ECLAC inaugurates the first session of the Practical Community with the objective of strengthening clusters in Latin America and the Caribbean

On October 30, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) inaugurated the first Community in Practice workshop on cluster initiatives and productive articulation, a space to share experiences and success stories in the management of cluster networks. The event, framed within the work of the IATP Platform, had more than 180 attendees and a panel of four experts from different productive sectors.

Marco Llinás, director of the Productive and Business Development Division, began the event by highlighting the importance of these initiatives in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently faces structural challenges in terms of growth and productivity. “Cluster and productive articulation initiatives are key to organizing efforts in economic development that allow us to get out of the low growth trap,” he stated.

In that sense, the first edition sought to answer a central question: what benefits are achieved by participating in cluster initiatives? During the workshop, each speaker shared their perspective, agreeing that this collaborative system enhances the competitiveness and collective growth of the companies involved. For her part, Silvia Mejía, a competitiveness and cluster management consultant, stated that clusters allow us to overcome the typical isolation of companies in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting a space of trust and reducing business risks. Ana Lilia Barbosa, director of the Puebla-Tlaxcala Education Cluster, highlighted that clusters, and specifically at the university level, make it possible to coordinate educational offerings and improve the performance of institutions in terms of talent training and employability.

In turn, Daniel Hernández, president of the National Network of Automotive Industry Clusters, from his experience mentioned that clusters promote the transfer of knowledge, public-private collaboration and favor the integration of academia. Finally, Pablo Díaz, director of the Córdoba biotechnology cluster, spoke about how the joint action of companies allows access to shared resources, such as laboratories or trained personnel, in addition to optimizing costs and therefore improving the competitiveness of the Córdoba biotechnology sector. .

The space was also an opportunity to share the challenges faced by clusters, especially in countries where this practice is still incipient. The speakers agreed that the first challenge is to build credibility. Silvia Mejía, especially highlighted the work that must be done to educate about this type of initiatives that today remain unknown to many. “Through training, it is possible to awaken greater interest in participating among companies.”

Díaz, from the Córdoba biotechnology cluster, mentioned another challenge: “the wait.” In that sense, Díaz mentioned that, without effective communication of the value of the cluster, some of the members may want to expect results immediately. Therefore, he points out: “it is crucial that, when consolidating the cluster, the phases are well stipulated.” Likewise, the Puebla academic cluster established its objectives from the beginning to prevent its work from being perceived for political purposes, emphasizing a strictly academic approach.

Another reflection that emerged from Hernández was the need to reach an adequate audience. In the case of the automotive cluster, they initially wanted to broaden their audience, but discovered that too broad an audience diluted the focus of the cluster and made dialogue difficult. After analyzing it in detail, they decided to reduce the audience and alternate more massive events with smaller work groups.

By way of closing, ECLAC recalled that this meeting is the first in a series of 10 training sessions dedicated to strengthening collaborative ecosystems and productive coordination in the region. The organization extended an invitation to the coordinators of these initiatives to participate in the next workshops and recalled that the next one will take place on Thursday, October 28, under the premise: “What is the best way to launch a cluster initiative and other Territorial Productive Articulation initiatives?”