About the Cluster Booster Academy

Managing a cluster requires a large range of skills to ensure efficient support to all cluster members and  especially to SMEs. This is why the “Cluster Booster Academy” (the “Academy” from here on), a 5-day intensive series of trainings, is offered by the European Cluster Collaboration Platform.

Objectives are to:

1. Provide learning opportunities for cluster managers to further develop their skills with regard to topics relevant to the cluster strategy, through tailormade training sessions delivered by experts
2. Meet the needs of European cluster management teams in their daily work, in particular to have the capacity to offer innovative, highly professional and diversified services to SMEs
3. Offer cluster management teams the chance to learn from each other’s experiences, discover new effective and efficient practices and tools, find inspiration for new services and business models through peer-learning
4. Provide the opportunity to cluster management teams to co-shape new European value chains and interlink the 14 industrial ecosystems through the interaction and knowledge sharing
5. Support cluster management teams and stakeholders in understanding and contributing to the European policies and programmes related to the global challenges, specifically the digital and green transitions and resilience
6. Help in developing better policy related to clusters
7. Improve the skills of clusters’ staff thanks to a “train the trainers” approach by disseminating their knowledge further

During these interactive hybrid training events, participants will engage in intense learning from experts, as well as from other clusters managers (peer learning), by experiencing a variety of training methods:

1. «Frontal » lessons giving space for interaction with the trainer and among participants,
2. Teamwork sessions on case studies or practical exercises in small groups format to encourage peer-learning,
3. Individual “homework” to translate into practice the learnings and debrief with the group during the feedback sessions
4. Participants will  finish the training with a personalized roadmap for their future activities so that the impact of the training can be more practical and induce real changes in the management of the clusters,
5. An online discussion group for the participants/trainers and speakers of the Cluster Booster Academy to keep in continuous contact between the training sessions to encourage peer-learning,
6. Presentations and guest talks to learn from experts and anticipate trends and innovations in their industrial ecosystem to be able to drive their members in the right direction with the adequate strategic vision.

The Format

The Academy will involve yearly  up to 50 participants and will run for 5 days in a hybrid format including an individual coaching session in between:

• 3 days of online training sessions:
  • November 06: from 10 AM to 2 PM CET
  • November 11: from 10 AM to 2 PM CET
  • November 15: from 10 AM to 2 PM CET
• 1 coaching session to be scheduled individually
• 2 days of in-person training sessions: March 03-04, 2025, hosted at the Warsaw University of Technology, allowing participants to personally get to know each other, strengthen networking, and enhance collaboration.

During the event there will be plenty of possibilities to engage, exchange and network with cluster managers from all over Europe. In addition to that the ECCP invited several speakers with deep expertise in cluster management.

IMPORTANT: Participants are requested to attend all 5 days and participation in the virtual trainings is a precondition to access the in-person trainings. It is not possible to replace your participation with someone else in the process.

The Venue

The 2 day in-person training course will take place at the premises of the Warsaw University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland. The University has extensive expertise in spearheading publicly funded projects, contributing to technological innovations and collaborating with clusters, policymakers and other institutions.

In collaboration with the Warsaw University of Technology, we will send the final participants an info pack including hotel recommendations, transport options, etc.

Who can apply?

The Cluster Booster Academy is looking for a diverse group of Cluster Managers interested in learning from experts, expand their network, share their own knowledge and coming from different backgrounds, level of experience, countries etc.

The call is open to cluster managers and other employees of cluster organisations who are:

• registered[1] on our ECCP platform a Cluster Organisation;
• managing a Cluster Organisation from an EU country or countries associated to the COSME strand of the Single Market Programme;[2]
• motivated and committed to attend all 5 training days, turn on camera in the virtual days and do the homework assigned to them in between the virtual and the in-person trainings[3] as well as the coaching sessions in between.

Selection of participants

Applications from eligible candidates will be assessed by an evaluation team on the basis of the following criteria:

• Motivation,
• Commitment to transfer the knowledge gained at the “Academy” with others and train other cluster managers and employees of clusters
• Geographical balance of participants,
• Balance in terms of experience level and background of applicants.

The “first come, first served” principle will be applied once the above mentioned criteria have been fulfilled.

Applicants that cannot commit attending all 5 training days will not be accepted. All training modules are compulsory.

Financial contribution

The transport and accommodation costs are to be borne by the participants themselves and cannot be reimbursed by ECCP. The participation in the 3 virtual days, the coaching and the 2 in-person days is free of charge. Lunches, coffee breaks, etc. throughout the in-person training days will be offered by ECCP.

How to apply and deadline for submission

European cluster managers and employees interested should fill out the application form and follow the indicated guidelines for application. The application form must be submitted electronically by end of day (CET) on October 17, 2024 at the latest.

Contacts

If you have questions regarding this call, please send an email to events [at] clustercollaboration.eu (events[at]clustercollaboration[dot]eu)

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[1] In case you are not registered, yet, please do so before your application. If you need assistance, feel free to reach out to events [at] clustercollaboration.eu (events[at]clustercollaboration[dot]eu)

[2] : list-3rd-country-participation_smp_en.pdf (europa.eu)

[3] Cancelling last minute (less than two weeks before the intended dates) for unjustified reasons or little to no engagement during the 5 days of training and in the timeframe in between might lead to limited participation opportunities to future ECCP events and access to ECCP services.