The 9th edition of the European Cluster Conference took place on the 7th and 8th of May 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. The event aimed to highlight the role of clusters in advancing EU industrial priorities and gathered nearly 700 participants, including representatives from cluster organisations, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and a total of 56 speakers.
ECCP – The European Cluster Collaboration Platform is an (online) community that connects and assists cluster organisations in communicating and collaborating. The platform provides news, events, opportunities and collaboration for industry stakeholders, disseminating and showcasing the influence of European clusters.
The conference focused on two important topics: clusters’ role in boosting EU competitiveness and pan-European value chains’ potential to attract and maximise investment. In a series of deeply interactive concurrent sessions, the Conference addressed the Green Transition, the Digital Transition, and Resilience Building, providing a deep dive into critical factors such as skills, funds, and technology.
Vojvodina ICT Cluster, one of the partners from the EINSTEIN consortium, presented the project to attendees at the #ECC2024 to promote synergies, knowledge exchange, and engagement among industry, policymakers, practitioners, and experts at the European level.
The Matchmaking
The Matchmaking event, held on the second day of the European Cluster Conference, provided a specialised platform for potential partners to meet. The event attracted 170 people from cluster organisations, business support organisations, and firms in 26 EU and COSME countries.
Over 800 meeting requests were submitted, along with countless informal interactions. The matchmaking event’s structured framework enabled focused and efficient interactions, increasing the likelihood of finding compatible partners, encouraging innovation, and promoting interdisciplinary and cross-sector cooperation.
The event fosters international cooperation by bringing together participants from many nations, allowing firms to expand outside their native markets through clusters. Strengthening links within and between clusters increases their overall effectiveness, resulting in stronger regional economic development. The event allows participants to optimise resources, save time on partner searches, and focus on essential business development initiatives by allowing direct contacts.
The EINSTEIN project was presented by Vojvodina ICT Cluster during the B2Match event meetings to raise awareness and empower innovation by integrating medicine, agriculture, technology, and education, the project aspires to pioneer nutrifood-based theranostics.
To discuss the latest trends in cluster synergies and stimulate a future high-level collaboration between industry and academia communities on challenges and needs to be addressed in R&D, making better potential of clusters, in particular for a Healthier Europe.
The full article with insights from the European Cluster Conference 2024 is here.
Official Photo Gallery from the Conference: link.
