The EU Cluster Initiatives were introduced to facilitate market entry and market penetration for SMEs. The objective is to enable clusters to work together across Europe supporting cross-sectoral value chains and improving cluster excellence. The Evaluation Results Regarding the functioning of the EU cluster funding initiatives, a complex picture emerges. The evaluation found that the cluster support measures are largely considered to be well structured and internally coherent. The set objectives, i.e. organised events, initiated partnerships and support for SMEs, are largely achieved. The use of cluster organisations as intermediaries in the support and transfer of financial resources to SMEs ("cascade funding") is regarded as efficient, since the administrative obstacles are comparatively low. Platforms have contributed to improving the work of cluster organisations, for example in key dimensions such as cooperation, matchmaking and advice to members of the clusters. Furthermore, the platforms have contributed to the collection and dissemination of information regarding the role of cluster organisations as well as their activities and achievements. An ambivalent picture emerges regarding the longer-term effects of the EU cluster initiatives. It is difficult to measure the achievement of the objectives of the respective initiatives and the impact on SMEs, as these are only addressed indirectly. Cluster organisations particularly rate the transnational and cross-sectoral components of the initiatives as positive, which have helped them to expand their network and build capacity. Regarding the coherence of the initiatives, there is room for improvement with regard to a better integration and use of synergies of the EU cluster initiatives with other country and EU programmes. "In addition to the proposals specific to the respective EU cluster initiatives, we recommend strengthening industrial ecosystems in the EU," says Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, project manager of the study. This can be achieved by supporting cluster organisations on their way to glocalisation, promoting partnership projects by linking digital adaptation and sustainable value creation, and increasing investment in improving clusters' business models. To Study (website EU) Projektteam: Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, Janis Neufeld, Marie-Kristin Komendzinski, Lennart Galdiga, Aneta Sadlik, Moritz Glettenberg, Vera Fuhs (all Prognos); Jan Smit, Mike Coyne, Ivan Bosch (all CSES); Dr Els Van de Velde, Dr Daniela Kretz (Idea Consult) 27.01.2022 | TCI Global Webinar: A look into European Cluster Policy On 27 January, Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer was a guest at the "TCI Global Webinar: A look into European Cluster Policy" and presented the evaluation. To the video (vimeo.com) To the presentation (PDF, media.timtul.com) Do you have questions? Your contact at Prognos Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer Partner, Head of EU Services View profile Our work on this topic Take a look at our latest projects and activities. The future of theglobal economic order 2025 | Project The current global economic order is faltering. What does this mean for Germany and the EU? We have developed various scenarios for the future global economy for the vbw. Read more European Union: From the fossil fuel economy to the bioeconomy ongoing | Project The EU Commission commissioned Prognos, Idea Consult and the nova-Institute to research and promote the transition to a bioeconomy in the European Union. Read more Prognos article in the European magazine TerritoriALL 2025 | Project update What impact do global crises have on regional labour markets? The 15th issue of TerritoriALL magazine reports on the OVERLAP project carried out by Prognos. Read more Mid-term evaluation of the Single Market Programme (SMP) 2025 | Project The Single Market Programme promotes the EU internal market in order to strengthen it, standardise it and make it more competitive. Prognos was involved in the mid-term evaluation of the programme. Read more Mid-term evaluation of the public sector loan facility 2025 | Project The Public Sector Loan Facility is an EU financial instrument to ensure a socially just transition to climate neutrality in the regions. Prognos and t33 srl evaluated the instrument. Read more German industry’s resilience and sovereignty 2025 | Project German industry is heavily dependent on raw materials and intermediate products from abroad, especially from China. Prognos analysed supply chains and developed recommendations for action. Read more Talent Booster Mechanism In Action 18. March 2025 | Event With the ‘Harnessing Talent Platform’, the EU is supporting regions that are most affected by demographic change. The event will present what has been achieved so far and where the regions stand. Prognos is part of the platform and provides support primarily in the area of knowledge generation. Read more Interregional Innovation Investment: The I3 Support Facility ongoing | Project The I3 Support Facility boosts interregional projects in smart specialisation, with Prognos leading the Capacity Building Hub. Read more Acceleration of approval procedures for renewable energies 2025 | Project How can EU member states accelerate the expansion of renewable energies? Our report for the European Commission analyses which measures are needed to simplify approval procedures. Read more Support for the progress