The automotive supplier network – AMZ founded in 1999, is a strategic partner to the automotive industry with more than 140 members. AMZ generates increased innovation speed for its members through specialist and industry-related information and a collaborative platform. Moreover, the network creates customer access and minimizes market risk. At the beginning of the year 2018 AMZ - Cluster Automotive competence - started the project "Transatlantic Automated Driving Alliance (TADA) ". AMZ thus creates a platform for joint development and testing of components, sensors and software for the implementation of automated driving functions. Thereby, regional and national R & D and technology competencies will be linked and existing international partnerships will be established in the partner regions Detroit Michigan / USA (with its test fields Mcity and AnnArbor SPARKS) and Central Mexico (with its production sites).

In addition to strengthening the cooperation with partners from Australia and the USA, ARENA2036 aims at becoming an international platform for lightweight construction across all parts of industrial production. ARENA2036 therefore researches areas of (automotive) production together with public-private partnerships in Swinburne, Ohio, and Michigan. ARENA2036 furthermore works on incorporating its small and medium-sized enterprises in all internationalization efforts by way of establishing a modus operandi that allows for a reliable and swift coordination of international research endeavors. This ought to allow all partners to develop new international relations, to tap international competencies, and to gain access to new business segments in technological as well as non-technological sectors. As for the latter, the management of the ARENA2036 research campus will itself become an object of scientific inquiry in order to address the cooperation of science and industry beneath one roof and so as to foster the international exchange of personal.

Within the internationalization project of “Beechwood International (BWI)” a concept will be created that sustainably strengthens the innovation power and international competitiveness of the actors of the BioEconomy Cluster in cooperation with international associates through a transnational usage of complementary competencies for material and energetically utilization of non-food biomass facilitating the entrance of markets in the prevailing partner regions. One major focus of the BioEconomy Cluster will be on the cascade usage of the local raw material beech wood. Cooperation will be formed with the partner clusters CLIC Innovation (Finland), Industries & Agro-Ressources (France), Biobased Delta Foundation (Netherlands), BioVale Ltd. (England) as well as the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI, China).

In the context of the internationalization project international R&D&I-Cooperationprojects are supposed to be prepared for an additional implementation phase. As a consequence of these cooperation projects significant contributions can be expected for a transformation of a chemical industry and energy economy based on fossil raw materials towards a sustainable and CO² neutral circular economy.

The European metropolitan area of Munich accommodates the leading location of biotechnology in Germany.

One major profit of the location is the tight connection between academic research and biomedical industry. The majority of SMEs are foundings of scientific institutions. The region is dynamic: in the last five years about 40 new business start-ups were established. The region is focused: the focus of the company’s working fields lie on the pharmaceutical-medical area. The profile of Munich got sharpened through the leading-edge cluster program “m⁴ – personalized medicine and targeted therapy”. Many independent studies emphasize the position of the biotechnology cluster of Munich as one of the European leading groups with regard to their location.

Internationalization: Bavaria and Japan are two leading regions for industry and research in the field of future medicine – the cooperation is supposed to contribute to a further development of biomedical innovation through bundling bi-national competences.

To drive the development of the personalized medicine, in the metropolitan region Rhein-Neckar around the cities Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Darmstadt in the last 15 years a strong biomedicine-cluster has been developed, in which establishments like the University of Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Centre, the University clinic of Heidelberg and the European Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and companies like Roche, Merck and AbbVie as well as around 80 small- and medium-sized companies research on new treatment approaches and medicines.

The BioRN is supported by the state Baden-Württemberg and by regional partners like the Technology Park of Heidelberg, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the metropolitan region Rhein-Neckar.

