Experiences from a Meta-Cluster

ALPlastics Alps4EU International Cluster Workshop

16.01.2014 Bruxelles

Jacques P. Bersier

HES-SO//Fribourg EIA-FR – PST-FR – Réseau plasturgie jacques.bersier@hefr.ch

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ALPlastics Project

ALPlastics : A cooperation project for innovation

Focused on plastics clusters technologies

Focused on Alpine space territory

Involving „triple helix actors“

Duration : 1.9.2011 – 31.8.2013

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ALPlastics Partners

CARMA F

PLASTIPOLIS F

RESEAU PLASTURGIE CH

CHEMIE – CLUSTER BAYERN D

REGIONE PIEMONTE I LP PROPLAST I

CLUSTERLAND A

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ALPlastics Activities

Benchmarking Pilot Activities Capitalisation

Industry Analysis of SMEs

industrial context

SMEs benchmarking

Benchmarking

of productivity

innoPROD

Open Innovation

Platform

ALPlastics Academy

Open Innovation

Platform

ALPlastics Academy

Cluster

Management

Bodies

Cluster

benchmarking

ESCA VDI/VDE

Bronze Label

Cluster facilitator

program (visiting

experiences)

Cluster facilitator

program

Public bodies

Local

development

and innovation

policy makers

Policies

benchmarking

International Cluster

Conference

PST-FR, ALPlastics,

Alps4EU

Publication of a

Whitepaper « Industrial

cluster excellence:

whitepaper on

preconditions, policies

and best-practices »

All documents on www.alplastics.net

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Alps4EU Meta-cluster

RESEAU PLASTURGIE CH

PLASTIPOLIS F

PROPLAST I

CLUSTERLAND A

TECOST SL

VENETO

NANOTECH I

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Alps4EU WP6 Objective

Meta-cluster objective reminder:

“Find an alternative to external funding and turn into a

self-financing mode of the meta-cluster between the

involved clusters in order to create a reference template

for further non-financed meta-clusters in the future”

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Meta-cluster objectives

Policy Action

Research and Networking

Innovation &

Technology

Education and training

Cluster Growth

Commercial cooperations

Specific post-training

programs

Knowledge management

Technical training

Professional training

Trade fair participation

Equipment sharing

Intellectual property

Experts network

Company networks

Cooperation with other clusters

Cluster promotion

Company

growth

Welcoming new enterprises

Spin-offs/ start up creation

Attract firms/ new partners

Structures formalization

Applied research projects

Technology watch

Access to research institutions

Access to competitive funding

Professional training

Economic policy

Lobbying

Source:

Dr Örjan Sölvell, Dr Göran Lindqvist, Dr Christian Ketels, The Cluster Initiative Greenbook,

Ivory Tower AB, Stockholm, 2003

Six principal targets of a cluster

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WP6 Alps4EU Pilot Action

REASON TO PARTICIPATE MINIMUM OBJECTIVES TO REACH

TECOS Keep contact with the European leading plastic

producers and researchers. By participating we

will gain priceless network and enable it to stay

one of the leading research and development

institutes in Slovenia.

Develop several good contacts with

similar clusters and companies outside

Slovenia. We expect to find at least one

new business partner in the scope of

participating in meta-cluster.

PROPLAST Important to continue being in the cluster network

initiated with the ALPlastics and ALPS4EU

projects, to exchange information and to keep

the network alive for new projects and activities.

Good contacts and put new basis for

future possible cooperation.

VENETO

NANOTECH

Interested in opening collaborations with similar

clusters in the word as well as company interested

to the application of Nanotechnologies to their

product. Development new relationship with

cluster and company involved in plastic and

composite material business, to develop new

research line about Polymers related to green-

topics, such as biopolymers.

Develop several good contacts with

similar clusters and companies outside

Italy. We expect to find at least one new

business partner in the scope of

participating in meta-cluster.

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WP6 Alps4EU Pilot Action

REASON TO PARTICIPATE MINIMUM OBJECTIVES TO REACH

PLASTIPOLIS These partnerships allow to the cluster to create a

strong network and to foster new projects and

actions in the Alpine Space. These partnerships

need a structuration around a community this

meta-cluster will create. The meta-cluster will offer

a strong relationship between cluster, a frame in

order to work together, and a wide network.

Furthermore an exchange between clusters on

their best practices and their own activities will

help to enhance our own activities such as

innovation, training, internationalization…

The minimum objective expected is the

creation of a real and sustainable

partnerships with other cluster involved

in this pilot action, which will ease our

relationships.

CLUSTERLAN

D

Building up good relationships to other plastics

related cluster organizations in Europe in order to

be able to exchange know-how but also in order

to link the Austrian R&D institutions with other

R&D facilities in Europe. With the upcoming

European research and development framework

program HORIZON 2020 it is necessary to

maintain an excellent network to other clusters

within the same industry in order to build up

project consortiums.

The minimum objective is to get an

overview and insight in the R&D

infrastructure and corporate network

of the participating clusters.

Furthermore it would be interesting to

exchange the particular fields of interests

of the different cluster organizations and

their members in order to be able to

contact potential project partners more

easily.

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WP6 Alps4EU Pilot Action

REASON TO PARTICIPATE MINIMUM OBJECTIVES TO REACH

RESEAU

PLATURGIE

Even if the fact that all the cluster members

of this meta-cluster are technically

considered as competitors, it seems

appropriated to create a community within

the Alpine Space from which the

technological level is the highest in

order to be capable to better compete at a

global level. By gathering all together, the

community could benefit from the know-

how and best practices of each other with

the goal to help having a higher technology

level, excellent basic training and

continuous training, but also a space for

economic exchange by building “co-

competition”.

The minimum objective expected for the Réseau

plasturgie is the setting up of a common space

for exchange in the field of technology,

training, continuous training programs and to

keep updating the ALPlastics project “Open

Innovation Platform”.

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Partner objectives

Policy Action

Networking - ALL

Innovation &

Technology

Education and training Commercial cooperations

Technical training

Internationalization

Business partner

Cooperation with other clusters

Exhange of know how

Access to research institutions

Meta-cluster member’s interest

Exchange of best practice

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Actions to be taken

Networking

Ensure networking between clusters

Establish a virtual contact

Exchange physical contact in the framework

of projets, conferences and fairs

Innovation and technology

Develop a knowledge atlas of R&D centers

Develop an open innovation platform

Database of projects with a call for partners

Education and training

Information and exchange on education programs

and conferences

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Suggestion (1)

Virtual contact

Use the existing alplastics.net website

Modify it in order to present:

Events - Conferences, Workshops, Tech Days

Training courses

Call for partnership

Meta-cluster LinkedIn group for communication

Open Innovation Platform – InnoProd software

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Suggestion (2)

Virtual contacts

New Website

Physical contacts

Fair – Swiss Plastics Fair in Lucerne 21-23th January

Conferences 8th May 2014 in Fribourg

18th June 2014 in Lyon

Project meeting

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Conclusion

How a meta-cluster could be established ?

Shoud be a continuation of an original project

How should it be organized ?

In an informal way based on MoU

What tools and instruments meta-cluster can offer

to support internationalisation processes of SMEs ?

Probably not the correct tool to be used

How can a meta-cluster be sustained without public

funding ?

Only by creating a virtual network in a first step

www.alps4eu.eu

www.alplastics.net

THANK YOU!