Record International Participation In Conference On Competitiveness Clusters2006

The organizers at The Chamber of Commerce in Lyon (picture left) are heavily working on setting up the conference Clusters2006. A record number of foreign participants are expected at The Competitiveness Institute - TCI ninth annual international convention on competitiveness, cluster initiatives and innovation system development.

425 attendees from 65 countries have already signed up. Eight official foreign delegations, including Sweden, Canada, Pakistan, Spain, will attend and more than 160 officials from almost 40 countries are expected.

“Many countries are identifying cluster development and innovation systems policy as a national priority, pouring resources into the growth and development of homegrown businesses as well as creating incentives for foreign companies to locate there. Countries that have not traditionally relied on domestic research and development are now turning their economy to cluster development and innovation systems policy as a main driver for high-tech innovation,” says Franziska Blunck, General Manager of TCI.

To reflect this trend, Clusters2006 will feature an expended academic summit on cluster development and innovation system, and will focus on governance and business involvement.

Clusters2006 is organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Lyon on the initiative of The Competitiveness Institute (TCI) the leading international organization of cluster practitioners, in partnership with the Région Rhône-Alpes, le Grand Lyon and the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, MINEFI.

At the Clusters2006 conference academics, business people, policy makers, consultants, and analysts will meet to have in-depth discussions and seminars on economic development and cluster-based development initiatives. TCI members and new participants join together to share ideas, build alliances and explore the best practices of economic development. Clusters2006 will especially focus on governance and companies as cornerstones of cluster initiatives.

Information about the Clusters2006 conference, contact: Frederic Miribel, Project Leader, Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, + 33 (0)4 72 40 57 89, miribel@lyon.cci.fr