This document discusses research on the internationalization activities of cluster organizations in the Czech Republic and their economic impacts. It finds that older, larger clusters with more employees are more engaged in internationalization. Two-thirds of clusters have internationalization strategies, focusing on establishing partnerships. The most common and impactful internationalization activities are marketing, accessing new technologies, and international projects. Internationalization enhances innovation environments and university relationships, while also increasing employment and investments. The document concludes that internationalization benefits clusters by identifying new knowledge and markets, and that involvement in projects and accessing strategies increases with cluster maturity.

1. The evaluation of internationalisation activities of
cluster organisations in the Czech Republic and their
economic impact
Drahomira Pavelkova & Pavla Bruskova
Academic Summit: Transnational cluster collaboration
4 September 2013

2. TCI Kolding, September 2013
THE EVALUATION OF INTERNATIONALISATION ACTIVITIES
OF CLUSTER ORGANISATIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
AND THEIR ECONOMIC IMPACT
Drahomira Pavelkova
Pavla Bruskova

3. Tomas Bata University in Zlin,
Czech Republic
Prague
Zlín
•

4. Cluster-related research activities
 The evaluation of internationalisation activities of cluster
organisations in the Czech Republic and their economic impact;
the draft measures for boosting the transnational cooperation of
clusters within the ClusterCOOP project.
 Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, 2012
 Cluster policies of the Czech Republic and its regions for global
competitiveness and sustainable growth; Certified methodologies.
 Technology Agency of the Czech Republic; 2012 – 2013
 Human resources development in the research of the performance
measurement and management of enterprises, clusters and
regions.
 Ministry of Education and Youth of the Czech Republic; August
2012 – June 2015
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5. Research methodology
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 Data sources and analyses
I. Czech cluster organisation survey & evaluation 2012:
61 cluster organisations evaluated out of 79 identified ones in the
Czech Republic  the basis for the quantitative analysis (desk
research, questionnaire, interviews)
 Cluster viability evaluation in 4 cumulative indicators:
- Resource capacities of the cluster organisation
- Activities performed by the cluster organisation
- Benefits provided to the member base
- The role of the cluster organisation in the innovation environment
 Results in 3 groups of cluster organisations: Champions (1-
19), Viable clusters (20-40), Developing & Stagnating clusters (41-61).

6. Research methodology
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 Data sources and analyses
II. Questionnaire-based interviews on internationalisation activities
with cluster managers  qualitative analysis;
 Matrix of 12 kinds of internationalisation activities and 11 types of
impacts
 7 ways of entering the international cooperation & the need for
assistance
 Financial resources for internationalisation
 Types of benefits from internationalisation
 Barriers in internationalisation

7. Cluster internationalisation research - Results
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 4 categories of the research outputs:
1. Factors positively influencing the engagement of clusters in INT:
 age of clusters
 cluster size
 number of CO employees
 presence of larger companies within the membership.
2. Internationalisation strategy of the clusters:
 two thirds of the given group of clusters exhibit realization of
internationalisation activities (42 clusters, 68.9%).
 almost 70 % of them operate and develop internationalisation activities based
on a long-term strategy;
 the most important elements of turning the internationalisation strategy into
practice: establishment of contacts to partners by participating in
technology platforms, networking with other clusters and joint projects.

8. Cluster internationalisation research – Results (cont.)
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3. The impact of INT on cluster competitiveness:
 Most frequent internationalisation activities and their impact:
- Marketing activities (public relations, presentations, participation at the
fairs and expos etc.) with the effect on the enlargement of membership
pool, acquiring relevant partners.
- Acquisition of new approaches to technologies (in the form of
internships, ventures, excursions, study trips, expert workshops, the
creation of common technology databases etc.) The strongest impetus for
this practice is the favourable impact on the access to know-how and on
the acquiring relevant partners.
- Participation in international projects motivated by the effort to access
to know-how and to acquiring relevant partners.

9. Cluster internationalisation research – Results (cont.)
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4. The impacts on the environment of clusters
 Internationalisation activities have led to the enhancement of
innovation environment the most often (68 %).
 46 % of the managers of clusters have pointed out the impact of
internationalisation efforts on the boosting of relationship with
regional universities.
 More than one-third of managers of cluster agreed that the
internationalisation of a cluster leads to increased or sustainable
rate of employment (39 %) and has an impact on higher
investments in region (36 %).

10. Cluster internationalisation research – Conclusions
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 extraordinarily high degree of openness of the Czech economy and
especially of its processing industry - a number of cluster organisations
is naturally led to the international dimension of their activities
 internationalisation effort is still in an embryonic state nowadays, most
influential impacts of internationalisation efforts in relation to the
effect on the value added for cluster members cluster managers
connected with:
 identification of new experience and know-how
 various trade activities
 market survey

11. Cluster internationalisation research – Conclusions (cont.)
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 following internationalisation activities slightly decreasing with the
longer period of cluster functioning (6 and more years):
- marketing and business activities, market research,
- approaches to new technologies and business processes, new
experiences and know-how,
- participation at international business consortia and platforms.
 following internationalisation activities significantly increasing in relation
to the longer period of cluster existence:
- participation at international projects,
- best practices,
- access to technology transfers and access to cooperation in R&D,
- access to cluster strategies
 it is necessary to respect periods of clusters’ life cycle from the
perspective of cluster support

12. Internationalisation in the Czech cluster policy methodologies
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 Certified methodology for the Regional Cluster Policy:
 Identification of cluster potential in the regions – the synergy with RIS3;
 Facilitation & incubation of cluster organisations, expert capacity building;
 Regional support programme establishment including internationalisation;
 Evaluation of the policy measures (public investment) for the benefit of the
region.
 Certified Methodology for the National Cluster Policy:
 National cluster accreditation scheme – benchmarking for cluster participation in
the national support and development programmes;
 Bringing clusters to the excellence – cluster training programme;
 National programmes to support of R&D, internationalisation and inter-cluster
cooperation;
 Evaluation of the effectiveness of the national cluster policy and its impacts on
competitiveness.

13. Thank you for your attention!
Contacts
pavelkova@fame.utb.cz
bruskova@nca.cz