One of the best cluster organisations in Europe: it's OWL receives Gold Label for professional cluster management

Submitted by Salome Leßmann on 30 October 2020

it's OWL Clustermanagement GmbH has been awarded the "Cluster Organisation Management Excellent Label GOLD" for the third time. The evaluation is of great importance for the cluster's further development.

"We are proud that we are once again among the best cluster organisations in Europe. Such an award is not only a recognition of our work so far. The Gold Label can also help us to obtain future projects and funding," says Günter Korder, Managing Director of it's OWL Clustermanagement GmbH. After all, the label is playing an increasingly important role in the awarding of funding programmes or European cooperation projects and tenders. "They are regarded as a seal of quality and an independent evaluation criterion in the competition between European locations for funding as well as specialists and managers," says Mr Korder.

The evaluation process The European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA) examines European cluster organisations and awards the Excellence Labels Bronze, Silver or Gold after a benchmarking and 1 or 2-day audits. After a successful certification with the "Gold Label" in 2014 and a recertification in 2016, it's OWL Clustermanagement GmbH has now been reassessed and again awarded Gold. Two independent experts examined the cluster management for one day on the basis of 31 indicators such as cluster structure, organization, finances, strategy, offers and results.

It's OWL has excelled with this It was emphasised that the effective and efficient work of the cluster management not only contributes to the success of the Leading-Edge Cluster projects, but is also a key to attracting other large projects. From the auditors' point of view, examples of this are it's OWL's participation in the AI marketplace and the competence centre "AI for the working world of medium-sized industrial companies" (KIAM). A unique selling point of the Leading-Edge Cluster is the high level of industrial participation - also in committees such as the Cluster Board or the Working Committee. The sustainability approaches for the continuation of it's OWL after the end of the Leading-Edge Cluster funding in 2017 were also praised. The structure is seen as exemplary for other European clusters.

More about ESCA ESCA advises managers of cluster organisations, funding programme providers and policy makers on the further development of clusters through benchmarking. Since its foundation in 2009, ESCA has evaluated more than 1000 clusters and cluster organisations from 45 countries.

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