175 clusters representing more than 15,000 companies from 30 countries participated in the 5th Cluster Matchmaking Conference in Stuttgart

Submitted by Alina Danieles… on 10 October 2017

European Cluster Matchmaking leads to new innovations and collaborations

In the last week of September, 175 clusters representing more than 15,000 companies from 30 countries participated in the 5th Cluster Matchmaking Conference in Stuttgart. 

Record high number of meetings and satisfied participants

With more than 600 cluster-to-cluster meetings it was a highly productive meeting place leading to new innovative collaborations across Europe.

”It was a very well-organised event in Stuttgart. Good presentations, good logistics and, above all, extremely productive matchmaking meetings. I had 9 speed dating meetings, all of which were highly productive and people seemed interested in joining our network,” says first time participant Frederik Thure, Head of Secretariat at the International Cleantech Network –  the world’s leading global network of cleantech clusters focusing on project development and generating business opportunities. 

Anniversary celebration brings strategic cluster collaboration to the next level

At the fifth consecutive conference facilitating cluster matchmaking and cluster internationalisation through the BSR Stars Innovation Express platform it was time to bring cluster collaboration to the next level. This year’s Cluster Matchmaking Conference focused on models for sustainable cluster collaboration. Clusters follow different paths for internationalisation depending on the needs among the members and the branch they work within.

Among the speakers and participants was Bianca Dragomir, European Cluster Manager of the year 2016-18, who outlined how the Spanish cluster Avaesen has taken cluster collaboration to the next level: “Sustainable models is a highly relevant topic for us clusters. To us, a sustainable model meant transforming our organisation from a conventional public-private cluster to a self-sustainable service-provider. Cluster managers acting as innovation brokers, constantly challenging the boundaries of their own cluster business model, are key in this journey.”

As part of the BSR Stars flagship under the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the 5th Cluster Matchmaking Conference was organised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing in Baden-Württemberg, ClusterAgentur Baden-Württemberg, Cluster Excellence Denmark, the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Enterprise Europe Network and co-sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

For more information, presentations and other content, please visit: https://www.b2match.eu/cluster-matchmaking-2017 For more information about BSR Stars Innovation Express, please visit: http://www.bsr-stars.eu/innovation-express/ 

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5th Cluster Matchmaking Conference: Bringing Cluster Collaboration to the Next Level
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