29.01.2015: clujIT cluster is labelled with the Bronze Cluster Management Excellence by the ESCA – The European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis, member of the European Cluster Excellence Initiatives. As a founding member of ClujIT cluster, Codespring congratulates the current Board of ClujIT Cluster for this achievement. Strong clusters can promote economic growth through leveraging the innovation and business potential of a region. From this perspective, Codespring management believes that ClujIT can consolidate its position on the European and regional ICT map as a growth pole for innovation.
According to the ESCA – European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis: “A professional cluster management can contribute to such a development through projects and services that tap into the cluster’s potential. The European Cluster Excellence Initiative, initiated by the European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry, developed methodologies and tools to support cluster organizations to improve their capacities and capabilities in the management of clusters and networks. Being members of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative 13 project partners from nine European countries – all well experienced in the field of cluster management and support – created a uniform set of cluster management quality indicators and developed a quality labeling system for professional cluster management with the aim to get this methodology and proof of quality accepted all over Europe.”
For ClujIT benchmarking is the first step on the road to excellence. According to the procedure a cluster is analyzed based on an interview of the cluster manager conducted by an impartial ESCA benchmarking expert. The interview covers 36 indicators with regard to the structure of the cluster, the cluster management and the governance of the cluster, financing of the cluster management, services provided by the cluster management, contacts and interaction within the cluster and achievements and recognition of the cluster. Results are presented by an individual report to the cluster management and include also recommendations for further improvement in line with the requirements of the cluster quality label that is currently developed by the European Cluster Excellence Initiative.
The European Cluster Management Initiative (ECMI) has been launched in 2009, under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme as part of the EU efforts to create more world-class clusters across the EU by strengthening cluster excellence. The current list includes 688 clusters from 37 countries. In Romania, a set of 12 clusters have been analyzed. 3 of these clusters are ICT clusters. At the moment 97 ICT clusters in the world have been benchmarked since November 2010 by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis.
As a founder member of Cluj IT – the local cluster association aiming to enhance the innovation capabilities and competitiveness of the Romanian IT sector – Codespring strives to become one of the most credible suppliers from South Eastern Europe for Innovative IT services and products as well as organizational support systems.
