New direction in the EU: Clusters must enter the new growth markets
The EU changes its cluster policy, and to a higher extent, the EU will prepare clusters to help SMEs enter the growth markets outside Europe. Some clusters have already started helping their members beyond the borders of Europe. This e.g. applies to the Maritime Development Center of Europe and the Medicon Valley Alliance.
The European Commission set a new course for its cluster policy. Up until now, the EU has especially supported the establishment of new clusters and cross-regional/cross-sectorial clusters and collaborations within the borders of Europe. But according to the European Commission’s directorate-general within industrial policy (DG Enterprise and Industry), to a larger extent, the EU will support the European clusters who want to help their members enter the growth markets outside the EU.
Match-making with clusters outside Europe
During 2012 and 2013 there will be several match-making events for clusters across the continents. Over the next two years, together with Austrian Clusterland, German Zenit, French ERAI and German INNO TSD, French Fondation Sophia Antipolis will be co-ordinating various match-making events. The first event will be held in Japan, where cleantech clusters will be meeting in the autumn of 2012.
- Press photo, EMUC
Maritime entrepreneur to Singapore
In Denmark, several clusters are already actively working on getting their members into the growth race outside Europe. Among other things, the Maritime Development Center (EMUC) has assisted the entrepreneurial company C-leanship in getting into the attractive market of Singapore.
Together with the partner, Saab Underwater System, C-leanship developed an underwater robot that can clean the underside of large ships while they are in port. Jesper Højer, the founder of C-leanship, says:
”I got the idea in 2008, and both the underwater robot and my business model were introduced to a group of mentors at EMUC. I used their input to adjust both technology and business plan, which I then finally tested at a meeting with A.P.Møller-Mærsk”.
Cluster facilitator Steen Sabinsky of EMUC helped Jesper Højer get in contact with collaborators both in and outside the cluster, and through that channel, in the autumn of 2011, C-leanship established contact to the maritime industry in Singapore.
”At the beginning I got approximately five contacts, and now I have a solid network over there. Singapore is an attractive market because the concentration of ships is massive and because many decision-makers have settled there. Singapore is not at the same maritime competency level as Denmark, but still wants to attract high-tech companies and therefore offers various subsidy schemes for maritime entrepreneurs”, says Jesper Højer.
Ambassadors open the doors
Also the Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA) cluster is successful in helping its members into the new growth markets. The cluster has a formalised ambassador programme which makes it possible for the member companies to connect directly to Life Science ’hotspots’ in the entire world. One of the so-called Life Science ambassadors is Torsten Jepsen. Torsten works for the MVA in Massachusetts which is one of the places in the world that has the largest regional concentration of companies within bio science.
”Being a Life Science ambassador opens many doors, and my knowledge of key persons in the American Life Science industry can give our members a soft landing in the US”, says Torsten Jepsen.
Torsten Jepsen works in three levels:
”On the strategic level I’m maintaining the partnership between the MVA and the Life Science cluster MassBio in Massachusetts. From 2000 to 2009, MassBio’s growth rate was 60 % and they are developing more than 480 bio tech companies and almost 900 new medicinal products. It’s an advantage for all parties to be working together on various projects. It’s interesting for the American parties to join in EU financed projects. It’s interesting for the members of the MVA to join projects that are financed by e.g. the National Institute of Health, the Department of Defense and private American foundations.”
The second level on which Torsten Jepsen is working, he calls the ’platform level’. On this level he is trying to gather as many cross-border stakeholders as possible in the shortest time possible. Recently, he gave the participants in the ’Nanomedicine Partnering Mission to US’ event the possibility of becoming acquainted with academics from nine universities and several nano tech companies.
”The third level is individual counselling, where I help the members of the MVA find new partners, new technology and capital”, says Torsten Jepsen.
Other than Torsten Jepsen in the US, the Medicon Valley Alliance has Thomas Jonsson as a Life Science ambassador. He covers Kobe-Kansai in Japan and Seoul in Korea.
With EU’s new direction within cluster policy, in the future there should be a possibility to enhance cluster collaborations across the countries and continents.
FACTS
Read more in the EU match making events HERE.
EU’s match making event in Japan this autumn: Contact Nadège Bouget of the Fondation Sophia Antipolis.
DG Enterprise and Industry’s new plans HERE
The MVA ambassador programme HERE
