Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė, director of the Lithuanian cluster network “KlasterLT” and “AgriFood Lithuania” was elected “European Cluster Manager of the Year 2022” at the annual European Cluster Conference in Prague. This prize is awarded and the winners are selected by the European Commission in conjunction with the European Cluster Collaboration Platform which unites all European clusters..
There are more than 1000 clusters in Europe (in Lithuania there are about 50), and the companies operating in them employ up to 25% of all EU employees, with 70% of SMEs located on our continent. No fewer than 8 out of 10 clusters are contributing to faster digitalization of the economy, and 60 percent of innovation activities across all clusters are contributing to the successful implementation of the “green transformation.” For those who previously did not know what a cluster is, it can be briefly described as a partnership between companies and research institutes, and other organizations whose members work together to increase the added value they create.
Well-known European business names have been defeated
The European Commission has selected the three strongest cluster managers in Europe after evaluating a record number of candidates for European Cluster Coordinators of the Year. The decisive vote was entrusted to the members of the European cluster community, who chose the winner. In addition to K. Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė, director of the Lithuanian cluster network KlasterLT and AgriFood Lithuania, the jury also selected Veronika Elena Bocci, vice president of the European Association of Railway Clusters in Italy, and Xavier Amores Bravo, head of the Catalan Water Partnership cluster in Spain, as three finalists.
Lithuanian clusters want greater dialogue with the government
“We are pleased to note that the number of efficient clusters in Lithuania is rapidly increasing, making a significant contribution to the growth of Lithuania’s GDP, as well as to innovation and digitalization solutions. The contribution of clusters is also reflected in other areas of great importance for our society, such as job creation, strengthening of business networks, and realization of the priority national goals of smart specialization. Their role has become particularly important for the economic and social development of the regions. It is gratifying that these successes are visible throughout Europe. Despite all these circumstances, clusters in Lithuania still do not receive enough attention from political decision-makers. There is a lack of a clear decision by the state which clusters we want to see, how we should evaluate them, and where we can most effectively use their potential to create change. To do this, we would need more active policy involvement and collaboration with the cluster community. This way we could altogether create a unified roadmap for Lithuanian clusters,” said K. Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė, the European Cluster Manager of the year.