Europe

1-2 December 2008, European Parliament, Brussels
The Knowledge4Innovation platform will formally launch its policy instrument "The Lisbon Forum of the European Parliament" on 1-2 December in Brussels.

23 October 2008, Europe
Europe INNOVA awards TCI member Christoph Beer as best Cluster Manager 2008. Christoph Beer is the manager of tcbe.ch-ICT Cluster Bern (Switzerland) and an active member of TCI since 2005.

11-12th November, Malmö, Sweden
The 4th International Conference on Service & Innovation will guide you to make wise decisions about the future. The way forward is to compare your company or your research with companies or researchers that are even better at transforming to the new service economy. Meet over hundreds of Swedish companies such as Ericsson, TeliaSonera, The Astonishing Tribe, Scandvision, TetraPak any many many more. Together with research groups and policymakers this conference will be a meeting ground for future actions.

17-18 November, Paris, France
The biggest European event for cluster cooperation expects to have around 800 participants from over 25 countries.
“For Europe to tap the full potential of its clusters, they must also achieve a critical mass and strategic orientation through more and better trans-national European cooperation, across national borders. This raises the prospect of generating world-class European clusters.”

13-14 November 2008, Sophia Antipolis, France
The 13th and 14th November, under the French presidency, in Sophia Antipolis (France) the European Minister conference on the clusters has taken place. Expected were 27 European ministers charged with the politics of clusters ( or their representatives), as well as the European Commissioners end employees of the European Commission.

30 November 2008, Europe
What skills do cluster managers need to fulfil their tasks? What kind of trainings are necessary to meet their future challenges? The first large scale survey supported by PRO INNO Europe on the skills and training needs of European cluster managers is aimed at proceeding towards a clearer job profile and preparing the ground for future trainings on a European scale. Your participation is important: Cluster Organisations and Clustermanagers should participate. This survey is completed by cluster practitioners, for cluster practitioners.

The CEE-ClusterNetwork is conducting the first large scale survey on the skills and training needs of European cluster managers.

13-14 October 2008, Stuttgart, Germany
MFG Baden-Württemberg, Public Innovation Agency for IT and Media, is organizing "do it.konferenz" - Where creativity meets Technology for the October 13th and 14th 2008, in Stuttgart, Germany.

20-21 October 2008, Leipzig, Central Germany
The German Cluster Conference on October 20-21 can be regarded as a nationwide introduction to the TCI Global Conference 2009, also taking place in Leipzig. The two-day gathering of expected 500 participants is the first German event under the patronage of The Competitiveness Institute (TCI) and is hosted by the Industrial Initiative for Central Germany (IICG). Examining various cluster processes in Germany, both, from a practitioner’s and scientist’s point of view, the program aims to portray the benefits of cluster processes. It goes without saying that, thereby, the host hopes to transfer knowledge, intensify social networks and push forward cluster excellence in Germany.

The "EU-Japan Regional Cluster Forum" will take place on the December 2-3, 2008 and forms part of the "Annual Cluster Japan 2008" event. It will consist of symposia and a large exhibition of all officially supported Japanese Knowledge and Industrial Clusters.