CREDENTIALS - Cluster Development Work

2008

February 2008 – ongoing

EU PHARE Bulgaria(with Ministry of Economy)

Growthclusters as the Team Leader for the Clusters II Project – supporting 12 Cluster Grants recipients to develop during 2008/9

2007 Experience

March 2007 – ongoing

West End of Hyndburn Development Project connected to the Oswaldwistle Zone development linking the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Oswaldwistle Mills Shopping Village and the Town Centre.

August 2007 – November 2007

Cluster development in North East Region of Bulgaria based on facilitating furniture Companies and Agricultural co-operatives. PHARE Competitiveness Project.

September 2007 – ongoing

Cross-border Cluster Development between Western Bulgaria and Krajuvacs in Serbia – to create 2 food distribution and tourism clusters.

November 2007 – ongoing

A Framework Programme 7 (FP7) application to assess the impact of clustering on 6 Furniture Clusters across Europe. The CRÈME research and Evaluation project will assess the ongoing relationship between members of Furniture Clusters in UK, Spain, Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria and Austria.

Dec 06 - Aug 07

BULGARIA: PLOVDIV REGION:

Cluster support for the development of 3 clusters along ancient routes from Plovdiv to historical surrounding towns and the Valley of the Roses. For the Cluster Co-ordinating Council

Oct 06-Feb 07

South Lakes Cultural Hub

Feasibility Study

Aug 06-Mar 07

Birmingham - Churchgate Quarter

Facilitation and organisation of a Business Group based in the Churchgate Quarter, and its ambitions to become a creative/cultural 'hot' spot

Jun 05-Nov 06

EU Phare Cluster Project

Bulgaria - 18 month contract to lead the research, strategy development and pilot clusters.

Sep-Nov 2005

Turkey

Clusters Handbook for the Turkish Textile & Clothing Sector Background research on EU best practice, and the origination of a Handbook

Apr-Nov 2005

Turkey

Fashion & Textile Cluster - Turkey. Technical assistance to establish a fashion and textile cluster for EU/Turkish government, leading to a Cluster Analysis & Mapping Report entitled "Developing the Cluster Approach"

Apr 2003- Mar 2005

Lancaster, Fylde & Central Lancs

IT Cluster Groups - Lancaster, Fylde & Central Lancs (via sub-regional Partnership)

Nov 2004 - Jan 2005

City Fringe Partnership, London

City Fringe Partnership, London - Development of a creative hub ( LDA/City Fringe Partnership) for the largest cluster of creative businesses outside New York

2004

Ireland

Study tour of Dublin organised for NW (UK) ICT companies to explore the Dublin Digital Hub and other facilities

Oct 01-Jun 04

EU-WIDE:

Two-year EU Cluster Visit Programme for Yorkshire Forward to Innovating Regions of Europe:

Copenhagen & Oresund, Denmark - Medicon Valley - Biomedical Cluster
Netherlands - Wageningen & Technopolis - Food Cluster
Jena, Germany - Optonet & Steinbeis Centre - Advanced Manufacturing Cluster
Sophia Antipolis, France - INRIA, CICA & Telecom Valley - Digital Industries Cluster
Lyon & Rhone-Alpes, France - Aderly, ITECH & Doua Science Park - Speciality Chemicals Cluster
Emilia Romagna, Italy - IMA, ERVET, Democenter & Maserati - Advanced Engineering Cluster
Barcelona, Spain - Competitiveness Institute, IESE & Hewlett Packard - Cluster-based enterprise policy

Sep 02-Mar 03

East Lancashire

Cluster Development - Studies for Business Link East Lancashire and East Lancashire Partnership - 3 key sub-sectors (ICT, advanced manufacturing & homeware) conducted by John Murray

Mar-Jun 2002

Manchester

Manchester Craft & Design Centre - Marketing Plan for Workspace within Manchester's Northern Quarter (1,000 interviews of different groups). Creative industry cluster.

May 2002 onwards

Germany

Clusters Visit to Jena Region of Germany for key Bulgarian Government staff.

Apr 2002

J Murray: Presenter at 2nd DTI/RDA Conference on Clusters - Tips on Implementation

Mar 2002 onwards

East Lancashire

East Lancashire Partnership - construction of a Business Clusters Strategy for East Lancashire

Jan 2002 onwards

Lancashire West Partnership ICT/New Media Business Needs Assignment

Nov 2001 onwards

Yorkshire & Humberside

Facilitation work for Government Office, Yorkshire & Humberside on South Yorkshire Objective One High Technology Clusters

October 2001 onwards

East Lancashire

East Lancashire Partnership - production of development agenda and a criterion for supporting specific business clusters.

October 2001

Yorkshire

Yorkshire Forward Clusters Fact-Finding Visit to Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg

September 2001 onwards

East Midlands

Consultant to EMDA/ENGAGE East Midlands project on Clusters in Voluntary Sector

September 2001 onwards

Bulgaria

Expert on Clusters Strategy to PHARE programme, Bulgaria

July 2001

Preston

Creative Industries Clusters Conference, National Football Museum, Preston, Lancashire (2nd National Conference Promoted & Organised by growthclusters.com)

March 2001

Nottingham

J Murray: Speaker/Provocateur: DTI National Conference on Cluster Strategy, Nottingham

Jan 2001 - July 2001

Preston

Creative Industry Clusters in Greater Preston area - Mapping and Action planning

Jun 2000

London

Inaugural Clusters Conference: Heathrow Hilton (Promoted & Organised by growthclusters.com)

Jun 2000

Jan - Nov 2000

Case Studies of 4 Clusters in Lancashire, West Midlands and London

Nov 1999

Award

Paper - 'Cluster-Muster: Cluster-based Innovation and Growth Management for European SMEs' - awarded best paper at the 1999 ISBA National Small Firms Policy & Research Conference

Sept 1999 - Dec 2000

London

West London Chamber of Commerce, Hounslow, West London - zonal projects. Freight forwarding/Ethnic Businesses

Sept 1999 - July 2001

Birmingham, London and Lancashire

Clusters Champion, TIILT ADAPT Project, Birmingham, London and Lancashire (with University of Central England in Birmingham).

1993-6

London

Park Royal, West London Regeneration projects - Food/IT clusters.

1990-3

Oswaldtwistle/Burnley/Preston

Oswaldtwistle/Burnley/Preston ERDF projects - Lancashire Business Development zones (with Marketing officers)