Mail view

Subject:

TCI Newsletter October 2004

Category:

TCI newsletter

From:

The Competitiveness Institute <bdoesborg[nospamplease]@competitiveness.org>

=========== The Competitiveness Institute News Letter ==========
News from the cluster practitioners network Subscribe for free: http://www.competitiveness.org
================================================================

--------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings from Ottawa!
--------------------------------------------------------------

GREETINGS FROM OTTAWA! ... and the 7th Annual Conference on
"Constructing Competitive Advantage through Innovative Clusters".
Around 240 cluster practitioners from all over the world (42%
coming from the Americas, 48 from the Europe/Middle East/Africa
region and 10 % from Asia/Pacific) gathered here in Ottawa during
the last week - networking, sharing their experiences and hearing
about cluster initiatives and innovation systems. This was our
largest turn-out yet, with 35 countries represented, and a strong
sense that TCI is a mature institution which has found its place
in the world of competitiveness.

Nearly all presentations from the conference are already posted
on this web site -a few are still trickling in.

Highlights included:

* The release of the White Book, providing a common
vocabulary, and a starting point for the conference that built on
discussions, issues and conclusions from last year's conference
in Gothenburg
* Extensive opportunities for discussion: 32 break-out
sessions, each designed to allow a full hour of discussion
following presentations. Based on participant feedback from last
year, we took more care in selecting facilitators and providing
them with a common framework to run their sessions. As a result,
evaluations for this year's 32 break-out sessions came in at a
consistently high level. The lesson for us is that everyone at
TCI has something to contribute - if not all the answers,
sometimes very good questions.
* The relationship between clusters and innovation systems
was thoroughly explored, with Canada's mutli-layered system,
anchored by the National Research Council (NRC), available for
examination as "Exhibit A". In addition to on-site visits during
Monday's Cluster Study Tour, many presenters and participants
were able to comment on how that system works, its advantages and
disadvantages.
* Among the keynote addresses, Christian Ketels asked the
standard question "Which Clusters Should We Pick?" and answered
by saying we're getting the "Right Answers to the Wrong
Question", and warned us on how to avoid sliding from cluster
polcies into industrial policies, which have been largely
ineffective. Michael Enright followed up with a sweeping review
of "What we know, what we don't know, and what we should know"
about clusters and implementing competitiveness policies.

During the conference, the Board of Advisors and the Executive
Committee met, and resolved to reach out to TCI membership more
by bringing TCI to you (instead of making you cross oceans to
reach us). Regional conferences are being planned in the coming
year for Latin America, North America, the Baltic Sea Region,
Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Asia will of course
be covered by next year's Annual Conference in Hong Kong (see
article below). A special conference focusing on emerging and
transitional economies is also being planned, possibly (though
not necessarily) in Washington, DC. If you are interested in
learning more about these conferences, or especially in helping
to organize and find locations for them, please contact Franziska
Blunck at fblunck@competitiveness.org.
We will summarize some articles on the tracks and sessions of the
conference, but would also like to invite you to contribute with
your own impressions. Send us articles on sessions you
participated in or on your personal highlights! We will post them
on the website and include them in our next newsletter. In this
way we will create a complete picture together - which will
complement the official Conference Summary Report that will be
published within the next 2 months.

Your Executive Committee

Alec Hansen, Lars Eklund, Alan Koziarski, Mateja Dermastia, Nana
Adeishvili and (from Barcelona) Alberto Pezzi

--------------------------------------------------------------
Key Conclusions from Ottawa
--------------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps the conference consensus can distilled into 9 points
suggested by Elisabeth Rocha and the expert panel.

1. We are using a common vocabulary thanks to the White Book
2. Clustering is ever more important for SME's
3. Clusters are not just about transferring knowledge
4. Cluster policies are a good framework to bring about change
5. Universities don't make clusters but can be a catalyst
6. Clusters and innovation systems are complementary
7. Cluster policies are best organised at local level
8. The focus of attention has to be context specific
9. Agreement on the success factors of cluster initiatives

Details are available in Elisabeth's summary presentations of the
white book and the conference.

