The Advanced Learners &

Transcription

1 Oxford Research s Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners & Alumni Club meeting A practical course giving cluster facilitators advanced tools and further inspiration in how to work with long term, sustainable cluster development Join this unique occasion to meet colleagues within the Cluster Managers Alumni Club Copenhagen the 2nd to 3rd of September 2010 Oxford Research AS Course venue: Falkoner Alle 20, 4. Sal 2000 Frederiksberg C Danmark Information: (+45) office@oxfordresearch.dk

2 Purpose and focus of the course Oxford Research now offers a unique opportunity for cluster facilitators and policy makers to share their experiences, successes and challenges with other experienced cluster facilitators during this intensive 1½ day advanced learners course. The main purpose of the course is to give cluster facilitators further inspiration in how to deal with the key challenges they are facing in their practical work with developing clusters and cluster initiatives. After formalising a cluster initiative and the launching of the first generation projects, it can be hard to sustain the momentum and keep companies, stakeholders, and funders interested and engaged in the more long-term cluster development. This is where this course will place its focus and offer participants new knowledge and ideas on how to overcome such central challenges and work towards long term, sustainable cluster development. Participants will among others be presented with cluster development best practice cases and next generation cluster developments. A significant focus in this course will be opportunities for networking with other experienced cluster facilitators and learning from each other. Participants: Experienced cluster facilitators and policy makers working with cluster development. Previous participants of cluster facilitator courses seeking to deepen their knowledge on the practicalities of cluster development. Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 2

3 Background Clusters consisting of competitive companies, R&D institutions and public players have proven to be crucial sources for growth and innovation at national and international levels. Based on the American professor Michael E. Porter s ground-breaking research in the eighties, clusters today are recognised as the most efficient approach to regional growth in large parts of the world. Oxford Research has been offering practical cluster courses for cluster facilitators and policymakers since Also, Oxford Research has in a decade worked intensively with cluster analyses, cluster evaluation and cluster strategies for a broad range of international, national and regional customers. This newly developed advanced learners cluster course is based on our experiences and knowledge from our diverse cluster work. In designing the course we have, naturally, also listened to the wishes and good ideas from close to 250 participants at our former cluster development courses. Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 3

4 1½ day cluster workshop - a base for further development The Cluster Course has provided me with new insights and overview of the work-relatedrelated challenges I, as cluster- facilitator, am faced with. I am now able to put many of my fields of work into a cluster context, which enables me to work far more targeted with development of the cluster. Besides the professional output I have benefitted from the professional Scandinavian sparring with other cluster-facilitators, officials from municipalities, regions and the state administration. Peter Blach, CEO, Offshore Center Denmark As a project manager of an ambitious ARENA project I was sceptical about spending as much as three working days for a training at Oxford Research. After talking with some other program managers in NCE and ARENA, I finally decided. I was therefore very surprised when Oxford Research presented a working methodology and also many examples suitable for me. The cluster training was very useful for everyone who is involved in regional development innovations, cluster organisations as well as R&D. It gives a summary of strategic cluster perspectives and practical examples of clusters development experience. Dieter Hirdes CEO, Inkubator Halden Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 4

5 The Speakers Dr. Kim Møller Kim Møller established Oxford Research back in Today Oxford Research is the leading Scandinavian knowledge environment within clusters and cluster development. Oxford Research is presently represented in Denmark, Norway and Sweden and is an international member of The Competitiveness Institute. The last decades we have carried out cluster studies, evaluations and cluster development workshops all over Europe. The founder and president of Oxford Research, Dr. Kim Møller, has worked intensively with cluster development since the 80 s where he formed part of Michael Porter. s global research team that developed the cluster model. Harald Furre Harald Furre leads the Norwegian part of Oxford Research. He has worked with innovation and industrial development for 20 years in recent years especially with clusters. Harald has been in charge of several evaluations of cluster programmes and initiatives and has developed special cluster evaluation and monitoring systems. Harald was also in charge of Oxford Research s mapping of cluster policies, programmes and initiatives as a part of the European Cluster Observatory financed by the European Commission. Furthermore, Harald often works with evaluations of research and innovation programmes for both Nordic and international clients such as the EU Commission. Cluster Course Copenhagen 2010 Page 3