The CFK Valley e.V. is a worldwide leading network of competences in the fiber composites industry. The cluster has around 120 regional, national and international members including large companies, smallest and medium sized companies and also of research institutes and universities. With their know-how they cover the whole value chain of the fiber composites materials, ranging from education over research and development, design, production and servicing right up to recycling. Resource and energy efficiency require lightweight construction solutions and also the commitment of new innovative materials. The excellent material properties of the material CFK (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) promise the highest potential for lightweight constructions. The central challenges are high costs of material,  the only in parts automated process and supply chains and an extensive energy input during the production of carbon fibers, which are based on mineral oil, a limited resource. Recent characteristics of the composite materials occur in the part of the production process, in which one the raw materials carbon fiber and resin are getting assimilated. Therefore is a perfect adjustment of processes and the inserted raw materials absolutely necessary. Goal of this internationalization project with Japan is to develop efficient processes by a combination of the worldwide leading German process knowledge and the Japanese carbon fiber knowledge. These efficient processes should be able to provide and assimilate the for the utilization most suitable carbon fiber. Hereby are costs going to be optimized, other areas of application established and also sustainable and future oriented jobs provided. CFK Valley e.V. plans for this purpose in consideration of the need of its cluster actors among other things the further identification and analysis of complementary topics, which are about to be developed with international partners in the future. The establishment of an internationalization concept, which shall conduce to the development and implementation of international R&D&I cooperation projects with cluster partners from Japan and other countries, is a central milestone of the project.

The Cluster Industrial Biotechnology e.V. – CLIB2021 is an association to support industrial biotechnology especially for the production of biobased chemical products and energy sources which is connected throughout Germany and also international. With that the cluster aims the future topic bio-economy in the chemical industry.

The regions Nordrhein-Westfalen, Flanders and the Netherlands build Europe’s leading industrial region with a very strong chemical industry. However, the industrial processes base nearly exclusive on fossil resources. Because of that, aim of the BIG-C Process is to develop the region into the international leading location of the bio-economy and of the recycling. To reach this aim, quantities of available sources for raw materials in this region like wood, municipal waste and industrial carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide streams should be used as raw materials for a sustainable production of chemicals. A sustainable use of raw materials and waste won’t only strengthen the economy in the BIG-C region, create new workspace and reduce the dependence on fossil resources, but also has the potential to reduce the climate gas emissions and as a result to have a positive effect on the environment. Furthermore the BIG-C region can function as a model region for other locations in Germany and Europe.

The project work focuses on the fields of work internationalization, scientific research and development, training and technology transfer. CLIB2021 cooperates with national and international academic and industrial partners.

Cluster for Excellence – strategic goal of the ‘Additive4Industrie’ project is to develop with professional support from the members an individual adjusted strategy for the cluster Mechatronik & Automation to merge a continuous and structured advancement of the supply for members in the cluster and the bigger cluster community in a strategic concept.For 2018 and the following Years, the cluster Mechatronik & Automation chose the region Brabant/Brainport as a cooperation partner. We are expecting prominent contributions regarding innovation in the additive manufacture and digitalization from Brabant/Brainport.The project is organized in three partitions:

 

1. Development of an internationalization strategy

Members of the clusters are called to participate in the workshops regarding development of a strategy of their cluster. Active participation is desired.

2. Partners from Bavaria and Brabant aimed to implement up to three R&D projects in international consortia to the theme of Additive Manufacturing combined with technologies of Industry 4.0. This shall be reached by a for SME tailored approach in the following areas:

• Continuous digitalization of the processes
• Continuous improvement process of the value-added processes
• Individualization of the products and the process transparency

Each project is funded with 50%, the maximal conveyor sum per project constitutes 1 Million Euro (for the Bavarian companies) plus 1 Million Euro out of dutch R&D funds for companies from Brabant.

3. All members are called to participate at the theme group IP-Security. Under instructions and moderation of a professional expert are agreements developed to safe the Know-How of the company also internationally.

 

In the Cluster Mechatronik & Automation are 200 actors out of all in the development of mechatronics and its application interested industries. The association supports the exchange and builds regional value-added chains. The networking of the mechatronic competences in industry and scientific institutions strengthens the Bavarian economy and raises the attractiveness of the location Bavaria. The network is a platform and at the same time also a forum for definition and implementation of measures, which support the progress of the mechatronic and bordering branches.

 

We support the commitment of mechatronic methods in the development and production for an increase in efficiency of resources and the quality of processes and products. The areas of activity of the cluster are the intensifying of the contacts between R&D institutions, companies and also user.  Therefore, we use communication, transfer and qualification, different supplies of event – from a cluster meeting up to a common stand on a fair – as well as the labor in tight focused theme groups or Joint research projects. Together with members are other relevant further educations supplied or organized.

