The 14th General Assembly of the National Cluster Association took place on 29 May 2024

The 14th regular general meeting, which was attended by 29 representatives from the member base and guests, took place on May 29, 2024, at the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics building in Prague.

The general meeting's program met all the requirements. It concluded with a tour of RICAIP, the Research and Innovation Center for Advanced Industrial Production.

In the afternoon, instructor David Krystof led a training session for cluster managers on "How to Think Strategically and Work in a Cluster Organization."

In 2023, the National Cluster Association (NCA) regularly met with members, demonstrating the strength, common interest, and importance of cluster organisations in supporting the competitiveness of companies in the Czech Republic. It acted as a strong authority in negotiations with regions, the state, and the EU. The NCA also supported cluster managers with two training sessions on the topics "How to Best Sell (Present) Your Achievements" and "Project CORNET."

In cooperation with the European Clusters Collaboration Platform (ECCP) and under the auspices of the European Commission, the NCA organised a Cluster Day in the format of the Clusters meet Regions, which took place from October 23 to 24, 2023. The event partners were CEDEG, Klastr MECHATRONIKA, the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and EDIH NORTHEAST. During this event, awards such as the Golden Cluster, Manager of the Year, and other recognitions highlighting the activity of cluster organizations were announced. On this occasion, another edition of Klastroviny was published, showcasing the achievements of NCA members.

The NCA remains a member of the European Cluster Labelling Excellence Structure (EUCLES) and boasts the training of two auditors from its member base. It is also a member of the European Cluster Alliance (ECA), through which the NCA successfully joined the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), where it has been an active member for three years. Last year, the NCA contributed to organising several Clusters meet Regions events and took the initiative this year to support the organization of side events as part of the European Cluster Conference 2024. Regarding international cooperation, the NCA signed a Memorandum on the Cluster Environment for Ukraine with five national cluster associations supported by ECA and European Commission representatives.

The NCA also supported its member, CEDEG, in organising the CZECH-SLOVAK TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT 2023 (C-STS). The second edition of the two-day Czech-Slovak meeting of experts in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and EDIH took place on 7 - 8 June 2023 at the state castle in Mikulov, South Moravia (Czech Republic). The event attracted a total of 238 participants on both days and is the largest Czech-Slovak networking event in the combination of the above-mentioned professional topics.

During the year, the NCA was involved in the EuroCluster Rural Tourism project, which aims to support 190 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the rural tourism sector. The project launched two calls for proposals, for which fifteen SMEs and three experts (ASPs) from the Czech Republic applied. Ten SMEs and three experts from the Czech Republic were selected to guide these SMEs through the project and enable them to improve their digital, environmental and soft social skills. Each SME will receive € 5 000. The project continues until 2025.

In April 2023, the European Digital Innovation Hub project for the Liberec and Hradec Kralove regions was officially launched, providing services to small and medium-sized enterprises and public organizations primarily from these regions. The project offers consulting, opportunities for testing and implementing digital technologies, services and education on digitalization, and assistance with grant management. Support and advice on digitalization and grant management are provided by consortium members.

The Innovate by Education project was completed in July 2023. It aimed to expand the professional training of employees of member clusters to increase their work competencies and innovation potential. The project offered free comprehensive training and education for company employees. Thirty-nine companies and more than a thousand participants benefited from the free training.

In 2024, the NCA plans to hold regular meetings with its members, promote Czech cluster organizations and their achievements both in the Czech Republic and the EU, remain actively involved in the ECCP and ECA, organise a Cluster Day in the South Moravian Region on October 16-17, expand the cluster map to include individual companies and organisations, conduct a roadshow on digitalisation, and host a Technology Summit in Mikulov scheduled for June 2024. The NCA also aims to keep members informed about events and news from the cluster environment and the ECCP, ECA, and others. It plans to issue a comprehensive info service summarising the achievements of the NCA and its members, provide training under the "Innovate Through Education 2" and "Innovate Through Education DIGI" projects, and train cluster managers within the NCA framework.

The National Clusters Association Network would like to thank its members and others for their trust and support.