Another year has finished and for TCI it has been another year full of activites to advance in the practice of cluster and competitiveness. Once more, we gathered cluster practitioners from around the world in activities on four continents. We look back to all we have achieved this year and look forward to what is next in 2017.
The year we are leaving behind has confirmed, once again, that the TCI Network is a very active and committed community. Cluster practitioners from our network are identified for working together in an open, flexible and practical context to advance in competitiveness, innovation and cluster development. With this same goal, TCI organizes activities, services and conferences throughout the year, which are reviewed in this article.
Have a look at the Best of 2016 selection (see lateral) for details on main activities carried out this year for and with our members.
The conferences we organize in collaboration with organizational members remain our flagship events. This year, three TCI conferences took place to reflect on
- Driving (Regional) Competitiveness through Innovative Clusters to Bolster National Prosperity - 3rd Australasian Cluster Conference
- Competitiveness, clusters and smart specialization - 9th Latin American Cluster Conference
- Global Changes, Challenges for Innovation Clusters - TCI 2016 Global Conference
You can consult and download the material of all these conferences by following the links to each conference.
As a result of a 2016 full of activities, we have:
- Expanded our global reach with conferences and activities in The Netherlands, Chile, Australia and workshops in Singapore & Catalonia with +800 participants, plus multiple collaborations in other forums organised by TCI members
- Finalised the first round of the Mentoring Program to support professional cluster management
- Been active part of the Interreg EU Program as advisory partner of the CLUSTERS3 project “Leveraging cluster policies for successful implementation of RIS3”
- Continued to support our members in the implementation of cluster programs in an effective way, offering access to specific knowledge and expertise worldwide through specific services, i.e. matchmaking, study tours
- Showcased the benefits of a cluster approach resulting in better economic development for regions and higher competitiveness for companies through initiatives like “why clusters matter” series and TCI LA webinars
- Reinforced regional strategy, with growing Regional Chapters in Latin America and Oceania, and new initiatives taking shape in Asia and North America.
We invite you to consult the TCI Annual Report of Activities 2016 for more details.
- 4th TCI Oceania Conference, Sydney, Australia, 25-26 May 2016 (tbc)
- 10th TCI Latin American Cluster Conference, Tijuana, Mexico, 13-15 June 2017
- 20th TCI Global Conference, Bogota, Colombia, 7-9 November 2017
There will also be the launch of a new round of the TCI Mentoring Program. TCI members can, of course, enjoy our services at any time during the year. Stay tuned through our website, the newsletter and our social media channels for updates on all upcoming activities.
Not a member yet? Start 2017 joining the leading global network of cluster and competitiveness practitioners. Detailed information on your benefits and how to join can be found here.
We look foward to your participation and collaboration during the next year!