The FMER leading-edge cluster Cool Silicon develops energy-efficient solutions for micro- and nano-electronics as well as their field of application. The cluster’s associates of science and economy realized energy savings of about 80 percent on components level in three fields of action “production- and process-technology”, “radio technology”, and “sensors” through the support of the federation and additionally of the Free State of Saxony. After the establishment of the “Internet of Things”, energy efficient electronics gained global relevance. According to a report of the International Energy Agency (IAE) about 400TWh energy got wasted while using the standby-mode in 2013 – this is 28 times of capacity of the ten biggest nuclear power stations of the world in 2014.

The current cooperation of the FMER leading-edge cluster Cool Silicon with its partner clusters Minalogic from Grenoble (France), DSP Valley from Leuven (Belgium), and High Tech NL from Eindhoven (Netherlands) is supposed to be intensified through the project “iCool”. The actors of the clusters expect at least the following positive effects:

1. The incurred sensitivity and the results achieved in benefit of a higher energy-efficiency of electronics experience international imitation and support.
2. Improvements of the energy-efficiency of electronics will be implemented in the system- and user-industry resulting in a steep increase of the current effects.
3. The currently regional topic with national radiance will develop to a national focus with global radiance.
4. The established cooperation between SMEs, universities and non-university research institutions in the FMER leading-edge cluster Cool Silicon will especially enable SMEs to show proficiency in their innovative and competitive potentials on international markets.

In the same extent as energy-efficient solutions get necessary elements of “Industry 4.0”, “iCool” can significantly contribute to secure the prosperity, employment, digital sovereignty, and climate protection in Germany and beyond.

The network ‘DeepSea Mining Alliance’ (DSMA) was established in April 2014 as an association in Hamburg and has currently 28 members, of which 6 members are international members. The federal governance decided in 2011 about the National Masterplans Maritime Technologies (NMMT), which supported the labor of the DSMA in the past Years. The DSMA got an intensive support in the past Years by the federal Association of German Industry (FGI). Essential goals of the association are the bundling of activities for a from Germany worn environment friendly deep-sea mining. Further goals are:

• Forming of an industrial core team for national and international deep-sea mining activities
• The development of international cooperation projects regarding the deep-sea mining
• The promotion of the development of innovative and environmental friendly technologies based in Joint Industry Projects (JIP) and R&D projects
• Preparation and execution of PMT, which was demanded by the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, in the both German licensed territory for deep-sea nodules and massive sulfides
• Tight and cross-project collaboration with leading national and international research institutes in unique consideration of all environmentally relevant aspects
• A stronger extension of international contacts and cooperation

In the context of the internationalization project of the DSMA, the association plans a conspicuous intensification with cooperation partner from France, Belgium, Norway and Poland/East-Europe. Disregarding Norway, all partners have licenses of exploration for marine mineral raw materials available. The proposed extension of international cooperation has a unique advantage for the DSMA and its members: by the complementary innovation competence about international building of networks the preparation and execution of common developments, experiments, tests of components and Pilot Mining Tests can be supported. This international approach of clusters of the DSMA in the advocated bias is novel and a coactive requirement for a German participation in prospective international deep-sea mining projects.

Based on the globally unique possibilities of the regions Karlsruhe – Mannheim – Stuttgart – Ulm, in which the automobile industry is strongly rooted with its suppliers and production equipment suppliers, the cluster “Elektromobilität Süd-West” connects about 100 actors in the economic and scientific field. Managed by the state agency for electro mobility and fuel cell technology in Baden-Württemberg e-mobil BW GmbH, the cluster follows the aim to push ahead the industrialization of electro mobility in Germany and to make Baden-Württemberg one of the substantial providers of networked electro mobile solutions.

The exchange and cross-border cooperation with internationally leading technology networks is a central element of the cluster’s strategy. Through the project “German-French alliances for innovative mobility technologies (AllFraTech)” the cluster deepens and strengthens its cooperation to the actors of the French region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Here the cluster LUTB-RAAC represents the cluster associate which connects more than 185 associates in this region. Essential priorities of research actions of the French partner network are social, technological and economical requirements to future transportation systems of urban conurbation as well as the development of innovative mobility solutions.

Within the framework of the concept phase of the project “German-French alliances for innovative mobility technologies (AllFraTech)” the cluster “Elektromobilität Süd-West” with its associates from the industry, science, and research will work for an extensive strategy for a long-term cooperation with LUTB-RAAC. Based on the innovation strategy of both networks, the technological competences of its actors, and current challenges of future mobility systems, main fields of action for cross-border research and development cooperation will be identified. One important aim is the support of SMEs in their international cooperation.