reports of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) ongoing | Project Prognos will support the Federal Ministry of Economics in preparing the NECP progress reports until 2027. Read more Future governance of EU Cohesion Policy after 2027 2024 | Project With the involvement of relevant stakeholders, Prognos and partners developed conclusions for the further development of European structural funding after 2027. Read more Evaluation of the Eurostars-2 funding programme 2024 | Project Eurostars supports cross-border research cooperation between SMEs in Europe. On behalf of the BMBF, Prognos analysed the effectiveness of the Eurostars 2 programme at national level. Read more Impact of global crises on regional labour markets ongoing | Project A shrinking workforce, digitalisation and decarbonisation: Prognos examines the specific effects of global trends on regional labour markets. Read more Contribution of the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation to an innovative Europe 2024 | Project With the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes, the EU Commission is promoting research and innovation in Europe. Prognos evaluated parts of the funding programmes in terms of their contribution to an innovative Europe. Read more Contribution of the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation to a Resilient Europe 2024 | Project With the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes, the EU Commission is promoting research and innovation in Europe. Prognos evaluated parts of the funding programmes in terms of their contribution to a resilient Europe. Read more Evaluation of the ERDF programmes of several federal states ongoing | Project How effectively do the federal states utilise ERDF funding? Prognos supports various federal states with the evaluation of their ERDF programmes. Read more Monitoring and evaluation of the North Rhine-Westphalian innovation strategy (RIS3) ongoing | Project As part of ERDF funding 2021-2027, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has developed a regional innovation strategy (RIS3). Prognos is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the strategy. Read more Evaluation of ERDF funding for SMEs 2024 | Project How effective is EU support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)? On behalf of the European Commission, Prognos evaluated together with CSIL the ERDF funding in the period from 2014 to 2020. Read more European Cluster Panorama Report 2024 2024 | Project update Cluster organisations have a significant positive influence on the green and digital transformation. This is a key finding of the Cluster Panorama Report 2024, which Prognos compiled for the European Commission. Read more Foresight on Demand: Future-oriented expertise for the EU ongoing | Project As part of the Foresight on Demand consultancy contract, the European Commission is provided with future-orientated knowledge. Prognos supports the expert consortium. Read more Strengthening Europe’s innovation power ongoing | Project Prognos supports the European Commission’s General Commission for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) in the strategic development of EU research and innovation policy. Read more Significance of the German economy for Europe 2024 | Project Growth in the German economy benefits the whole of Europe. Our study for the vbw shows that this is due to the size of the economy and its strong foreign trade networks. Read more Study on Poverty and income inequality in the context of the digital transformation 2024 | Project The study for the European Commission examines the impact of digitalisation on the employment situation in the individual member states as well as on the EU economy as a whole. Read more European cluster ecosystems united 2024 | Project update The European Cluster Conference is a key element of cluster collaboration. It focuses on political priorities, the exchange of best practices and practical contacts across a comprehensive EU-wide network. Read more Five challenges: How Europe remains competitive in the future 2024 | Expertise What needs to happen for Europe to survive in global competition? We analysed this at the “12 Minutes Europe – Meeting Global Challenges” event organised by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Read more Harnessing Talent Platform: Technical support in progress 2024 | Project update The Harnessing Talent Platform supports selected regions within the EU that are particularly affected by demographic change and the brain drain. The technical support that Prognos is providing in some regions has now been launched with kick-off meetings. Read more Support for the Just Transition Platform 2024 | Project Through the Just Transition Platform (JTP), the EU supports the member states and regions in achieving their climate targets in a fair manner. Prognos provided the JTP with in-depth analyses and knowledge management. Read more The potential of smart specialisation strategies 2023 | Project In collaboration with Prof. Dominique Foray, Prognos compiled a policy brief identifying the potential of smart specialisation strategies for driving forward structural transformation. Read more Energy prices for industry, an international comparison 2023 | Project Our study for the vbw compares electricity and gas prices for industry worldwide and provides a price development outlook up to the year 2030. Read more Supply chains: no climate neutrality without