TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR CLUSTER MANAGERS

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR CLUSTER MANAGERS Reza Zadeh, European Foundation for Clusters and Competitiveness Rome, 7 November 2012

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR CLUSTER MANAGERS • New Challenges for Cluster Management • The Concept of Cluster Excellence & ECEI • The Cluster Excellence Training Materials • The Foundation Clusters and Competitiveness • Examples of current training programmes at the Foundation

Local competitiveness? Prosperity Productivity Innovative capacity Source: Michael Porter

Local competitiveness? Prosperity Competitiveness Innovative capacity Source: Michael Porter

Local competitiveness? Macroeconomic, Political, Legal and Social context Microeconomic Competitiveness Company operations and strategy Quality of business environment State of cluster development Source: Michael Porter

Cluster support in the past Joint service Company A Company B Company C Company D • Companies reacted to increased global competition with collaborative initiatives: • sharing parts of value chains (research, logistics,…) • developing common services (training,…)

Cluster support now But now globalization is optimazing the value chains at global level, leaving less room for collaborative initiatives at regional and national levels

Cluster support now X X And we are starting to see the disappearance of all kinds of activities (incl. R+D) of the value chain in developed world that are being moved to lower cost countries

Cluster support now Leading technology Advanced services • Developed economies have to respond strategically redefining businesses models: • Incorporating leading technology • Adding advanced services Redefining business strategies

Challenges for the future Are the incumbent clusters the best to: • Transform their products into advanced services? • Incorporate new breakthrough technologies? To break the paradigm?

Addressing the European innovation gap • “Achieving an Innovative Europe requires a combination of a market for innovative goods and services, focussed resources, new financial structures and mobility of people, money and organisations. Together these constitute a paradigm shift going well beyond the narrow domain of R&D and innovation policy.” (Aho Report 2006)

Impact of cluster management excellence on competitiveness and innovation • Contributing to the development of lead markets • New lead markets of products and services • Adding new Key Enabling Technologies • Adding services and more creativity to industries • Helping in refocusing R&D&I resources • Signal new research needs • Identify new players • Improving the mobility of human, financial and knowledge resources • Internationalization by exports and investment

Why Cluster Excellence • Cluster Observatory identifies clusters • But having clusters is not enough • We have 1000+ “clusters organizations” • But having clusters organizations is not enough • They need to promote excellence • What is cluster management excellence?

Cluster-Excellence.eu is…

Cluster-Excellence training materials (I)

Cluster-Excellence training materials (II)

ECEI: Cases Developed

Field Project 6-8 months Launching of actions Guiding the strategy Identification of challenges 2ndPublic Meeting 3rd Public Meeting 1st Public Meeting • Interviews with cluster agents • Documents and past study analysis • International Benchmarking • BPC • Strategy groups • Definition and launching of actions

Entry requirements for Cluster Management Instructors • The Cluster Management Instructors should be proposed by a regional development institution, and fulfill the following requirements: • MBA or PhD equivalent • Minimum of five years of experience in clusters, strategy and management with good knowledge of local environment • Must have proven experience in teaching • Advanced command of English

Cluster Management Instructors Certificates • Associate: • After completion of Train the Trainers course by the FCC • Instructor: • After completion of first Cluster Managers Training • Must be practiced or pass a Continuous Development Programme every 3 years

The Foundation Clusters and Competitiveness The Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the European competitiveness by promoting and improving cluster management as a discipline and building international linkages and alliances.

Current Training Programmes • Consortia participating in CIP programme (2011) on Promoting excellence of cluster management in the CIP participating countries • Promoting excellence of cluster management in the CIP participating countries • EUROMED – “Innovative Entrepreneurs for Change”

EUROMED - The Starting Point The Joint Communication by the EU External Action Service and the European Commission “A partnership for democracy and shared prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean” European Parliament made a budget available for targeted activities that enhance the support to innovative entrepreneurs in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon.

EUROMED - The Objectives • Working with local innovation support practitioners and experts, • provide them with training and capacity building • include them into the European level activities, • and support them in the design of future activities that could become elements of EU-Mediterranean bilateral cooperation programs.

EUROMED - The Foundation’s Role • Train the trainers in cluster management excellence developed by ECEI • Support practical field projects • Facilitate Benchmarking and ECEI-EFQM Quality Label for clusters

Thank you for your attention • Foundation Contact: • Reza Zadeh • reza.zadeh@clustercompetitiveness.org • +44 77 40 900 663

Foundation Contact: • Reza Zadeh • reza.zadeh@clustercompetitiveness.org • +44 77 40 900 663

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR CLUSTER MANAGERS