On Wednesday, 29 March 2023, in Košice, Slovakia, six National Cluster Association representatives signed a Memorandum of Cluster Partnerships for Ukraine. Representatives from Romania, Ukraine, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Lithuania and Poland signed the memorandum.

This meeting, which took place on the occasion of the Slovak-Ukrainian workshop Clusters meet Regions in Košice, Slovakia, was attended by 22 representatives from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania and Germany. Representatives from Slovakia and Poland joined with their participation and signatures later in the afternoon of the same day.

The European Cluster Alliance and the European Commission supported this initiative.

National cluster association representatives declare a shared commitment to promoting and supporting the national cluster movement in Ukraine. Long-term goals consider faster integration of Ukrainian clusters and SMEs into European value chains and innovation space. The National Cluster Associations are thus creating a new cluster support programme focusing on interregional cooperation between Eastern European countries and Ukraine for consideration by the European Commission. This programme should significantly accelerate the development of the cluster movement in Ukraine.

The memorandum of Cluster Partnerships for Ukraine contains the following points:

• The building of a long-term, effective strategy for SMEs development
• The support and growth of 6 UCA’s Common Resource Centers (CRC)
• Growth of interregional cooperation with a clear focus
• Better alignment and integration of Ukrainian clusters into all major, existing EU programs
• Acceleration of Ukrainian clusters and their members in twin digital and green transition

The memorandum of Cluster Partnerships for Ukraine was signed by:

• Czech National Cluster Association – Jiri Herinek
• Lithuanian Clusters Network  Association  – Giedrius Bagušinskas
• Polish National Cluster Association – Krzysztof Krystowski
• Romanian National Cluster Association – Daniel Cosnita
• Slovakian National Cluster Association – Daniel Aks
• Ukrainian Cluster Alliance – Oleksandr Yurchak

We are the National Cluster Association of the Czech Republic. We connect cluster organisations, support and encourage their growth and develop cluster policy in the Czech Republic. Would you like to learn more about the National Cluster Association and our activities? We welcome you to read our Klastroviny, a cluster magazine, where you can learn about our members, their activities and their success stories. 

The National Cluster Association is open to new partnerships and projects, the same as our members. Do not hesitate to contact us.