Clustering and networking activities are relationship-based activities that support sharing and developing of competences, knowledge and methods. The documents within the toolbox have a clear focus on activities in the area of technology transfer. Networking and clustering activities are critical leverages for all transfer activities presented in this toolbox, namely: opportunities identification, IP management, Human resources and focused value proposition. www.FITT-for-Innovation.eu

1. Networking and Clustering
FITT
– Fostering Interregional Exchange in ICT Technology Transfer –
www.FITT-for-Innovation.eu
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

2. What is Networking and Clustering?
• A solution to face the challenges of the current economical context!
• Different organizational levels:
Inter-organizational (clusters…), Intra-organizational (Multinational companies...), individuals (Communities of
Practice…)
• Different topics:
Practices, technologies, business…
• Different objectives: forum.belmont.edu/business/marketing/
Increase visibility, benchmarking, cost-reduction, knowledge-creation and/or transfer, synergies, resources
combination, lobbying…
• Different levels of cooperation:
From mere information exchange to co-construction of contents/goods/service
2 | April 2011 Network Support Services

3. TT related networking and clustering activities
 We define TT-related networking and clustering
activities as:
• Relationship-based activities that support the sharing and
the development of competencies, knowledge and
methods involved in the TT domain.
• TT networking is mainly focused in national and
international collaboration between public and private
companies as a support to the commercialization of
innovations
www.xconomy.com/?attachment_id=6782
3 | April 2011 Network Support Services

4. TT related networking and clustering activities
Networking and clustering activities are essential to TT
• To foster innovation processes and commercialization
• TT is sensitive to openness and environmental interactions
Such activities mainly address:
• IP Management
• Human Resources
• Opportunities Identification
• Focused value proposition
http://www.hclabc.bc.ca/networking
4 | April 2011 Network Support Services

5. Networking and clustering activities
•Two main issues:
• Network support services
• Cluster collaborative platform
• International TT networks
TT
collaboration • Competencies inventory: Walloon internet portal innovons.be
• Network management scorecadr
• Cluster management Scorecard
Network • Cluster manual
management
5 | April 2011 Network Support Services

6. Process 1: TT Collaboration
 Participating in international TT networks creates opportunities:
• To foster TT-related international exchange,
• To increase their external visibility.
From this perspective, this practice-description is composed by the identification of existing networks
• Objectives: Use these networks as mean to be related to TT professional evolutions
• Output: Strategy of internationalization through existing networks
 Local TT collaboration, i.e. networking between TTOs and local networks of TT advisors aims to foster TT
core competencies.
Such collaborations benefit from various proximity effects for knowledge exchange and combination and dedicated
services:
• Network support services (CRP Henri Tudor)
• Objectives: Support networks communication and logistics
• Output: global list of communication services and activities to networks
• Cluster collaborative platforms (MFG)
• Objectives: cluster dedicated platforms offering a wide range of functionalities
• Output: monitoring of clusters and fostering of their collaboration capacities
• Competencies inventory
• Objectives: Highlight the modalities and interest of inventorying the competencies within a network/cluster.
• Output: feedback on “Innovons.be” to identify competences within networks/clusters
6 | April 2011 Network Support Services

7. Process 2: Network Management
 Network management gathers devices, tools and practices dedicated to the
monitoring and the control of the value created by TTOs networking activities,
i.e. Internationalization and Local TT collaboration.
 Network and cluster Scorecards
• Objectives: foster performance of clusters and networks by supporting their management process
• Output: Methodology for the elaboration of a cluster/network ScoreCard
 Cluster Handbook
• Objectives:
- Spread information about clustering and networking support
- Transfer useful information about networks and clusters
• Output: Cluster manual including TT relevant topics
7 | April 2011 Network Support Services