Clusters and business networks - Bremen (15th October 2003) Services and support to start-up and spin-off - Wiener Neustadt (4th –5th December 2003) Science and industry relationship - Helsinki (6th – 7th May 2004) Services and support to start-up and spin-off and Clusters and business networks - Birmingham (9th – 11th June 2004) Science and industry relationship - Gothenburg (29th September – 1st October 2004) Science - Industry Relationship - Pisa (24th November 2004) Science - Industry Relationship - Caen (18th March 2005) Services and support to start-ups and spin-offs - Évora - Alentejo (11th – 12th July 2006) Industry Science Relations - Gent - Flanders (5th – 6th September 2006) Financing Innovation in European Regions - Jönköping - Småland med öarna (6th – 7th November 2006) Cluster and Business Network TWG - Venice - Veneto (16th – 17th January 2007)

Clusters and business networks - Bremen (15th October 2003) In collaboration with the network "SRINNOP. Strengthening the Regional Innovation Profile"(www.strinnop.net) and the Bremen Innovation Agency, the ERIK Thematic Working Group "Clusters" held a study visit on clusters in Bremen on the 15th of October 2003. The study visit was attended by 33 delegates from development agencies, ministries, technology parks, academia and research institutions who work in the field of regional innovation policies. The main objective of the visit was to provide a better understanding on the issue of clusters and offered insights into current regional strategies, implementation activities and future trends. The aim of the workshop was to exchange experiences regarding following topics, which gave impulses for the future work of the thematic working group "clusters": - How do I identify a sector as a cluster? (example t.i.m.e. program in Bremen) - need for continuous systematic innovation monitoring / monitoring of clusters - The role of higher education and start-up support in clusters - success factors & good practice example "Pre-Seed-Program for Academic Start-ups" - Innovation and co-operation culture in clusters (example mobile solution group Ltd.) - benchmarking good practice examples of innovation and technology transfer activities, - Bremen experience: collaboration of SMEs of mobile solution group with Telekom and Micorsoft - How do you deal with clusters which work across boundaries? - benchmarking of good practice examples of support schemes between intermediaries - Identification of financial barriers of firm growth in clusters - identifying possible solutions for interventions. Wednesday, 15th October 2003 Bremen Innovation and Technology Center Dr. Adolf Kopp, head of division Incubation & Center Management, BIA GmbH http://www.bia-bremen.de Cluster "mobile solution group" Jörg Kautzner, division t.i.m.e. & e-logistics, BIA GmbH http://www.mobile-solution-group.de Technology Park Bremen Peter H. Ganten, Univention GmbH http://www.univention.de Mobile and Wearable System Solutions at the Center for Computing Technologies (TZI) Ingrid Rügge, TZI, University of Bremen http://www.wearlab.de/index_en Contact: Conny Hamann, Tel.: 49 421 9600-323, hamann@bia-bremen.de. Details of the conference and study visit are available online at the STRINNOP web site: www.strinnop.net

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