On the basis of mutually worked out cooperation strategies, cross-border research and development actions with regard to current problems of future mobility technologies will be initiated and incidental policies will be worked out to strengthen the cooperation relationship between actors in both regions. In addition, actors of both cluster networks will be integrated directly through strategic workshops and working groups into the design of the projects.

The leading-edge cluster “Forum Organic Electronics” with its associates is concentrating on the field of organic and printed electronics. The project “Global Triangle for Sensor Nodes” (TRISENSE) focuses on “Wireless Sensor Nodes” which represent combined sensor- and communication-elements. These nodes can be produced through cost-effective and sustainable printing processes on light, thin, and mechanically flexible systems (e.g. foil). Therefore printed “Wireless Sensor Nodes” are predestined for future fields of application like Industry 4.0 (interlinking production and IT), Internet of Things (IoT), Wearables (portable electronics), and Health Monitoring (observation of health relevant data).

On the basis of purposeful cooperation with international associates from industry and leading research institutions in innovative regions like South Korea and USA, the project TRISENSE will strengthen and complete current networks. The international connection of cluster associates with structure in/connection to South Korea and USA enable medium- and long-term access to prevailing research- and expert-pools for the leading-edge cluster. In addition, an independent exchange between actors with complementary competences will be established and the access to international leading cooperation partners for German companies, especially SMEs, will be facilitated. All in all, the leading-edge cluster strives for an improvement in its innovative capability and international competiveness.

The entire funding measure supports leading-edge clusters, future projects, and comparable networks in developing and implementing cooperation resulting in leading international regions of innovation with complementary competencies. The improved innovation competence helps to reach a leading market position of German companies and research institutes. Simultaneously an added value is created for all cooperation associates.

By the close co-operation of Science and Economy and the specific use of synergies the Cluster IKV with head office in Aachen has grown to an international key driver in the plastic industry with 252 member firms which represents the entire value chain of the plastic processing. By the constant integration of small and medium-sized companies a big network of innovative actors of the industry has been built with the common target to create innovations in all sectors of the plastic technology. Besides the construction and maintenance of a high innovative capability, education, support and practical oriented qualification of specialists as well as production and transfer of knowledge and findings in the industrial environment through common research projects of industry and science stand in the focus.

Aim of the internationalization strategy is the construction of sustainable international cooperation between the cluster IKV and selected prioritized partner networks, to achieve long-term strategic advantages for the cluster members as well as for the cooperation partner at the current locations. The strived effects are the increase of innovation competences and competitiveness by a global contemplation of the value chain. By doing this, the leading and growth markets of the future can be developed faster, more profitable and safer by German companies of the plastic industry – which are traditionally embossed by SMEs. Based on an initial screening and on a needs analysis the network structure as a central part of the concept will be extended and an international cooperation platform will be built up. On this platform cooperation projects of members from different cluster should be initiated and realized in the implementation phase. The three identified priorities education, research and development as well as technology transfer not just reflect the main activities of the cluster IKV for the German plastic industry but also take up three of the five essential target fields of the BMBF-action plan “International Cooperation”.

The project „Internationalization of the Sport-Innovation-Network (SINNi)“ follows the overall goal of a constant (further) development of mechanisms and competences of the Sport-Innovation-Network (SINN). The latter is to be achieved through purposeful cooperation with companies using complementary technologies in leading international innovation regions (especially: Centre for Sports Engineering Research of the Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, Great Britain; Gaia in Bilbao, Spain; ISPO Shanghai, China; Tokyo University, Japanese Sports Engineering Association (JSEA), and Japan Institute of Sport Science (JISS), all in Japan). As a result of contacting associates, international projects are supposed to be generated promising new products and services in the future market “Health Style” for the German as well as the prevailing market of the associate’s region. The term “Health Style” stands for a promising future market. It describes the support of a healthy way of life as a positive value and a solid element of a modern and aware lifestyle.

The entire funding measure supports leading-edge clusters, future projects, and comparable networks in developing and implementing cooperation resulting in leading international regions of innovation with complementary competencies. The improved innovation competence helps to reach a leading market position of German companies and research institutes. Simultaneously an added value is created for all cooperation associates.

