News archive - New EC policy on innovation clusters
Günter Verheugen, the European Commissioner for Enterprise, recently launched a new EC policy on innovation clusters. In order to create a more efficient framework for cluster support, the new policy proposes to: improve the functioning of the internal market and remove remaining barriers to trans-national mobility; establish a high-level ‘European Cluster Policy Group’ to explore ways on how best to assist Member States in supporting the emergence of world-class clusters; expand the policy dialogue initiated by the European Cluster Alliance among Members States and EU regions; further develop the European Cluster Observatory into a full-fledged service to clusters across the EU; and launch a pilot scheme offering training programmes and platforms for cooperation of cluster.
Commissioner Verheugen was at the Fourth Competitive Cluster Forum in Sophia Antipolis, France, on 13 - 14 November, to launch this new policy drive. He pointed out that the importance of better exploiting the potential of innovation clusters and how they could act as the main driver of Europe’s competitiveness. The forum saw stakeholders and experts in the field from around the world. Many of the presentations given at the forum are available on the conference website.
Further information:
EC Press Release IP/08/1548 of 17 October 2008 is available at: http://europa.eu/rapid
The EC web pages on innovation policy are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/innovation/index_en.htm
Further details of the Sophia Antipolis conference, including several of the presentations given, are available at:
http://www.sophia-antipolis.org/ue2008/programme2.htm
Entry created by Elke Dall on December 6, 2008
Modified on December 12, 2008
