On 16-18 April 2018 the 'Cluster Garden' event was held in Warsaw, and included a conference, study visits, and a steering committee organised by PARP as a part of the Interreg Europe project: ClusterFY.
The official opening of the conference on the 16th April was by Ms Patrycja Klarecka – the President of PARP, who briefly presented the 'ClusterFY' project's assumptions and the role of PARP in financing and promoting clusters in Poland as well as in the development of the methodology for assessing key clusters, and in disseminating knowledge about them. The conference was then divided into three panel discussions and a workshop.
Clusters face similar problems and challenges in all European Countries
The first panel discussion was introcuced by Ms Justyna ChoińskaJackiewicz (a representative of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology), who detailed the cluster policy in Poland, regarding the criteria for the selection of Key National Clusters in Poland, as well as clusters that currently hold such a status. The panel was devoted to cluster history, activities, challenges and the future. At the final stage of the first discussion panel, the participants and audience found that clusters face similar problems and challenges in all European countries.
The second panel discussion was devoted to KETs and Smart Specialization theory and practice – the history of implementation, results and future of Smart Specialization and good practices. The participants and audience found that clusters in the context of KETs policy implementation should be an important tool, predicting trends for industrial modernisation and cross-industry cooperation.
Clusters are going to be a one-stop-shop for Industry 4.0
The third and last panel discussion was devoted to the topic of Industry 4.0: The fourth industrial revolution – the impact on business transformation and changing the way clusters function. The participants and audience concluded the discussion by several statements concerning the industry revolution and clusters' role in its implementation. As in the case of the previous discussion panels, participants saw the huge opportunity of clusters as representatives of the industry revolution. As main generators of innovation, clusters should share knowledge and become a one-stop-shop for Industry 4.0.
Megatrends that will influence the future of the global economy
As the last part of the 'Cluster Garden' Conference in Warsaw, the participants took part in workshops moderated by Mr Krzysztof Szulc (ClusterFY expert) and Mr Christoph ReissSchmidt (Business Upper Austria). The audience, divided into small groups, was asked to find five megatrends that will influence the future of the global economy and to propose a standardised implementation processes, including services, to achieve these megatrends. The results showed that the representatives of administration and clusters participating in the conference, working on topics associated with a changing economy on a daily basis, are becoming increasingly more aware of the challenges awaiting them. As representatives of the public sector and industry, they need to share this knowledge as much as possible, especially in the business sector of micro- and small- enterprises.
Studyvisits
On the next day, 17 April 2018, the project partners visited innovative Polish companies located in clusters. The visits were conducted by Mr Mariusz Stachnik – the manager of the Mazovian Cluster ICT – Polish Key National Cluster. The first company visited was CREOTECH Instruments S.A., located near Warsaw in Piaseczno, member of the Polisch Research and Development Cluster of the Internet of Things. During the first visit at Creotech, the participants had the opportunity to view the TDP – one of the biggest and first industrial parks near Warsaw and the headquarters of Creotech, where representatives presented the company's activities and current projects.
The second company visited by the participants was VIGO System S.A., member of the Mazovian Cluster ICT – Polish Key National Cluster. VIGO System S.A. is a joint-stock company and the leading manufacturer of standard and customised High Operating Temperature HgCdTe detectors. The last company visited was InPhoTech in Warsaw, member of the Cluster of Photonics and Fibers. InPhoTech is a company with extensive experience in research and development projects, especially those aimed at obtaining patents, demonstrators or prototypes for industry applications
