Clusters as drivers of regional innovation eco-systems - Clusters meet Regions, Romania
The European Cluster Collaboration Platform, on behalf of the European Commission, in partnership with the North-East Regional Development Agency Romania and the Romanian Cluster Association - CLUSTERO jointly organized the Clusters Meet Regions conference and matchmaking event on 21-23 November 2023 in Iasi, Romania.
Themed “Clusters as Drivers of Regional Innovation eco-systems,” the conference debated the role of clusters as reliable dialogue partners in the design, implementation and ongoing monitoring of regional development policies and programmes with a focus on smart specialisation, skills for industrial transition and entrepreneurship.
A particular emphasis was put on the international and interregional cluster cooperation in relation to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova against the wider Danube Region perspective.
Clusters, SMEs and other European innovation actors were also invited to discover the business and technology potential of Eastern Europe in a dedicated matchmaking event, organised on the 22nd of November afternoon with the support of the Enterprise Europe Network, with a focus on ICT, agrifood, wood & furniture, textiles, energy and environment, health, tourism and bio-economy sectors.
Download the Final Agenda and read the Input Paper.
Context and Objectives
15 regional workshops were being organised in those EU regions that expressed interest in hosting such a workshop during 2022-2023 as part of the “Clusters meet Regions” cycle. These events brought together clusters and policymakers within the EU from national, regional, and local levels in order to learn from each other how to better use clusters to strengthen industrial ecosystems, serve national/regional economic development and liaise with other regions facing similar transition challenges.
The objectives of the Clusters Meet Regions workshop in Iasi were to strengthen the role of clusters as:
- a reliable interface between macro-regional, national, and regional economic policy actors and their member organisations
- catalysts of regional innovation and dual transition processes
- channels for high-value support services for SMEs
Target Group
The event brought together over 150 representatives from clusters, companies, national and regional public authorities and business support organisations from Romania and other European countries as well as researchers, civil society, financial intermediaries, innovation agencies, industrial associations, investors, and other related actors.
