In the past few years, the Istrian Development Agency invested much time and effort in the detection of possible ways to stimulate the growth and competitiveness of local industries. However, the lack of information that could provide a foundation and open up prospects for the creation of a development strategy for the production sector was a major obstacle hindering the identification of quality solutions. Precisely for this reason, the project "Intersectorial Analysis in the County of Istria" was realized in 2007 as a first step in the formation of clusters in Istria.

Project "Intersectorial Analysis in the County of Istria"

This project, aiming at conducting an intersectorial analysis, had significantly help IDA to give a reliable overview of the production sector and reach a better understanding of the challenges it is facing. It constituted a good basis for a decision about the ways in which the production sector should best be supported and about the actions that should be taken on the local, regional and national levels.

The main goal of the intersectorial analysis project is to create a solid platform for a successful linking of Istrian enterprises, or the formation of clusters. Further goals are the:

* analysis of the production sector in the County of Istria, which will facilitate the formulation of a development strategy for the production sector
* identification of specific projects contributing to the industrial development which will follow the analysis and the strategy formulation
* identification of possibilities to apply for industrial development assistance from pre-accession funds

Preparations for the Establishment of Clusters

The formation and establishment of a cluster requires comprehensive activities and the inclusion of almost all participants who can in any way contribute to the cluster's success, from the promotion of the very idea to the point where the cluster becomes operational.

From IDA's point of view, a cluster represents a joint initiative of the public and the private sector, i.e. of an array of companies which can be linked together in a technological process, but also of a series of institutions, different levels of administration, scientific and other institutions which can in one way or another contribute to the establishment of the cluster. Internationally, clusters mostly include companies, the government (national, regional, and local) and the scientific community.

Clusters have become a commonly accepted component of national and regional development planning, thus the need to understand a successful cluster formation initiative has become a basic prerequisite for the implementation of such a project. Only very clearly defined initiatives with a very distinct separation of roles among their participants can contribute to the formation of a cluster.

In 2007 two Clusters were established in Istria Region:

* Automotive Cluster of Croatia (ACH)
* ICT Cluster

Source: IDA Website.