“Development of an internationalization concept for the KIMW Cluster“

Within the framework of high-tech-funding measures for the internationalization of leading edge cluster, future projects and comparable networks declared by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Plastics Institute Lüdenscheid takes a stake in the award-winning project “Development of an internationalization concept for the KIMW Cluster“. The network of mostly small and medium sized companies with the large scale industry and the research system of Germany with it’s over 250 members in the KIMW Cluster has been awarded several times. The size of the cluster, the technological orientation and the very good management structures fulfill the aim of the high-tech-funding of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The global collaboration with partner on the highest technical level enables the location Germany to hold, to extend or to win back its leading competitive position. The planned internationalization concept pursues the aim to evaluate comparable partner of innovation regions in the European or non-European environment for the existing KIMW cluster network, to reach the next higher technological level by the planned R&D plan. Through this cooperation pre-eminent scientific-technological developments and innovations should be enabled and be made accessible for SMEs. The Plastics Institute is member of the “go-cluster” since 2005 and wears the Gold Label for Clusterexcellence since 2013.

Through the cooperation with international partner projects several innovative research sectors of the process optimization and material development will be dealt. The aim is to enable a win-win situation of the competences and market accesses for the involved partners. The main emphases in terms of content are to make the surfaces and layer technologies usable in the wide field of Plastics Industry, like they are used in the aerospace engineering technology. Through this a long term international cooperation with strategic advantages in the market and technology field should be reached for the cluster actors.

Contact:

Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Eulenstein

Managing Director

Tel.: +49 (0) 23 51.10 64-195

E-Mail: eulenstein@kunststoff-institut.de

The major aim of the project „Transatlantic Cluster for Lightweighting (TraClight)“ is the development of an internationalization concept which enables the creation of a sustainable international cooperation between Leichtbau BW and selected prioritized partner networks and thus creating long-term strategic advantages for the members of the cluster at their prevailing location. On the basis of a global examination of the value chain of metallic and multi-material lightweight construction, with special focus on car manufacturing, targeted effects are increasing innovative capabilities and improving competitiveness of the actors, especially of SMEs. An assessment of needs is used to further develop the network structure, to build and extend contacts to actors in Ontario (Canada) und Michigan (USA, and to initiate transnational R&D&I-Cooperation as central elements of the project. Cooperation with North American associates is especially build up through the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR), Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). In the course of the internationalization strategic fields of action of Leichtbau BW are internationally transferred and extended to selected target regions.

The entire funding measure supports leading-edge clusters, future projects, and comparable networks in developing and implementing cooperation resulting in leading international regions of innovation with complementary competencies. The improved innovation competence helps to reach a leading market position of German companies and research institutes. Simultaneously an added value is created for all cooperation associates.

Das Projekt „International Bridges for Innovation in Carbon Composites (MAI_iBIC)“ des Spitzenclusters MAI Carbon verfolgt mehrere Ziele. Zum einen soll die Technologieentwicklung vorangetrieben werden, indem Technologielücken des Spitzenclusters MAI Carbon identifiziert und international nach geeigneten Partnern – insbesondere mit Blick auf das Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), USA und dem Korean Carbon Valley, Südkorea – gesucht wird, um diese zukünftig zu schließen. Zum anderen wird mit dem Projekt die Stärkung der internationalen Sichtbarkeit und Vernetzung der Partner intendiert. Weiterhin wird das Ziel verfolgt, breitere Wissensstrukturen aufzubauen und an internationalen Entwicklungen zu partizipieren. Dies soll durch den Aufbau von Austausch- und Kooperationsstrukturen von Hochschulen, Universitäten und Instituten realisiert werden. Ein weiterer wichtiger Baustein stellt die Erschließung neuer Märkte dar, um Wertschöpfungsketten in neuen Branchen zu generieren. Damit sollen mittelfristig wirtschaftliche Mehrwerte für die unterschiedlichen Stakeholder-Gruppen, vornehmlich für KMU, entstehen und neue länder- und branchenübergreifende Wertschöpfungsketten initiiert werden. Begleitet wird das Vorhaben durch eine multidimensionale Standort- und Kommunikationskampagne, die zielgruppenspezifisch aufgebaut sein soll und die Öffentlichkeit über das Internationalisierungsprojekt informiert.

