2/13/2008

Positive review after a year and a half of cluster progress

Müller: “With 6,000 players from industry and academia, the work of the clusters has achieved a large degree of broad public impact”

MUNICH Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Emilia Müller, had her first meeting with the spokesmen of the 19 clusters in the Bavarian Cluster Initiative. “One and a half years after the networks were launched, the 19 clusters are actively operating across the whole spectrum. Their work is being excellently received by industry and academia. Already as many as 6,000 players from the business and scientific community are regularly taking part in the activities of the clusters. 700 events all over Bavaria with close to 40,000 participants show what broad impact the clusters have achieved in Bavarian industry,” Economics Minister Müller said, referring to the clusters’ successful work to date.

“The many trade seminars, cluster meetings and working groups make excellent platforms for finding new cooperation partners in Bavaria. In this way, we are boosting added-value chains in the State. The cluster networks make it easier for small and medium-sized companies in particular to gain access to know-how in universities and research institutions, so that they can vigorously develop their innovative strength,” the Economics Minister continued.

The clusters address specific themes that are of particular importance to the companies in the cluster. The Biotechnology Cluster, for example, is building up the thematic field of “white biotechnology” in Bavaria with partners from industry and science, which is leading to successful participation in the nationwide “BioIndustry 2021” competition of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). With BMBF funding of 5 million euros, it is now possible to carry out comprehensive work on “white biotechnology” issues.

With its ‘Allianz Bayern Innovativ’ campaign, the Bavarian State Government is consistently pursuing its successful policy of strengthening Bavaria as a business and research location. As a pillar of the ‘Allianz Bayern Innovativ’ campaign, the State Government’s Cluster Initiative aims to build up and develop statewide networks between companies, universities and research institutions in 19 key fields of competence in Bavarian industry. Strategic control of the cluster platforms lies in the hands of the cluster spokesmen, who contribute their competence and reputation to the Bavarian cluster policy.

Source: Invest in Bavaria