15th TCI Annual Global Conference
"Constructing place-based competitiveness in times of global change"
16 - 19 October 2012, Basque Country, Spain
The conference website www.tci2012.com has now been launched!
The Basque Country will host this year's annual global TCI conference (October 16th - 19th), and in this newsletter we want to tell you a little more about what the host region has to offer TCI delegates in experience with clusters and competitiveness.
Situated in the north of Spain and sharing a border with France on the Bay of Biscay, the Basque Country is a very dynamic region in historical, cultural and economic terms, and is characterised by the combination of a deeply rooted sense of common identity with strong individual initiative. As one of the 17 Autonomous Regions of Spain, the political organisation of the Basque Country derives from the Autonomy Law passed by the Spanish Parliament in 1979. This law establishes a Government and Parliament, and recognizes a significant level of political and economic competences.
The Basque economy is characterized by one of the highest weights of manufacturing of European regions, from which base it has grown significantly over recent decades to place it today in the top 10% of European regions by GDP per capita. Strong economic performance is matched by a high quality of life in other areas (education, health, culture, leisure, ...), such that the Basque Country is also placed in the top 10% of European regions by life satisfaction.
The Basque competitiveness trajectory has been influenced by a strong industrial policy, including investment incentives and assistance from the Basque government for improving quality, innovation and technology, and a long-term cluster policy. Indeed, the Basque Country has been a pioneer in the design and implementation of cluster policy since the early 1990s, when it embarked on an ambitious strategy to transform its economy in response to a deep economic crisis and high levels of unemployment. In the early 90s the Basque Government asked Michael Porter to map the Basque clusters and then promoted the beginning of several cluster initiatives. The resulting cluster policy and the cluster associations that it supports remain active today, playing an important role in supporting the competitiveness of Basque firms. Today there are 20 cluster and pre-cluster associations, in total accounting for over 141.000 employees and a turnover of more than €42,946 million.
A key to its longevity has been the various evolutions and modifications to the cluster policy over time, constantly seeking to be at the forefront of innovative policy developments. There are four key milestones. Firstly the year 1992, when the first two cluster associations were set up, from which another ten followed in the subsequent years. Secondly, in 2000 there was an important change in the methodology used to manage the cluster policy. After almost a decade managing cluster agreements, a thorough reflection took place to develop a new framework which put more emphasis on the strategic planning process of the associations. Thirdly, in 2008 the focus moved towards extending the policy to other sectors, beginning a ‘pre-cluster policy'. Finally, a new inter-cluster initiative was launched in 2011 aimed at fostering cross-cluster collaboration.
The conference is being organised with the joint effort of many actors in the region, lead by the Basque Government and Orkestra - Basque Institute of Competitiveness. The conference will provide many opportunities to learn about the Basque experience - from hands-on cluster tours to workshop discussions to social gatherings - and to contrast it with others from around the world.
We look forward to welcoming you in October!
TCI 2012 Organising Committee
More background information on Basque competitiveness can be found in Orkestra's 2011 Basque Competitiveness Report. Executive Summary in English
16 January 2012
