I guess sometimes we tend to forget the ambitious goal the CITT project is aiming at. We are trying to find models and possibilities to provide a framework, which enables SMEs, universities and public bodies to cooperate within four neighbouring countries.
But even within one relatively homogeneous country like Austria, networks between clusters have to deal with various issues such as varying institutional settings in the participating states, different approaches of the respective managements, differing regional economic structures and differing policies of federal countries. Also, even though network projects are often viewed positively by all parties, financial resources are limited.
Despite all these obstacles, the Austrian initiative I would like to introduce to you has had a successful start. This example demonstrates on a smaller, national scale what relevance and remarkability the CITT project has being kind of a pioneer project on the international level.
One of our latest activities was the formation of a new collaboration within the Austrian IT market. “Together we are strong” is the motto of Digital Network Austria, a combined initiative of the four Austrian based regional IT clusters: Vienna IT Enterprises, Cluster Informationstechnologien Tirol, Softwarepark Hagenberg and ICT-Burgenland.
Its purpose is to create a stronger network within the Austrian IT branch and to increase the visibility of the Austrian IT market on the European map. Most of the participants are SMEs and offer products and services in the IT field for a wide range of applications and branches. The network´s first activities consist of meetings and coming-togethers of the participating partners and visiting the different regions of the network. The primary goal of these first meetings is to establish a personal contact between the representatives of the involved companies, research facilities and educational institutions in order to discuss further collaborations.
Next to this bottom-up approach in which smaller, regional IT-clusters moved closer together by their own initiative, I will soon write about another project taking place in Austria that has a top-down approach and was established on the initiative of the Austrian Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth.
Can anyone tell us about similar initiatives in their home countries or countries you have visited?
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