Date:
18 September 2015
LE2C is the first Italian cluster to be awarded the Gold Label, an ESCA European certification. Ribolla: in Europe, economic growth is intertwined with the rise of this new development model, and Lombardy confirms its position as one of the most advanced regions.
Milan, 18 September 2015 – The Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster – the Lombardy technological cluster for Energy and the Environment, which brings together 108 companies, 5 public administration bodies, 8 universities and research centres, 4 banking institutions, and 15 industrial associations and non-profit organisations – is the first Italian cluster to obtain the prestigious European Gold Label recognition.
The Gold Label represents the highest level of the ESCA certification system (European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis), a system adopted by the European Commission to classify, understand, and integrate community clusters into a growth path. In essence, this recognition allows them to start in pole position compared to other competitors, both in markets and in the allocation of European tenders. This is a significant advantage for the companies involved, particularly for SMEs.
“The gold medal recognition for the environment and energy cluster is an important starting point,” declares Gianni Mainini, the new president of the Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster, “which gives us high visibility and new opportunities at an international level. At the same time, LE2C has always been active at a regional and national level,” continues Mainini, “establishing a relationship of mutual collaboration with the Lombardy Region.”
However, the Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster does not want to stop there: “We want to increase synergies with other Italian clusters for the Environment and Energy, in order to build a national network of clusters that represents the entire Italian value chain of the sector and strengthens lobbying efforts with the government and European institutions,” concludes Mainini.
“The Gold Label is the rightful recognition for the Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster, an organisation I am honoured to have served as president for six years,” declares Alberto Ribolla, President of Confindustria Lombardia and President of LE2C from 2009 to April 2015, “a cluster committed to major challenges and exponential growth, both in terms of size and the turnover of its members. Once again, Lombardy, thanks also to the synergistic work of all stakeholders, confirms its position as one of the most advanced regions in Europe.”
“In Europe, in fact, the path of economic growth is intertwined with the rise of this new development model: 38% of European jobs,” highlights Ribolla, “are represented by regional clusters, and 33.3% of companies belonging to clusters have shown employment growth of over 10%. Confindustria Lombardia, in its role as a reference partner for Lombardy’s clusters, will work to ensure that other clusters also reach the Gold level,” concludes Alberto Ribolla.
“We are very satisfied with the result achieved by LE2C - declares the Regional Minister for Productive Activities, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region, Mario Melazzini – which testifies to the value and effectiveness of the policies implemented by the Lombardy Region in support of the Lombardy Technological Cluster for Energy and the Environment and, overall, for all Lombardy technological clusters. The commitment of the Lombardy Region and my department in particular is to accompany the development path of these entities in the territory, not only by investing significant resources, as we have done over the last two years by providing one million euros, but by identifying the TCs themselves as an important tool for the implementation of the Lombardy Region’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, the policy document that will guide the use of European funds in the new programming period. The clusters, including LE2C, have therefore been involved and have played an active role in setting up each Specialisation Area of the ‘Research and Innovation’ Work programmes for the 2014-2015 period (which implement the S3), the themes of which will be the subject of specific calls for proposals under the new community programming (ERDF ROP 2014/2020).”
“Furthermore, in addition to the measures already in place,” concludes Melazzini, “the Lombardy Region continues its diligent work in informing the TCs of international cooperation opportunities offered by the international networks of which the Region is a member, such as the Four Motors for Europe and the Vanguard Initiative, and we have activated a steering committee that periodically brings together cluster managers. Among the next actions, I would like to highlight the allocation of further resources to support projects aimed at strengthening the TCs along a path of excellence.”
The TCs will also be able to continue counting on the support of Finlombarda S.p.A., the in-house financial company of the Lombardy Region, which is tasked with supporting the clusters in their growth path.
The process of obtaining quality labels for the 9 TCs was supported by Finlombarda S.p.A. through participation in the European project ERICE – European Regions for Cluster Excellence – aimed at promoting and supporting the adoption of a common methodology to qualify excellence in the management of technological clusters. The project, in addition to covering the costs of achieving the Gold Label, gave all Lombardy Technological Clusters the opportunity to obtain the Bronze Label, the first step of self-positioning and evaluation to embark on the European path towards excellence.
There are over 700 clusters active on the continent (ESCA data, 2015), and numerous sectors have been benefiting for decades from the advantages derived from this new development paradigm.
Among the most significant cases is LE2C, a cluster within which the more than 100 member companies develop and implement – on a daily basis – cleantech technologies to be exported all over the world. And it is precisely internationalisation that is one of the central themes on which clusters, including European ones, are focusing. A great opportunity to support the growth of the 20 million companies currently present in Europe. An opportunity that also involves the development of industrial clusters and which cannot be ignored.
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