Die gesamte Fördermaßnahme unterstützt Spitzencluster, Zukunftsprojekte und vergleichbare Netzwerke in der Konzeption und Umsetzung von Kooperationen zu führenden internationalen Innovationsregionen mit komplementären Kompetenzen. Die dadurch verbesserte Innovationskompetenz soll auch einen Beitrag zum Erreichen einer führenden Marktposition deutscher Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen leisten. Gleichzeitig wird ein Mehrwert für alle Kooperationspartner geschaffen.

Primary goal of the internationalization strategy of the Leading-Edge cluster Medical Valley European metropolitan region Nuremberg (EMN) is to further develop the already established strategic international partnerships with Hong Kong (Hub China), Porto Alegre (Hub Brazil) and Boston Area (Hub USA) to an international innovation system in the global growth sector medicine technology/healthcare industry.

Focus is the generation of international contributions for solutions for the global challenges of the healthcare of tomorrow. Through this global innovation system sustainable significant growing potentials in the key markets of the future should be developed for the German SMEs.

Decisive activities in the conception phase are the creation of a mutual innovation fund, the promotion of Start-Ups by strengthen the entrepreneurship-culture , the creation of an accelerator program with services for market access and IP support, the establishing of international Communities of Practice as well as the preparation of mutual F&E projects.

The research campus Open Hybrid LabFactory in Wolfsburg is a High-Tech location for the close to application research about hybrid, multifunctional half-finished products and elements of the automotive engineering. Open hybrid LabFactory addresses central future themes of the industrial automotive production – ranging from the digitalization of the product creation to the simultaneous material and production technology development of multi-material systems to a higher efficiency of resources of the whole life cycle. The whole value-added chain is represented in the factory of research. Under the leadership of the Lower-Saxony Research Center Automotive Engineering (LRCAE) of the TU Braunschweig are the partners from universities, the Fraunhofer-association in a new model of the public-private partnerships working with technological leaders from industry.

The project ‘Open Hybrid LabFactory – Asia Pacific’ aims for the extension of the competence portfolio of Open Hybrid LabFactory. This contains the exploitation of new areas of application as well as the integration of up- and downstream value-added steps. This development shall be supported by a goal-oriented cooperation with international partner clusters. The dynamic scientific and economic region Asia-Pacific - including China, Australia and Singapore - is the target region. In the course of a concentration phase, the scientific-technological capability of potential cooperation partners out of the Asian-Pacific region gets analyzed. A focusing on the elected cluster, with which ones runs of processes and rules for a cooperation at eye level shall be developed and implemented, occurs. In a participative approach, which one considers the needs and interests of the members of Open Hybrid LabFactory, a comprehensive internationalization concept is established. The requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly considered.  The definition of international composite research projects, which shall start in the context of the implementation phase up from 2019, is an elementary component. The internationalization is a common approach of all current and future partner from science and economy. For these are yielding new innovation potentials and market accesses among the value-added chains of hybrid, multifunctional half-finished products and components.

In the context of the third funding round proclaimed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to promote the internationalization of top clusters, future-oriented projects and similar networks, the photonics innovation network Optence e.V. has launched the project "Internationalization for Joint Innovations in Photonics".

Optence was founded in 2001 upon BMBF's initiative as a competence network for optical technologies. It has received the silver label of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative and is a member of the "go cluster"-programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). At present the cluster has 90 members, 71% of them are small and medium-sized enterprises.

During the two-year conceptual phase of the project contacts to cluster organizations, companies, research institutes and business promotion organizations in the target regions Finland, Lithuania and Arizona will be established and strengthened. Moreover, a database featuring the players and their technological expertise will be created. Three subject areas for joint transnational R&D projects are to be identified, project outlines will be produced and a concept for the internationalization of the cluster will be drafted. In the next phase project consortia will be formed in the selected subject areas that will prepare cooperation contracts and project proposals. As accompanying measures, the cluster management will also develop IP consultancy, organize intercultural workshops, promote staff exchange between the target regions and evaluate and implement possibilities for cooperation in the field of further training. All this aims at internationalizing the innovation cluster and at making it easier for Optence SMEs involved in the cluster to get access to international R&D projects and to improve their cross-border contacts within the photonics industry.

