are around 1,100 European cluster organisations registered on the European Cluster Collaboration Platform,

References:

• European Commission, 2016: Smart Guide to Cluster Policies, Guidebook Series: How to support SME Policy from Structural Funds
• European Commission, 2020: S3 Cluster Organisations, Smart Specialisation Platform