“SME Support Services in Priority Regions” fosters development of clusters

This month sees the delivery in Kiev of the first of two National Seminars on Business Cluster Development that will describe the mechanisms and provide “Best Practices” examples for successful cluster development in Europe and beyond, the European Commission's Delegation in Ukraine press release reports.

Mrs. Lana Hopkinson, an EU-TACIS cluster development expert, will be the key presenter during the seminar, which will be attended by representatives of the project’s main beneficiary SCURPE as well as civil servants responsible for economic development within each Oblast of Ukraine. The seminar will also encompass a presentation by the British donor organisation DFID (Department for International Development), which has been actively promoting cluster development in Ukraine during the last years.

The seminar will cover the following topics:

· What is an industry cluster – feasibility, advantages and disadvantages-

· The Cluster development process (vision, development stages, action agenda-

· The role of a Cluster Facilitator

· Cluster development resources

· Cluster Case Studies in Western Europe and Ukraine

In addition to the National Cluster Seminar, three follow-up Regional Seminars on Cluster Development will be organised in each of the project’s Priority Regions (Rivne, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv) mid October, 2006. These seminars will follow the same outline as for the National Cluster Seminar though the invited audience will consist of representatives from the Economics Departments of each rayon within each priority region.

Linked to the cluster seminars is the production of a Cluster Best Practice Paper that will be posted on the project’s web site early November, 2006. Additionally, a study tour to an EU Member State in order to practically visit clusters is being prepared.