Clusters are groups of firms, related economic actors, and institutions located near each other and with sufficient scale to develop specialised expertise, services, resources, suppliers and skills. Together, SMEs can be more innovative, create more jobs, and register more international trademarks and patents than alone. There are over 1500 clusters located in more than 200 EU-27 regions. Clusters account for almost 25% of total EU employment.
EU cluster actions
EU cluster policy uses clusters to implement EU priorities. We list some of our actions below.
EUROCLUSTERS
Funded through the Single Market Programme, Euroclusters are cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary and trans-European strategic initiatives gathering industry clusters and other economic actors to implement the EU Industrial Strategy. They will create new business opportunities for SMEs and integrate them better in European and global strategic value chains.
See more on joint cluster initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS)
European cluster partnerships
These EU-wide consortiums pool resources and knowledge to work concretely together on initiatives supporting their industrial ecosystems and, in particular, their SMEs. Partnerships can focus on internationalisation, innovation, smart specialisation investments or excellence.
See more on European cluster partnerships.
The European Cluster Collaboration Platform
The European online hub for industry clusters maps and supports their work through dedicated services, including matchmaking events.
See more on the European Cluster Collaboration Platform.
Cluster mapping
Find a wealth of partners per country, region, sector or industrial ecosystem in the EU or around the world.
See more on Cluster mapping.
European Cluster Panorama
Read our report analysing the location and characteristics of clusters in the regions they are in.
See more on the European Cluster Panorama.
ClusterXchange
This is our exchange programme for clusters, SMEs and scale-up support organisations.
See more on the ClusterXchange, implemented by the European Cluster Partnership for Excellence.
Interregional Investment
The Technical Assistance Facility for Industrial Modernisation and Investment has provided project promoters, under the S3P-Industry platform, the opportunity to work with business, corporate finance and legal experts from leading business advisory firms to improve their business plans and investment readiness of their interregional projects. See more on Interregional Investment under the Technical Assistance Facility for Industrial Modernisation and Investment.
Supporting the green transition in the EU and beyond
The European Cluster Collaboration Platform’s green transition support service helps businesses improve competitiveness by reducing emissions and increasing energy and resource efficiency. It offers a knowledge base with innovative solutions, examples from industry leaders, and practical tools for navigating the green transition.
Support for policymakers
We support policymakers dealing with cluster policy through actions such as
- the Cluster Policy Toolkit, a searchable database of good practices in cluster policy
- the country factsheets, informing on national cluster policies and advanced technologies
See everything on support for policymakers.
Dialogue with EU countries: European expert group on clusters
The European expert group on clusters aims to advise the European Commission on strategically using clusters for industrial policy, interregional collaboration, and integrating SMEs into EU and global value chains. The group includes representatives from EU country authorities and ten experts selected through an open call.
In February 2021, the group (active from 2019 to 2021) published a recommendation report on using clusters to support the green and digital transitions. The report provides 15 specific recommendations, examples of good practices, and ideas for policymakers at all levels. It also serves as a resource for cluster managers and members.
The European Commission will soon relaunch the expert group and open a new call for applications. Watch this space for updates.
Emerging industries and value chains
Clusters offer a favourable ecosystem that encourages competition and cooperation among firms with different industrial backgrounds, technological and business expertise. In turn, this helps to reconfigure industrial value chains, leading to the development of emerging industries.
See emerging industries and value chains.