How Can Small Countries Use Clusters to Compete on Global Level - The Case of Estonian Smart City Lab Cluster Initiative Rene Tõnnisson

Parallel 2.1 Clusters as a tool to create global innovation winners and increase competitiveness

11 November 2014

HOW CAN SMALL COUNTRIES USE CLUSTERS TO COMPETE ON GLOBAL LEVEL - THE CASE OF

ESTONIAN SMART CITY LAB CLUSTER INITIATIVERENE TÕNNISSON

SMART CITY LAB, TARTU, ESTONIA

Tartu.

My Cluster Background

Practical hands on

experiences gained from

management of Smart

City Lab – and Estonian

ICT cluster initiative

Cluster policy experience

gained from European

Cluster Policy Group

(ECPG) – an Advisory

Expert Panel to European

Commission

Johannes Pääsuke,

Estonian National Museum

Country where people pay taxes

with smile thanks to ICT• Majority of people

paying taxes over

internet - completing

the tax declaration

takes 5 minutes

• Setting up a company

over internet takes 10

minutes

• Free Wifi Internet

access in public

places as “human

right”

Leading country on e-Governance

and e-Services• Government internal

working procedures and Meetings without papers

• First country to allow National Parliamentary elections over Internet in 2007, European Parliament elections in 2009 and m-Elections in 2011

Paradox of Estonian Innovation System

• In spite of some IT solutions, which are world

leading Estonian IT companies have still failed

to transfer them on larger scale to other markets

• Success in innovation does not lie in technical

excellence and solutions but more often in

cooperation networks and partnerships

THE SMALL COUNTRY CHALLENGE AND HOW

CLUSTER INITIATIVES HELP TO SOLVE IT

• Estonian National Cluster Programme has the

main focus on stimulating and supporting

Export and Internationalisation

• What companies cannot achieve alone - they

can do jointly by coordinated actions and

building a critical mass!

Cluster for smart e- and m-city

solutions

SMART CITY LAB

AS TRIPLE HELIX CLUSTER

ICT companies

Universities and

Research Institutes

Cities and Regions

Innovation Agencies

Infrastructure

companies

SCL MAIN ACTIVITY AREAS

• Joint Marketing in terms of organising targeted

trade mission and participation in trade shows

• Internationalisation in terms of cooperating

with other clusters in Europe and elsewhere

• Product development in terms of using Living

Lab platform

• New business stimulation in terms of Focused

accelerator programmes

Clusters can help companies not only with

innovation and product development…

... but also to see the opportunities and

threats on a larger scale and help

companies to better address them!

Thank you!

Contact Information:Rene Tõnnisson

Smart City Lab, Tartu, EstoniaEmail: rene@ibs.eeTel: +372-5029873