March  2107  
 
Consulting  Cluster  Veritas,  being  an  active  organizational  Member  of  TCI  Network  since  2015,  is  proud  to  
announce  its  participation  in  the  official  tender  to  host  a  21st  TCI  global  conference  in  2018.  
 
 
TCI  Network  is  in  the  process  of  selecting  candidate  organizations  to  host  its  21st  TCI  Global  Conference,  
TCI  2018.  All  the  TCI  conferences  are  co-­‐organized  between  TCI  and  one  of  its  Organizational  Members.    
A  Host  organization  must  be  a  member  of  the  TCI  Network  and  support  an  active  program  on  
competitiveness  and  clusters.  
 
About  TCI    
 
TCI  Network  is  the  leading  global  network  of  main  organizations  and  practitioners  with  deep  expertise  in  
clusters  and  competitiveness,  which  collaborate  in  a  unique  open,  flexible  and  practical  context  to  
advance  in  the  practice  of  competitiveness,  innovation  and  cluster  development.  Through  its  activities,  
TCI  reaches  out  to  9,000  practitioners  from  development  agencies,  government  departments,  cluster  
organizations,  academic  institutions,  companies  and  multilateral  organizations  in  over  110  countries.  
Founded  in  1998,  TCI  is  a  nonprofit,  non-­‐governmental  organization  with  a  global  scope,  open  to  
members  from  all  continents.    
 
GENERAL  INFORMATION  for  the  conference  
 
Total  Attendance:       400+  delegates  
 
Conference  Duration:     3  full  days    
 
Conference  Dates:   Considering  dates  from  mid  October  to  mid  Nov  2018  
 
Conference  Schedule:     draft_01  
 
                                               

 
 

Консултантски  Клъстер  Веритас  ООД,  ул.  Богатица  34,  Офис  А-­‐01,  1421,  София  
Consulting  Cluster  Veritas  OOD,  34  Bogatitsa  Str.,  1421  Sofia,  Bulgaria  
www.veritascluster.com,  tel:  +359  2  4393344,  fax:  +359  2  9633391,  office@veritascluster.com  
                                                                                                                                                                        
 
 
Benefits  for  host  country  
 
 The  TCI  conferences  bring  together  experts  in  the  field  from  around  the  globe  and  aim  to  be  a  forum  to  create  
progress  in  the  practice  of  cluster  development,  regional  competitiveness  and  innovation  support.      
 A  TCI  Conference  makes  the  Host  destination  highly  visible,  both  internationally  and  within  its  own  local  and  
regional  context.    
 Expectations  of  the  conference  delegates  include:    
o Learning  about  the  hosting  region/clusters/programs;  
o Benchmarking  their  initiatives;  
o Finding  networking  opportunities  and  cooperation  partners;    
o Exploring  new  models  and  ideas;  
o Experimenting  practical  tools  that  help  in  their  daily  work;  
o Envisioning  what’s  next  around  competitiveness.    
 
This  is  an  opportunity  to  profile  our  economic  development  and  to  learn  from  world-­‐class  experts  and  global  delegates.  
 
2017  and  previous  editions:  
20th TCI Global Conference, 7-9 November 2017, Bogota, Colombia
"The future of clusters through cross-country & cross-region collaboration"
Colombia
The 20th TCI Global Conference 2017 will be hosted by the Bogota Chamber of Commerce on 7-9
November 2017.

19th TCI Global Conference, 8-10 November 2016, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
"Global Changes, Challenges for Innovation Clusters"
Netherlands
The 19th TCI Global Conference 2016 was held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on 8-10 November 2016

18th TCI Global Conference, 3-6 November 2015, Daegu, Korea

"Clusters in a Creative Economy. New Agendas for Companies and Policy Makers"
Republic Of Korea
The TCI 2015 Conference took place in Daegu on 3-6 November 2015, hosted by MOTIE, the Ministry of
Trade, Industry & Energy of the Republic of Korea and organized by KICOX - Korea Industrial Complex
Corp in collaboration with TCI Network.

17th TCI Global Conference, Monterrey 2014

"Creating shared value through clusters for a sustainable future"
Mexico
On 10-13 November 2014, the TCI 2014 Global Conference took place in Monterrey, Mexico, hosted by
our organizational member SEDEC-Ministry of Economic Development of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

16th TCI Global Conference, Kolding 2013

"Designing the Future - Innovation through Strategic Partnerships"
Denmark
The 16th TCI Global Conference, held in Kolding on 3-6 September 2013, addressed the critical question
"How can clusters innovate through various types of strategic partnerships?". The conference was aimed to
provide cluster practitioners with the latest knowledge and insights on topics such as demand driven
innovation, entrepreneurial eco- systems, designthinking, smart specialisation and cross-border cluster
collaboration.

