EU-Japan Regional Cluster Forum
2-3 December 2008 - Pacifico Yokohama Conference Centre, Yokohama, Japan link
Globalisation of research and innovation and global competition are putting a new emphasis on the role of regional clusters and further their development. Clusters increasingly see the need to link with other clusters on the international level building on complementarities in order to improve their global reach.
In Europe, regional clusters seen as key drivers for competitiveness, innovation and regional development are being promoted through both national-level measures and EU-level support instruments, notably the 7th EU Research Framework Programme, the Cohesion Policy Funds and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. In Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) have been promoting the “Knowledge Cluster Initiative”, “City Area Program” and “Industrial Cluster Project for the reinforcement of the international competitiveness and development of regions.
The objective of the EU-Japan Regional Cluster Forum is to stimulate and facilitate global outreach of European and Japanese clusters through
a) increasing mutual awareness on cluster policies, development methods and management practices, and
b) fostering cooperation between research and innovation regional clusters in Europe and in Japan.
Programme: link
