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Cluster Conference features Germany’s federal Excellence-Clusters

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.

As an outstanding highlight the German Cluster Conference, taking place on October 20-21 in Leipzig, premieres five “Excellence-Clusters”, recently chosen and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education And Research. Representatives of all five awarded clusters will portray their strategies to invest the total of 200m euro. An excursion visits one of the awarded clusters. The organiser, the Industrial Initiative for Central Germany (IICG), is also host to the TCI Global Conference 2009.

The host is proud to announce that two out of five awarded clusters are located in Central Germany and that the IICG’s clustermanagement has successfully contributed to the bid of ‘Solarvalley’, clustering the regions most promising future technology. The second regional winner is ‘Silicon Saxony’ in Dresden, host to one of the conference’s excursions. Thus, TCI-members may also expect world class cases from next year’s excursions framing the TCI Global Conference in Leipzig.

This year’s conference focuses on companies’ benefits from being in a cluster and offers both excursions and thematic workshops. Dresden, Jena and Europe's northern most wine-region, the Saale-Unstrut-Valley, will stage tours to microelectronic, optoelectronic and food industry, respectively. At the same time, five workshops will be held at different innovative locations in and around Leipzig. Topics will range from strategies in internationalisation & financing, project development & evaluation to research & consulting.

Unconventional venues will provide for a varied conference experience. Plenary sessions will be held in Leipzig’s world famous "Gewandhaus“, home to Conductor Laureate Kurt Masur and Riccardo Chailly. The newly built Museum for Fine Arts Leipzig makes a festive and culturally rich surrounding for a gala dinner. Exclusively, the museum extends its current Lovis Corinth-exhibition, so conference guests can have an easy stroll through the museum at night. Tuesday night’s farewell-party will be in two neighbouring twin bars on one of Leipzig’s popular pub strips, the “Gottschedtstrasse”.

The IICG is a private initiative set up to promote and strengthen regional competitiveness with more than 50 members, including international investors, such as BMW, Dow, Siemens and Bayer. In addition to companies that play a pivotal role in shaping the region’s economic structure, IICG also involves chambers of commerce and local authorities from the three German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. In Germany the IICG is second to none when it comes to promoting cluster processes. The not-for-profit-organisation furthers projects and processes in three different areas, such as promoting innovation, intensifiying growth and communication and marketing. According to Wolfgang Tiefensee, Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs and Government Commissioner for the New Federal States, "The region's upswing is an achievement that can partly be attributed to the IICG, for it strengthens the region in many ways. The IICG perceived the structural change in good time and is actively involved in business development."

For more information (only German): www.clusterkonferenz.de and press release

Contact organization:
Deutsche Clusterkonferenz 2008
Veranstalter: Wirtschaftsinitiative für Mitteldeutschland GmbH
Nikolaistraße 28–32, 04109 Leipzig
Telefon: (0341) 600 16 0, Fax: (0341) 600 16 13
E-Mail: info @ mitteldeutschland.com
Internet: www.mitteldeutschland.com