Консултантски  Клъстер  Веритас  ООД,  ул.  Богатица  34,  Офис  А-­‐01,  1421,  София  
Consulting  Cluster  Veritas  OOD,  34  Bogatitsa  Str.,  1421  Sofia,  Bulgaria  
www.veritascluster.com,  tel:  +359  2  4393344,  fax:  +359  2  9633391,  office@veritascluster.com  
                                                                                                                                                                        
Information  about  2016  proposed  cluster  tours  (during  submission  time)  
 
1. Semiconductor Tour: ASML, NXP and Imec (Leuven) - The semiconductor industry
is strongly rooted in the Brainport Eindhoven Region, in cooperation with Leuven in
Belgium and Aachen in Germany. The total value chain is present in the region en will
provide an interesting cluster tours.
2. High Tech Industries Tour: Brainport Industries (Eindhoven) - Brainport is the center
for high tech industries in the Netherlands, with companies like FEI, Océ
Technologies/Canon, Philips Healthcare and ASML. These OEM’ers are serviced by a
large ecosystem of closely cooperating high tech suppliers, big and small. Brainport
Industries is a mature cluster organization with almost 100 members and definitely worth
the visit.
3. High Tech Materials Tour: Chemelot (Geleen) - Formerly state owned DSM made an
impressive turn around, from bulk chemicals, which Sabic took over, to fine chemicals
and food ingredients, purely market driven. Henry Chesbrough was inspired for his open
innovation concept by the achievements of DSM. The open innovation campus Chemelot
is housed on the DSM premises and a very interesting example of knowledge meets
business.
4. Automotive Industries Tour: VDL, Automotive Campus (Helmond) - The Brainport
Region houses many companies in the automotive sector. The Automotive Campus,
where knowledge meets business, is also home to the cluster organization. VDLNedcar,
part of VDL, produces Mini’s for BMW in Born. Tesla produces in nearby Tilburg. DAF
Trucks, a Paccar company, produces in Geldrop. Enough choice for an interesting tour.
5. Biobased Economy Tour: Biobased Delta, Green Chemistry Campus, Sabic, Cosun
(West Brabant) - Biobased Delta is front-runner as a bioregion in Europe. It’s a biomass
production area (aquaculture and arable farming) and an area with large chemical firms.
New connections between these sectors are being made, as a base for the formation of a
new sustainable cluster of biochemicals.
6. Agro & Food Tour: AgriFood Capital (Den Bosch/Greenport Venlo) - The Peel
region is the most condensed and intensive region of agro production in Europe. This
region consists of Greenport Venlo, a very well organized greenhouse cluster for the
production of tomatoes and bell peppers, with very efficient facilities of handling and
logistics. The Greenport also has a sub cluster on mushrooms and flowers. It’s the second
largest production area in the Netherlands. Next to the plant production, the region has the
most intensive animal production (pork and chicken) in the Netherlands, as well dairy
farming. It is innovative in ways of dealing with energy and space and finding crossovers
with other sectors (food, biobased, pharma). Moreover, AgriFoodCapital is a triple helix
cooperation further developing the AgroFood cluster in Northeast Brabant. AgroFood in
the region is concerned with the production and processing of healthy food for humans
and animals. From breeding to fresh produce and in partnership with other sectors like
construction, logistics, engineering and healthcare.
7. Medical technology and lifesciences Tour: Philips Healthcare, Holst Centre, TU/e
(Best, Eindhoven) - Philips Healthcare has locations in Best and Eindhoven (High Tech
Campus). In Best the CT- and MRI-scanners are being produced and the customer visit
center is located. Most of the research is done at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, with
showrooms for hospital care and homecare. Holst Centre (also located at HTCE) is an
open innovation research institute developing sensor technologies that bring healthcare

Консултантски  Клъстер  Веритас  ООД,  ул.  Богатица  34,  Офис  А-­‐01,  1421,  София  
Consulting  Cluster  Veritas  OOD,  34  Bogatitsa  Str.,  1421  Sofia,  Bulgaria  
www.veritascluster.com,  tel:  +359  2  4393344,  fax:  +359  2  9633391,  office@veritascluster.com  
                                                                                                                                                                        
applications closer to people. Moreover, the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e)
has several outstanding research facilities and labs. For example the SOFIE project is
developing a next-generation robotic master-slave system for minimally invasive surgery
(MIS). The Maxima Medical Center (hospital) is specialized in integrated care for
(premature) babies, children and women. There are many more companies in the region
active in this medical domain: Frencken, Sioux, Sapiens, Xeltis, QTIS/e, Ventinova
Medical, Emultech and Nemo to name a few.

 
Members  of  steering  committee  2016’s  conference    (at  submission  stage)  

• Brainport Development, Ton Nelissen

• Alterra Wageningen University & Research Center, Kees Slingerland, member of
Board of Directors
• Brainport Industries Coöperatie, John Blankendaal
• Brainport Industries Cooperative; Food Tech Brainport, Jan van Rijsingen
• Friesland Campina, Roelof Joosten, CEO f
• Rabobank
• Province of Noord Brabant, Wim van de Donk, Royal Commissioner
• Province Limburg, