Developing Next Generation Clusters & Business Support - by ECIA Cluster 2020

Editor's Notes

• #2: Hello, I’m David Furmage from Coventry University Enterprises in the UK. I’m leading Cluster 2020. We’re looking at how to develop next generation clusters and business support
• #3: Cluster 2020 is developing next generation clusters and business support by running practical trials and tests in the UK, Germany & France.   It is focused on the creative and digital industries, but its findings are equally relevant to any fast changing sector with small, often fragile businesses.   It is part of the ECIA, the European Creative industries Alliance. This is a €100m private/public partnership. Its vision to help creative businesses grow in a smart, sustainable way.   The European Commission has put €10m directly into 8 projects to kick-start it. These cover Access to Finance. Voucher Schemes and Cluster Excellence & Collaboration. This project is one of the two cluster projects being funded.  
• #4: Cluster 2020 is not a tick-box exercise from Brussels. It is about real concrete actions, providing real answers for businesses in today’s tough times.   I combine policy work like this with running an SME in the sector, so I know first hand the pain and joys of employing staff, raising finance, having your house on the line and working long hours. Half my friends are in the sector too, so this is not just theory to me. I am passionate about the project and ensuring its success.      
• #5: Cluster 2020 been talking to UK businesses and has found that business support there has been fragmented badly, made local, with regional structures abolished. This has left different support organisations competing against each other to get businesses to sign up for their services, the result…   Businesses don’t know where to turn, who to trust or how to identify the full range of services they actually need.   We believe that clusters and government policy have a key role in tackling this issue head-on.   Full details of our findings are on our blogsite at www.cluster2020live.eu We’ll have German & French results soon too.
• #6: To be successful cluster organizations must begin looking through the eyes of individual businesses, examining their business journeys from seed ideas at pre-start to exit strategies, and all the variations in between!   Cluster 2020’s practical actions will help make cluster organizations and businesses…   More Informed , able to Wor k Smarter and become More Expert  
• #7: More Informed through diagnostics and dashboards   We’re developing a diagnostic toolkit to help cluster organizations get a fine-grained understanding of each business in their cluster.   We’re developing an on-line dashboard to help businesses understand their support options and connect with recommended networks and partnerships.
• #8: More Informed by Producing a Trends Guide and helping businesses apply it to them.   Covering Consumer, business, technology and research trends and Game changers like content piracy. Uniquely, it’ll take into account regional strengths and weaknesses too.   More Informed using data for competitive advantage. We’ll run open data events for creative businesses, helping many gain an insight into new markets and product areas they could exploit.   Using data better could boost the European economy by €40billion per year , That doesn’t sound so much after €100b bail-outs, but its still a huge amount of money and we want to do our part in achieving it!  
• #9: Working Smarter increases profits through lowering costs and streamlining business processes.   We’ll explore how to optimize working spaces and services, for example, through new types of co-working. We’re be running practical trials with the help of Coworking Europe, such as the one starting soon in Munich with our partner Gate Garching.   We’ll produce a guide on Working Smarter with business tools, for example, by using cloud-based software and productivity tools … for better customer care, project management, sales, design, social media, training … it’s a long list of ways a business can improve its performance .. and use money smarter.
• #10: We’ll help business owners become More Expert , by helping them acquire the new knowledge they need quickly.   We’re creating a Video library of expert clips, plus we’ll signpost existing content. Evidence shows short videos are effective, especially in introducing new ideas and explaining the basics of emerging technologies.   More Expert in reaching high growth industries & business sectors that need creative products and services.   Our personalised approach will help clusters identify the right networking steps for their businesses. Our partnerships and dashboard tools will help those businesses get connected.
• #11: Cluster 2020 is not working in isolation! We’re building on the excellent work in the field so far from many of thes names on the left, around for example   cluster success factors knowledge exchange in clusters connecting to innovation ecosystems building clusters and cluster management and indicators   have a look at our discussion paper on this at www.cluster2020live.eu which includes six useful the mindmaps!
• #12: We’re beginning to identify the unique characteristics of creative businesses, for example, Project and time factors, being ideas rich, highly motivated but often financially fragile and with weaker business skills.   In this work we are beginning to see the keys for cluster success Including taking a personalised approach, being an honest broker and bringing strong sector knowledge
• #13: Cluster 2020’s Impacts and Outcomes include reaching 7000 businesses. Directly benefit 2000 and working in detail with 250.   The ECIA Policy platform will collate results from all 8 projects, including us. It will publish a blueprint on how best to support the creative industries in the future.   Wherever possible we’ll influence policymakers and cluster organizations by providing them with evidence and detailed plans to implement change.   For example, our work will have a major influence on Creative England, one of our partners. They are the newly formed mandated authority for the creative sector in England (excluding London).
• #14: So, in summary. Cluster 2020 is about taking a practical hand’s-on stuff creating a blueprint for change developing a personalised understanding of each business being an honest broker … joining up the dots of regional support being well connected with the innovation ecosystem   we’d like to connect with you and your organisation too…
• #15: Please contact us to get involved. Join our linked in group ‘ supporting creative businesses’ check out our blogsite cluster2020live.eu for our findings so far www.hoetogroe.eu/ecia to get an overview of the ECIA’s work join us on twitter at cluster 2020 or email me at [email_address]   thanks for listening and I look forward to talking to you soon.