“Bavaria’s cluster offensive” is continued with a fourth funding period
MUNICH The funding of Bavaria’s cluster offensive is being continued in a fourth period from 2020 to 2023. Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger: “Clusters promote the networking of business and science in forward-looking sectors and fields of technology. They bring real added value to the companies, research institutions and universities involved in them.”
The thematic structure of the 17 clusters has proven itself in the past and will be continued in future. But new dynamics are also to be set for the cluster work for the coming funding period. Another cluster platform is being funded with the theme “Industrial Biotechnology”. Aiwanger: “With white biotechnology, we are picking up on an important new trend and supporting the technological basis for many fields of application, such as the production of fuels from biomass.”
In addition, innovations at the interfaces of different clusters are to be further advanced by means of cross cluster projects as well as the cross-linking with European and international research networks. Aiwanger continues: “The radius of the clusters’ action and influence is to be expanded even further beyond Bavaria.” The cooperation of the cluster companies with successful technology start-ups is also to be expanded. 16 million euros have been set aside for the fourth funding period in the draft 2019/2020 double budget.
The cluster policy has been run by Bavaria since 2006 and promotes the work by national platforms on important industries and technology fields for the Bavarian economy. The clusters’ main tasks are the networking of companies, universities and research institutions, start-up activities, and coordinating projects. The clusters have around 8,500 stakeholders, around 6,500 of whom come from Bavaria. Since their launch, the clusters have held more than 12,000 meetings with over 640,000 participants and initiated more than 1,800 projects between enterprises and/or research institutions.