OptoNet bales the interests of more than 100 actors of the photonics sector, creates a common communication and cooperation platform, supports the international visibility of the cluster, initiates activities & programs for the promotion of young researchers and engages itself in Location Marketing. Next to ZEISS and JENOPTIK there are a large number of small and medium-sized technology companies which are member companies of OptoNet and lead with their products and services the world market or play an import role in it. With a lot of activities and services OptoNet drives the successful positioning of the cluster on national and international level and engages itself actively in supporting cooperation and organizes events and opportunities in further education.

In the context of the project [gloWIN] sponsored by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) the Photonics Network OptoNet e.V. formulates a strategic internationalization concept within a year, to secure and expand the achieved position of the region in the global competition. Together with the actors of the cluster the cluster management will drive the worldwide network with industry and research partners in the partner regions, analyze cooperation potentials and, based on the results, start international F&E-Projects that point the way ahead. Furthermore the activities for the global local marketing, the young staff recruitment activities and the start-up support are going to be intensified.

After finishing the project, projects for further cluster members should be initiated and materialized more easily by the expertise and growing visibility of the Thuringia photonics network in the international context built by the help of the project gloWIN.

The strategic aims of Wetzlar Network are the regional establishment of new and innovative technologies in optics, electronics, and mechanics as well as the support of cross-sector and cross-border cooperation. On the basis of a strategic attempt and the project “Internationalization of the Wetzlar Network – Optics, Electronics, Mechanics (IOL)” the Wetzlar Network intends to internationalize. Companies in Wetzlar will gain access to modern laser technology and system-dependent knowledge especially through cooperation with Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) in Prague (Czech Republic). In return ELI receives practical knowledge of mechanical manufacturing, appropriate/corresponding access and thus long-term marketing possibilities for their own technological developments through companies in Wetzlar. An intense exchange between both innovators represents the center of the internationalization project. Especially with the international associates Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI, Czech Republic) and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE, USA) innovative R&D projects in laser technology will be identified and prepared and will sustainably strengthen the internationalization strategy of the Wetzlar region.

The entire funding measure supports leading-edge clusters, future projects, and comparable networks in developing and implementing cooperation resulting in leading international regions of innovation with complementary competencies. The improved innovative capability helps to reach a leading market position of German companies and research institutes. Simultaneously an added value is created for all cooperation associates.

Der regionale Wachstumskern „Wirbelschicht- und Granuliertechnik“ (WIGRATEC) mit Sitz in Weißandt-Gölzau in der Nähe von Halle/Saale ist durch kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU) bzw. Unternehmen mit KMU-ähnlicher Struktur geprägt. Übergeordnetes Ziel des Projekts „WIGRATEC-Cluster“ ist es, die Region Sachsen-Anhalt/Thüringen sowie die Niederlande zu einem international führenden Standort für Wirbelschicht- und Granuliertechnik im Bereich Futter- und Nahrungsmittel zu entwickeln und auf diesem Wege die Leistungs- und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit aller beteiligten Akteure zu steigern. Gemeinsam mit der Netzwerkorganisation NWGD (Nederlandse Werkgroup Drogen – Niederländische Arbeitsgruppe für Trocknungstechnik) bzw. den darin organisierten Partnern sollen Technologien und Konversationsstrategien zur Schaffung neuer, grenzübergreifender Wertschöpfungsketten entwickelt werden. Ziel ist die Weltmarktführerschaft bei der entsprechenden Anlagentechnik.

Die konkreten Arbeitsziele innerhalb der 18-monatigen Konzeptionsphase sind u.a. die Erarbeitung eines Internationalisierungskonzepts, der Abschluss eines gemeinsamen Kooperationsvertrags, die Suche nach und Aufnahme von weiteren Partnern, der Aufbau einer web-basierten Austauschplattform, die Durchführung von Workshops zu verschiedenen Themen, die Ausrichtung eines internationalen Forums zum Thema „Particle formation in food and feed“ sowie eine Erweiterung der Managementstrukturen.   Die gesamte Fördermaßnahme unterstützt Spitzencluster, Zukunftsprojekte und vergleichbare Netzwerke in der Konzeption und Umsetzung von Kooperationen zu führenden internationalen Innovationsregionen mit komplementären Kompetenzen. Die dadurch verbesserte Innovationskompetenz soll auch einen Beitrag zum Erreichen einer führenden Marktposition deutscher Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen leisten. Gleichzeitig wird ein Mehrwert für alle Kooperationspartner geschaffen.