• It is one of the conclusions of an ACCIÓ survey, according to which being part of a cluster has led companies to have more connection with the sector, more information and knowledge and to be able to work together on innovation projects during the pandemic.
• In the last year, the number of Catalan companies that are members of the 29 clusters in Catalonia has increased by 13%, which in aggregate have 2,600 members, represent 30% of GDP and generate more than 300,000 workplaces.
• A cluster is a group of companies and environmental agents (such as universities and technology centers) in the same sector that share resources, generate synergies and are projected internationally.

ACCIÓ reports - 80% of the companies that are part of a cluster consider that the fact of being members positions them better to be able to face the current crisis caused by COVID-19. It is one of the conclusions of a survey carried out by ACCIÓ (l’agencia per a la competitivitat de l’empresa of the Departament d'Empresa i Coneixement).

A cluster is a group of companies (startups, SMEs and multinationals) and agents of the environment (universities and technology centers) of a certain economic field that share resources, generate synergies and are projected internationally. It is an instrument that makes it possible to improve the competitiveness of the members that are part of it by defining joint strategic challenges and developing transformative projects.

According to the survey, 69% of companies say that being part of a cluster during the pandemic has allowed them to connect with other companies in the sector, 60% have more information and knowledge and 49% have been able to work together on projects of innovation. In this sense, according to the director of the ACCIÓ Cluster Unit, Joan Martí, "the current crisis highlights the need for companies to transform and adapt their activity and business models to face new global challenges". In this context, according to Martí, “strategic change is a key axis of the cluster policy to boost the company's competitiveness, because it first allows us to understand how to reposition ourselves and then to promote transformative projects. The clusters are acting as strategic ‘havens’ where they share the measures that companies are activating, knowledge about how the business is evolving and jointly create solutions”. In fact, in recent months, the 29 Catalan clusters have been working on concrete initiatives to face the emergency caused by COVID-19 in areas such as the production of medical supplies, cybersecurity and teleworking, home education, mental health during confinement and feeding.

The number of companies in the Catalan clusters grows 

Precisely, the number of companies that are part of Catalan clusters has increased by 13% in one year. Thus, there are currently 29 clusters in Catalonia that have 2,600 members (between companies and other entities), which generate 300,000 workplaces and represent 30% of GDP. According to Martí, "Catalonia has more than 25 years of experience in cluster policy and we have a consolidated ecosystem, which is constantly evolving, since more than half of the Catalan clusters have at least a decade of experience" , explain. "That the Catalan clusters continue to grow and add new members shows their importance as an instrument of competitiveness, especially in a context like the current one, full of challenges, where joint and diverse action is needed," he says. The 2,600 cluster members represent a diverse fabric of actors, since 70% are SMEs, 13% are large companies, 10% are research centers, universities and knowledge providers; 4.5% of startups, among other agents in the environment.