Europe

150 cluster practitioners from 24 countries, among them many TCI-members, participated in the European Seminar on Cluster Policy held on 10 June in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Papers and presentations from the seminar can now be downloaded from the seminar's website.

Ernst & Young has ranked the Swiss biotech industry as one of the top in Europe on product development, turnover and market capitalization. This success can largely be attributed to biotech clusters developed in the Basel, Geneva, and Zurich areas. The Zurich MedNet is comprised of more than 400 companies, universities, institutes, foundations, hospitals and labs making it the single largest medical/biotech cluster in continental Europe.

The Maine Science and Technology Foundation recently published an article detailing the similarities (and more recent differences) between Maine and Finland, and concluding that Maine should follow Finland's model for success. The article details how Maine and Finland share similar economic histories (based on rich natural resources and manufacturing), climates, and attitudes.

Over the course of the last year, the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) has been investigating the potential development of economic clusters in Northwest Russia. ETLA has identified Northwest Russia as "a growth engine" and is looking to establish more formal over-the-border cooperation between Finland and Russia.

The Prime Minister of the Catalan Government, Hon. Artur Mas, and Professor Michael E. Porter of Harvard University, have announced the launch of an independent foundation to evaluate the competitiveness of regional economic clusters across the world. The foundation is based in the Valles Technology Park (Barcelona).

Analysing regional clusters is a delicate business, which requires a balance of qualitative and quantitative methods and data. Analysing potential future clusters is even more challenging. However that is exactly what was accomplished in a recent report by the Greater Copenhagen Development Council.

Professor Örjan Sölvell is preparing a green book on cluster initiatives for the forthcoming TCI Global Conference. One of the sources will be a major international survey focusing on cluster initiatives (rather than the clusters themselves). Researchers would like your help to identify as many cluster initiatives as possible.

The Berlin RITTS Project was created to design an innovative strategy for Berlin and rebuild the economy after the difficult post reunification transition.

European Seminar on Cluster Policy- Copenhagen, 10 June 2003. The seminar is part of the enterprise clusters and networks project under the EU's Multi-Annual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.

The second International Conference on Territorial Development will be held at the Cité des Sciences in Paris, France, from the 21st to the 23rd of January 2003, and will examine the role of regional governments for the development of territories.