AICC(WA)'s ECU futureNOW series Working Lunch

Guest Presenters:

David Gill, Managing Director, St John's Innovation Centre & Hugh Parnell, Senior Business Associate, YTKO Group

"Innovation Clusters: Evolution or Policy?'

Around the world, clusters are rightly seen as powerful tools for accelerating innovation, and policy makers seek out the 'secret sauce' for growing clusters to stimulate sustainable economic expansion. But can clusters be created? Or do they simply evolve? Drawing on their extensive experience of the Cambridge ecosystem, Hugh Parnell (Chairman of Cambridge Cleantech) and David Gill (Chief Executive of the St John's Innovation Centre) analyse the relative impact of evolution, policy and serendipity on one of the most successful technology regions in Europe. Comparing Cambridge (which at time appears to have succeeded in spite of itself) with developments elsewhere - such as Germany, Israel and the US - Parnell and Gill tease out the complex interaction of policy and evolution in the growth of innovation clusters. Many different ingredients are required, not least time, vision and the ability to learn from early mistakes.