Insights from a whistle-stop tour of German clusters
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s ‘go-cluster’ programme brings together more than 80 of the country's outstanding and efficient innovation clusters.
There are many factors that help make an innovation cluster strong and competitive, but a key element for its success is professional cluster management.
But what exactly happens behind the scenes of a cluster initiative? How does it operate? Who works with whom and what role is played by cluster management? There are many different answers to these questions – in fact, they are as diverse as the cluster initiatives themselves.
The cluster initiatives’ working procedures and structures vary, depending on the field of technology they work in and their objectives in terms of cooperation and organisation.
As part of the second German cluster week in 2019, the ‘go-cluster’ programme team took a tour around Germany to capture and document some of these many different approaches to share with the wider cluster community.
The team selected eight members from very different German regions and fields of technology and visited each, talking to both cluster managers and individual stakeholders from the clusters, gathering their thoughts, knowledge and experiences.
This has all been captured in the Cluster Initiative Expedition booklet, which provides a timeless picture of the diversity, working procedures and people behind the ‘go-cluster’ programme.
Download the publication below to gain a valuable insight into the German cluster ecosystem and how its practices may apply to you.
