Europe

1-2 September 2009, Bornholm, Denmark
“Cluster-based economic development in remote areas – Strategy and Directions”
Register now at www.ruralclusters2009.dk and find out more about the 3rd TCI Rural Cluster Conference 2009, organized by RegX (The Danish Cluster Academy), TCI and the Triangle Region Denmark that will take place on the beautiful island of Bornholm from 1 to 2 September.

9 July 2009, San Sebastian, Spain
Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness in collaboration with TCI Network and the Basque Government is organizing this international workshop with the aim to bring together cluster managers from across Europe to exchange experiences and learn from each other around approaches to critical issues in the management of clusters. How to encourage cooperation, ensure proactive participation and stimulate innovation during the tough circumstances associated with the current economic crisis, are some of the common points to be covered by the experienced cluster managers who will gather in San Sebastian.

22 July 2009, Ludwigshafen, Germany
Under the patronage of the TCI German Contact Point, MFG Baden-Württemberg together with IHK Zetis is organising a second workshop on Internationalisation of Clusters on 22nd July in Ludwigshafen (Germany). After the kick-off meeting held in January 2009, the dialogue on internationalisation of clusters between cluster practitioners shall now be deepened. A special focus lies on the question how internationalisation of clusters can facilitate recovery in the context of the ongoing economic crisis.

The Danish Cluster Academy-RegX, will be officially launched at the 3rd TCI Rural Cluster Conference, 1-2 September 2009, in Bornholm, Denmark. RegX, a TCI organizational member, is a Danish national platform for competence building, knowledge sharing and networking among stakeholders involved in development of clusters.

25 June 2009, Gaziemir-Izmir, Turkey
Strong social capital and emotional quotient are coming more and more crucial in building up sustainable culture clusters. Culture for cooperation and collaboration is essential in a creative environment where innovative clusters flourish. This conference aims to give new fresh ideas on how to implement these key elements into practice.

29th September-1st October 2009, Prato, Italy
"Inventions, inventors and places. Italian and international perspectives on development policies"
The University of Florence and IRIS (Tools and Resources for Local Development), in collaboration with TCI, are organizing the 2009 edition of the Artimio meetings in local development that will take place in the end of September in Prato.

6 May 2009, Hamburg, Germany
In the frame of the EU project CLUNET, Hamburg has initiated the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (EACP). This network of European aerospace clusters aims at providing a platform for mutual exchange and the implementation of trans-national cooperation projects.

21-22 May 2009, St. Petersburg, Russia
TCI participated in the international conference on "Cluster development in cross-border regions of Russia and Estonia", organized by the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg in cooperation with the partners of the EstRu Cluster Development international project.

EICI launch in Brussels
21 April 2009, Brussels, Belgium
TCI Organizational Member, MFG Baden-Württemberg, responsible also for the TCI German Contact Point, announces the official launch of the European Interest Group on Creativity and Innovation (EICI). The launch took place on Tuesday, 21 April 2009, in the Representation of Baden-Württemberg in Brussels. In their opening key notes, both Mr Klaus Haasis, CEO of MFG, Public Innovation Agency for IT and Media in Baden-Württemberg and initiator of the EICI, and Mr Vladimir Sucha, Director for Culture, Multilingualism and Communication, Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission stressed the importance of collaborative bottom-up approaches to fill a gap for exchange on the European level.

27th April 2009, Barcelona, Spain
On last 27th April, Dr. Eduardo Ballarín, professor of Strategic Management at IESE Business School in Madrid and former member of TCI Board of Advisors, passed away. Dr. Ballarin was a prominent expert in the competitiveness field and a pioneer in bringing the cluster concept to Catalonia thanks to his close links with Prof. Michael Porter at Harvard Business School.