On October 20th 2014, the European Commission’s Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General will organize a large-scale European cluster matchmaking event in Brussels in the framework of the European Cluster Conference 2014 set up by the European Commission’s Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, with the aim to foster cooperation between European clusters.
The European cluster matchmaking event will represent a unique opportunity for representatives of cluster organisations interested in European cluster collaboration to explore possible common areas of interest for cooperation and complementarities, in terms of sectoral, value chain, and market focus of their SMEs and companies with a large pannel of European clusters.
As part of a new policy aimed at promoting international cluster cooperation for the benefit of SMEs, DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission launched in 2012 an initiative, renewed in late 2013, that contributes to the organisation of specific cluster matchmaking missions to support cluster organisations in their efforts to develop partnerships and business cooperation in european and global markets, for the benefit of their members. The European cluster matchmaking event organised in Brussels will thus be in line with recent European cluster matchmaking events organized in La Louvière (Belgium), Naples (Italy) and Sevilla (Spain) respectively in February, March and April 2014, but at a greater scale.
These events seek to prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation across borders and make a more strategic use of transnational cluster cooperation. The European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) is the cornerstone of the European strategy in support of SME internationalisation through clusters. The ECCP provides a wide range of information and services to facilitate the interaction between clusters not only within Europe but also with international partners.
The organisation of the matchmaking event is facilitated by a consortium led by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (Portugal) supported by inno TSD (France) and Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum (Germany).