6 Guest speaker Presenting a best practice case: Medicon Valley Alliance Stig Jørgensen will introduce us to the development process of the successful cluster initiative Medicon Valley Alliance. Focus will be on his experiences with launching initiatives, engaging companies and secure long term funding and support. Stig Jørgensen Stig Jørgensen is CEO at Medicon Valley Alliance - the successful cluster organisation for the Danish-Swedish life science cluster Medicon Valley. Before joining MVA, Stig has held several top positions both in the medico industry and in the public health system. Medicon Valley Alliance is the cluster organisation for the Danish-Swedish life science cluster Medicon Valley, which is Denmark's most successful and internationally renowned cluster. The cluster that spans the island of Zeeland in eastern Denmark and the Skåne region of southern Sweden has developed to become one of Europe's strongest life science clusters. As a non-profit, fee based member organisation, Medicon Valley Alliance serve a as project leader on cross border initiatives. Today the cluster initiative has 280 members, including universities, R&D institutions, hospitals and human life science companies. Cluster Course : The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 6

7 What you get The participants will after the course be able to work strategically with long term cluster development During the course the participants will attain: Best practice cases in cluster development Brush up in cluster development essentials Tools and inspiration for long term sustainable cluster development Introduction to next generation cluster developments Networking and team building possibilities with other experienced cluster facilitators This will be supported by Oxford Research s s cluster development methodology Ten Steps to Cluster Dynamics Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 7

8 Preliminary programme: day Arrival and lunch Welcome Brush up: Cluster development essentials - Introduction and purpose of the course by Harald Furre and Kim Møller - Refresher: the 10 steps cluster development approach - Key challenges in cluster development - Most important dos and don ts Successes and challenges: presentation of participants and roundtable discussion Coffee break Moon shots for cluster development Each participant briefly presents the clustering initiative or programme they are involved in - Where in the development process is the cluster initiative? - What are the major successes/achievements so far? - What are the major challenges in moving forwards? - The forward agenda in addressing competitiveness through a cluster-focused approach - Next generation cluster development, reaching for the moon Ten Stairs to Cluster Dynamics : Examples from participants Finish Alumni Club social meeting: Dinner in one of Copenhagen's many excellent restaurants - Participants experiences on the different steps of cluster development. Participant will be invited to ask questions and propose issues to be discussed with regard to their own experience. Proposed cases will be analysed within the framework of the 10 steps model. - Possibility for hotel check-in - Team work and networking will be the focus of this afternoon and evening. Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 8

9 Preliminary programme: day phases, 12 steps experience finding solutions workshop - Workshop on issues identified. Solving problems and finding solutions. 10 Satirs to Cluster Dynamics as a framework for workshop discussions Coffee break Managing a cluster initiative successfully Lunch A successfull cluster initiative: Medicon Valley Alliance by Stig Jørgensen, CEO at MVA Coffee Break Common challenges and networking - Finding sustainable funding - Staffing a clustering initiative - Initiatives and portfolio approach - Building trust and commercial linkages between companies, universities, R&D centres and other clusters - The cluster s evolving Governance structure Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA) is the cluster organisation for the Danish-Swedish life science cluster Medicon Valley and Denmark s most internationally renowned cluster initiative. Stig Jørgensen will introduce us to the development process of MVA, focus will be on - How to identify and launch successful initiatives - How to engage companies and other cluster stakeholders both in the short-term and the long- term - How to profile the cluster and the cluster initiative nationally and internationally - How to secure sustainable funding and support - Discussion in thematic group on key challenges and how to solve them - Networking: How can we cluster facilitators support each other in dealing with our challenges Summing up round room contribution Workshop close - My priorities as a doer and enabler of clustering initiatives over the coming 6-12 month Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 9

10 Time and Place Starting Date: Thursday the 2nd of September 2010 at Conclusion Date: Fid Friday the 3d 3rd of September 2010 at Premises: Oxford Research, Falkoner Alle 20, 2000 Frederiksberg, Copenhagen - Denmark Alumni Club of Cluster Managers -Social event and dinner: The course includes lunches and a dinner at a city restaurant Course form: Approximately 20 participants in an intensive interactive learning process. Language: English Registration and price: The course costs 980 Euro excl. vat. This includes course, materials and meals. Hotel stays are paid and booked individually. Registration should be directed to Jakob Stoumann jas@oxfordresearch.dk. Participation fee will be invoiced after registration. For further information contact Jakob Stoumann at jas@oxfordresearch.dk // Cluster Course: The Advanced Learners Copenhagen 2010 Page 10