Clustering

Clustering is the main methodology that PRELUDE uses to support emerging regional and local networking on research, technology an innovation involving administrations. The objective will be pursued through the creation of Regional and European clusters for Innovation (RCI / ECI).

In the first stage, the Regional Clusters for Innovation and relevant thematic networks in the seven digital area s of the project, with an interdisciplinary approach and European perspective, came to existence. The idea was to generate cross-fertilisation by bringing together people working on similar problems, who will find an immediate added value in exchanging experiences and in discussing synergies for future research, technology and innovation on a European dimension.

The RCIs are mainly forme d by stakeholders that are prime movers in research, technology and innovation in their local areas, such as: universities with a strong presence in the territory, hi-tech SMEs, regional research and training centres, centres for innovation, local and regional administrations, NGOs looking for innovative solutions in their specific fields and other organisations that can become a catalyst (e.g. technological parks) or take direct action in the innovation process. Special attention is given to the participation of SMEs. PRELUDE will give an active support to cluster activities aiming at creating conditions for their own sustainability and, in particular, to obtain European  funding for their projects.

Based on the early results produced by these Regional Clusters and the needs that they bring forward, the European Clusters for Innovation were launched based on inter-regional co-operation. Each of the application areas indicated below are developed through one or more European clusters for Innovation led by a PRELUDE partner or by an organisation that has subscribed a memorandum for understanding with the Consortium:

a) eGovernment

e-Government Services

eGovernment is envisaged as a growing European space where new nations, with their cultures, political and organisational systems, are going to share the same social and economic market, calling for a common language to sus tain the enlargement process, modernise public administrations with a common perspective and support European competitiveness in a multilingual environment. In this context, a strong problem regarding public service delivery is how to ensure that egovernment se rvices mostly delivered at local, regional and national level are available from any part of Europe to citizens, enterprises and community organisations.

The European Cluster for Innovation in eGovernment, GAUDI 

(LINK TO GAUDI PAGE HERE), is the result of a combined effort among three Regional clusters for innovation of PRELUDE dealing specifically with eGovernment, eBusiness and  GIS and Mobile Applications. The Regions leading these regional clusters are Catalonia (Spain), Lom bardy (Italy), Kouvola region (Finland), respectively.

The Cluster support to the creation and goals of the European Research Area by organising a European network of local and regional actors committed to research and technology development for eGovernment solutions. It includes the sharing of best practices information as well as knowledge and resources to generate European RTD projects with strong regional and local focus.

The main interest is to organise a strategic space and a thematic network at European level in the field of e-government for regional/local research and replication of best practices on ICT platforms and service app lications that make use of free-libre open source software (FLOSS) solutions.

The bench-learning cluster BASIC (Benchmarking and Service Improveme nt Comparison Circles) intends to develop out of existing experiences a methodology of benchlearning and benchmarking that fits best the public sector. A selected set of indicators on e-government relevant to local and regional governments will be established. The comparison circles (tested initially in Germany by KGSt), provide performance indicator values (benchmarks), which can be used to measure and ass ess one’s own efficiency. The cluster aims at developing applications and systems to facilitate the implementation and standardisation within Europe of this bench-learning-methodology.

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