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"Hot topics" on clusters

A parallel session on "Hot Topics in cluster" chaired by Michael Enright took place during the 2008 TCI Annual Global Conference in Cape Town. Participants discussed about some key cluster related issues or "hot topics". This session provided the opportunity for cluster practitioners to share their experiences in small groups around key topics facing the success of clustering projects. The session was planned to define subjects to bring forward to TCI discussions and future conferences.

The discussion was structured along three main themes:
A special emphasis was put in identifying topics not covered in this conference, questions unanswered or new emerging topics.

One central idea that came out from the Clusters in the new context group moderated by Elisabeth Waelbroeck-Rocha is the need to understand that clusters are not embedded in a “new context” but in fact in a “variety of contexts” that need to be taken into account (i.e. political, social, firm and competitiveness context). The two most important topics highlighted by participants were: first, how should measurement be adapted in order not to distort initiatives, and; second, how to deal with new contexts that impact the strategies and behaviors of firms and other actors within clusters.

The Hot issues in process, cluster management and organization group moderated by Alonso Ramos highlighted the need for deepening our understanding on: first, scalability of cluster interventions, i.e. from national competitiveness programs to micro-clusters development, and; second, best practices for operation and execution that touch upon cluster governance, involvement of companies, making the “business case”, ethics and conflicts of interest, cluster branding, and corporate/cluster social responsibility.

The Action, Implementation, Getting results group moderated by Alberto Pezzi spelled out some of the most important challenges that cluster implementation poses today, such as combining top-down and bottom-up approaches, improving finance for research, venture and cluster development, implementing cross-sectoral initiatives or the need to consider the gender perspective in entrepreneurship. The discussion also served to share some ideas on how to overcome those challenges such as developing firm-centred tools (e.g. special trainings) and the key need to facilitate an environment of trust among firms and avoiding the use of the word "cooperation".

The format of this panel was considered extremely helpful by participants: “future TCI conferences should offer more of these spaces for exchange and interaction in small groups of cluster practitioners that share similar interests and concerns”.

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