raw materials 2023 | Project Crises continue to put global trade routes at risk. This study by Prognos and partners indicates the measures necessary to secure strategically important supply chains. Read more Support for the Cohesion for Transitions platform (C4T) ongoing | Project With the Cohesion for Transitions platform, the EU is promoting sustainable change and the economic development of structurally weak regions. Prognos is part of the team of experts. Read more Effects of deglobalisation on Germany and Europe 2023 | Project Increasing geopolitical tensions are endangering the world trading system. On behalf of the vbw, Prognos investigated possible consequences for the economy in Germany and the EU. Read more Securing skilled workers with the help of the Harnessing Talent Platform ongoing | Project DG Regio's new platform aims to help EU regions develop strategies to attract talent. Prognos is, among other things, leading the knowledge generation. Read more ERDF and Cohesion Fund monitoring data merged at EU level 2022 | Project The monitoring systems of the EU Member States provide reliable data. A database on all funded projects now enables an analysis at EU level. Read more Clusters as boosters of regional development in Skåne 2023 | Project Clusters can function as a stimulus for innovation in industrial ecosystems. This is shown by a European Union’s European Cluster Collaboration Platform impulse paper that uses the Swedish coastal region of Skåne as a case study. Read more EU monitoring framework: Economic aspects of the circular economy 2023 | Project Prognos was commissioned to develop a methodological framework for the collection of economic data on the circular economy, climate change and bioeconomy and its regular automated processing. Read more Efficient use of EU funding in Germany and France 2024 | Project On behalf of the European Commission, we worked with partners to examine how EU-funded financial instruments support regional development in Germany and France. Read more A sustainable approach to raw materials in Eastern and Northern Finland 2023 | Project The services sector in this region is growing and is considered exceptionally innovative within the EU. Our input paper for a “Clusters meet Regions” event. Read more Evaluation of Eurostars-2, the European SME support programme 2023 | Project On behalf of the EU Commission, Prognos and its partners examined the Eurostars-2 SME fund-ing programme as part of the evaluation study of the European Framework Programmes Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. Read more Cluster collaboration between the EU and Africa 2023 | Project Cooperation between the EU and Africa, which has intensified since 2000, warrants increased momentum. Prognos examined trade flows between the EU and South Africa, Senegal, and Kenya as well as the potential for further cooperation through cluster organisations. Read more Strengthening trade relations with Ukraine 2023 | Project “Clusters meet Regions” – Prognos examined trade relations between EU member states and Ukraine as well as potential for further cooperation. Read more Cluster Collaboration Lab Lund 2023 | Project Innovative business models for the future – this was the focus of the second edition of the Cluster Collaboration Lab in Lund, Sweden. Prognos provided the input paper for this interactive workshop. Read more Sustainable end-of-life vehicle recycling 2023 | Project Circular economy in practice: As part of the MaterialLoop project, we have been working with Audi and TSR on how more materials from end-of-life vehicles can be used in the production of new vehicles. Read more Evaluation of the European Green Deal 2025 | Project How effective are EU cohesion and structural policies in driving green change in Europe? We examined this and other questions together with COWI, Milieu and CSIL on behalf of the European Commission (DG REGIO). Read more Follow-up study on smart specialisation strategies in the EU 2023 | Project We evaluated the 185 smart specialisation strategies of the EU regions together with CSIL: A quantitative study for the EU Commission. Read more Bureaucracy costs in a European comparison 2023 | Project In which country is the implementation of EU law the most streamlined? Our study compares the bureaucratic burden on companies and develops initial proposals. Read more Evaluation of EU funding programme for the development of digital solutions for older people 2022 | Project Digital solutions can make life easier for older people. The EU's Active and Assisted Living Programme (AAL2) has actively contributed to the development of novel solutions. Read more Resilient supply chains in the EU 2022 | Project What are possible solutions when supply chains are disrupted due to external shocks? A survey conducted for the European Commission as part of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform provides answers. Read more Clusters as drivers of regional development – Silesia 2022 | Project The third “Clusters meet Regions” event was dedicated to the Polish region of Silesia. An input paper for the European Cluster Collaboration Platform. Read more Poland and Hungary in the EU – an economic success story in danger? 2022 | Project A study of the economic ties between Poland and Hungary with Germany and Bavaria for the vbw. Read more Adobe Stock - CleverStock About us Prognos – Providing Orientation. Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound. Learn more