Following a successful SME survey spanning 500 engineering businesses from across Europe, SME Cluster Growth partners are preparing to establish six Cluster Growth Councils. Each will serve as a platform to develop closer relationships between Engineering SMEs and universities in order to build joint action plans and strategies, align activities with local and regional issues and innovation agendas to solve their common challenges collaboratively.
So who is getting involved and who will benefit from the Cluster Growth Councils?
- Growth SME managers
- Incubator and accelerator managers
- Entrepreneurship centre representatives
- HEI representatives
- Regional venture capitalists
- SME Growth experts
- Innovation intermediaries
The Councils will work to 4 key success factors
- Increase interactions between Engineering SMEs and universities
- Multiply interactions between different clusters
- Determine the precise success factors to be adapted with the challenges specific to each cluster
- Create a direct impact in each country
Let’s review how this is going to happen…
- By July 2021, each Cluster will launch a Council of 15+ members interested in taking part in each regional cluster (e.g. regional VC, incubator managers, entrepreneurship centres representatives, SME Growth experts, successful SME managers, HEI representatives, etc.)
- Each Council will agree the themes their council will work to address. This will reflect the insights derived from the development of six Regional Growth Needs Analysis Reports & the interviews and case studies conducted.
- Each Council will develop their vision of cross-European collaboration and how they both add and benefit from strong added value on an international basis.
Let’s put the first spotlight on our French Cluster Growth Council. Led byIMTBS, they are focusing the work of their Cluster Growth Council around two challenges:
- Firstly the need for engineering SMEs to strengthen their relationship with the University and learn innovative ways to work together
- Secondly to develop European relationships with the five other Cluster Growth Councils. Their Council will comprise stakeholders including SME owners across different engineering segments, the French public bank of investment, the largest professional organisation of French industry and an OPCO (French organisation involved in finance, lifelong learning and applied studies for young people).
We look forward to sharing details of the work of each of our Councils over the coming months.
TO GET INVOLVED, EMAIL
FRANCE Adeline Leroy, IMTBS: adeline.leroy@imt-bs.eu
