Interclustering

By project STEPHANIE

Published on 11 October 2019

Belgium

Prov. Liège

About this good practice

The context: of this Good Practice is the Clustering Policy in Wallonia.
The Business clusters and the Competitiveness clusters are complementary tools for the Walloon economic development. They both fit in the same logic of the Walloon Government's policy consisting in the willingness to create the conditions needed to build clusters in the Walloon Region.
A total number of 12 Business clusters have been supported by the Region since 2001. The Business clusters are funded to develop economic promotion and promote innovative partnerships, whether industrial, commercial or technological. The Competitiveness clusters are mainly supported for carrying out investment, R&D or training projects, in line with the strategy of competitive positioning they have themselves defined.
Business cluster “Photonics” and Competitiveness cluster “SKYWIN”, mainly via its “Wallonie Espace” component, are in connection with STEPHANIE.

Resources needed

Different meetings were organised by the “Council of Walloon Clusters”, based on the following scenario :
• Presentation of the needs (for a particular technological field, by the “Host Cluster”)
• B2B meetings between members of the “Host Cluster” and others

Evidence of success

Many hundreds of direct contacts between companies and research centres have already occurred by that way. That approach is particularly relevant for Photonics & Space domains. Photonics activities are essentially diffusive in many fields of application, this one contributes greatly to the development of many different sectors. By the way, the Space technologies constitute important potential for the technologies transfer.

Potential for learning or transfer

An interregional approach would be an added value in such cross-fertilization system, by the geographical extension of the contacts and by the access to a critical mass.