Trade.Information

Product Name: Innovation Clusters – Success Built on Cooperation

Product Description

Regional structures with a global effect – the concept of innovation clusters

Linking skills improves performance

Linking skills and pooling resources are the right way to meet the challenges
posed by globalization and the increasing dynamism of structural change.
Knowledge-based industries, in particular, develop very successfully in regional
clusters, which facilitate knowledge exchange and generate a critical mass of
skills that complement one another. Geographical proximity between research
organizations, investors and companies can produce networks that lead to new
business ideas and the foundation of new enterprises. Regional innovation
clusters bridge the gap between industry and scientific research. Successful
clusters can stimulate the competition on the market, and at the same time
create fruitful collaborations which ultimately benefit everyone involved.

Impetus for regional development

A key element of the German government’s high-tech strategy is therefore to
promote cluster initiatives. In the “Pact for Research and Inno-vation”, the
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has assumed the task of conceiving and implementing
innovation clusters. Such collaborative ventures set themselves clear goals and
define milestones for their development. The purpose of innovation clusters is
to pool the strengths of a region and activate them to solve demanding tasks. In
addition to industry and universities, the networks include local nonuniversity
research institutes that can make important contributions in relevant thematic
areas. Through this initiative, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is providing impetus
for the further development of regional centers of excellence, and is supporting
the regions’ skills and expertise. Innovationclusters will primarily serve as an
instrument to help develop existing strengths. The collab-orations will
generally be restricted to within one federal state. Another important factor is
how much money the industrial partners and the state are willing to invest in
new projects within a region in addition tocurrent expenditure.

Shared objectives lead to fruitful collaborations

Collaboration within the clusters should extend beyond that of a mere
communication network. The clusters are built on mutual respect for one
another’s strengths and are prepared to take on specific tasks in an end-to-end
chain from the invention to the final product. It is important to work together
towards a shared objective, which can best be achieved through concrete
projects. That is why the Fraunhofer innovation clusters are, first and
foremost, project clusters. This means that the funds provided are used for
particularly attractive projects that can only be implemented within a given
network.

The distribution of tasks within each innovation landscape is maintained. While
the public establishments create the basis for new products and services, the
funds provided by industry are used to implement and market these innovations.
This promotes collaboration in the development of concrete products. The
positive effects of jointly achieved success onfurther cooperation are
invaluable.
 

Innovation Clusters – Success Built on Cooperation Adaptronic Systems RheMA, Darmstadt Automotive Quality Saar AQS, Saarbrücken Digital Commercial Vehicle Technology, Kaiserslautern Digital Production, Stuttgart Future Security BW, Freiburg Mechatronic Machine Systems, Chemnitz Multifunctional Materials and Technologies MultiMaT, Bremen Nano for Production, Dresden Optical Technologies, Jena Optical Innovations JOIN, Jena Personal Health, Erlangen Polymertechnology, Halle, Leipzig Technologies for hybrid lightweight construction KITe hyLITE, Karlsruhe Virtual Development, Engineering and Training VIDET, Magdeburg

Joint, harmonized research and development at Fraunhofer Institutes,
universities and in industry not only provides stimulation and helps to forge
links within a cluster, but also has a financial leverage effect. Being able to
mobilize equal funding from the regions and the industry involved is a
prerequisite for setting up an innovation cluster, and ensures commitment on the
part of all those concerned.