This chapter scrutinizes the cases of building and rebuilding cluster organizations, equivalent to the management body examined in Chapter 10. The cluster organizations subject for this case study are (1) MedEcon Ruhr GmbH/e.V. in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), (2) Forum MedTech Pharma e.V. in Bavaria, and (3) Mannheim Medical Technology Cluster in Baden-Württemberg (BW). All cluster organizations facilitate cross-sectoral collaborations toward promoting medical technology industries in their region and provide the relevant services for that goal. In the following, first, the three cluster organizations are outlined. Then, based on the conceptual model, the experiences of these cluster organizations are examined by focusing on the initial, building, and rebuilding phases.
TopOverview Of The Management Bodies
In NRW, with the cooperation of industry-academia and support from the public sector (economic development agency of the state government and several cities in the state), MedEcon Ruhr was founded in 2007. Table 1 describes the details of it.
Table 1. The management body: MedEcon Ruhr
MedEcon Ruhr GmbH/e.V.
(NRW) | ・MedEcon Ruhr GmbH: Bochum-based company owned its shares by MedEcon Ruhr GmbH e.V. (staffs belong to the GmbH and members belong to the E.V.).
・Founded in 2007.
・Number of staff: 18 (15 full-time equivalents).
・More than 170 members.
・Member structure: Companies (medical technology, ICT, healthcare services, etc.), medical institutions/hospitals, research institutions (including universities), regional/economic development agencies (public sectors and associations).
・Budget: Members’ fee, service/project fee, competitive funds for the project, etc.
・Service (Activities): Support, coordinate, and lead role in (1) project management, (2) promoting networking, (3) creating business concepts and business models, and (4) organizing event formats. |
Source: Drawn up by the author with reference to MedEcon Ruhr GmbH/e.V. (n.d.)
In Bavaria, Forum MedTech Pharma was founded in 1998 with the support of Bayern Innovativ GmbH, the affiliated organization of the Bavarian state government. Since 2006, under the cluster program, the cluster organization has received financial support from the state government for operating costs (See Table 2 in Chapter 8 of Section 3 for detail about Forum MedTech Pharma).
In BW, based on the economic strategy of the Mannheim city government, Mannheim Medical Technology Cluster was founded as one of the units of the city government of Mannheim in 2011 (See Table 3 in Chapter 8 of Section 3 for the detail about Mannheim Medical Technology Cluster).
These cluster organizations facilitate cross-sectoral collaborations and provide relevant services to members to promote their region’s medical technology industries.
TopAntecedents In The Initial Phase
The antecedents to be considered in the initial phase of building the management body are examined based on the argument in Chapter 10. The clarified antecedents are as follows.