You can also find a selection of Photos taken during the
conference on the conference website.

Presentations are available for members only in the program part
of the website. You will have to login on the main website to
access them.

--------------------------------------------------------------
The Cluster Policies Whitebook
--------------------------------------------------------------

The long awaited Whitebook is available for download! Based on
the results of last year's TCI conference in Gothenburg, this
Whitebook gives a kind of "state of the art" of cluster policies.
Written by Dr. Thomas Andersson and his international team from
IKED, it also played an important role in our Annual Conference
in Ottawa. Each participant received a free hard copy of the
Whitebook and some issues were discussed in different breakout
sessions.
More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/241

--------------------------------------------------------------
The Baltic Sea Initiative
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Baltic Sea Initiative scrutinized by 25 cluster practitioners
in our conference in Ottawa! One of our breakoutsessions
discussed this initiative in depth guided by Ifor Ffowcs Williams
and Kevin Muphy as facilitators and as speakers Lars Eklund,
Christian Ketelsa and Sylvia Schwaag-Serger.
More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/384

--------------------------------------------------------------
New members through the conference!
--------------------------------------------------------------

All participants to the conference are now TCI members for one
year! They have or will receive within the next weeks a Welcome
mail including their username and password to be able to visit
the "members only" parts of the website. If you wich to know more
about your membership please visit our website:
www.competitiveness.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------
TCI member list on line
--------------------------------------------------------------

To accommodate networking between members TCI publishes its
member list on line. To view the list make sure you are logged
in. In the list you will find address details as well as email,
telephone numbers and biographies.

To keep this list up to date TCI asks its members to check and if
necessary edit their details.

TCI only publishes data of members that gave their explicit
permission. Please do so by checking the "TCI may reveal my data
to other TCI members" option.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Conference Evaluation
--------------------------------------------------------------

A first summary of Conference Evaluations is available and shows
an overall very positive feedback.
More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/388

--------------------------------------------------------------
Technology cluster Patagonia
--------------------------------------------------------------

A new technology cluster in Patagonia was presented last Friday,
Sept. 17 by governor Miguel Saiz of the Rio Negro province in
Argentina. The COPAT cluster (Complejo Patagónico de Alta
Tecnología) main goals are to: incubate innovative hi-tech
companies, promote technology projects, promote investigation and
education.

More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/378

--------------------------------------------------------------
Will mechatronics drive Viriginia's economy?
--------------------------------------------------------------

Mechatronics sounds like a new video game but may be a mayor
economic driver for Virginia (U.S.)in the future. Mechatronics is
the synergy of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering ,
and software engineering. Mechatronics companies are involved in
the production of planetary-rovers (like the one used for the
exploration of Mars), automotive subsystems such as anti-block
system and every day equipment such as autofocus cameras and
washing machines.
More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/379

--------------------------------------------------------------
100 million pound to help North England
--------------------------------------------------------------

U.K. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced a government
investment to match funding from three regional development
agencies to boost employment, transport, housing and tourism in
the North of England over the next 20 years. The objective is to
close the prosperity gap between the North and the richer
southern part of the country.
More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/380

--------------------------------------------------------------
Auto cluster for Pune
--------------------------------------------------------------

Pune, the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra, India
has received a formal government approval to set up an auto
cluster, making it the first cluster of its kind in the country.
More » http://www.competitiveness.org/article/view/381
================================================================
The Competitiveness Institute - http://www.competitiveness.org

Please pass this TCI Newsletter on to others with an interest in
cluster-based economic development.

=========== Subscribe / unsubscribe ============================

1. Go to http://www.competitiveness.org
2. Enter the email address in the field
"TCI Newsletter" (see right column)
3. Click "Subscribe" or "Unsubscribe"
4. Follow the link in the email that you receive

TCI supporting organizations

more...

Site search

Forums

Latest messages: