MUNICH On the occasion of the meeting of the 19 spokespersons of the Bavarian Cluster Initiative in Munich, Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Zeil, said that he was going to continue the cluster work and develop its focus on small and medium-sized companies. "Bavaria stands out for its competitive major companies, efficient SMEs and world-class research facilities. By working together as a team, the strengths of each individual can be used to generate even greater economic progress. I therefore give me full backing to the Cluster Initiative", Zeil commented.
The Economics Minister praised the widespread impact of the clusters: "In the past two years, the cluster teams have succeeded in winning 8,000 players from industry and academia and organized over 1,000 events. That is a remarkable achievement." A prime example of the successful work of the cluster teams was a project of the ‘New Materials’ Cluster. By bringing together textile machine producers from Upper Franconia with Swabian companies offering fiber-composite technology, a new line of business could be opened up for manufacturers of textile machinery. "The large number of new cooperation projects shows that the work of the clusters is helping small and medium-sized Bavarian companies to participate in innovative research & development projects", Zeil explained.
Professor Knut Koschatzky of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research confirmed the positive impact of the Cluster Initiative at the presentation of the interim report evaluating the Cluster Initiative. The work of the clusters was leading to a marked increase in cooperation schemes among companies. And what was more, it was precisely those companies which had previously had little contact with universities and institutes that were gaining access to research and scientific facilities.
With the Bavarian Cluster Initiative, the State Government is consistently pursuing its successful policy of boosting Bavaria’s role as a top location for industry and research. The Cluster Initiative aims to develop and intensify state-wide networks between companies, universities and research institutions in 19 key fields of excellence in Bavarian industry. Strategic control of the cluster platforms is in the hands of the cluster spokespersons. By engaging in such voluntary activities, personalities from industry and academia are contributing their competence and reputation to Bavarian cluster policy.
Source: Invest in Bavaria
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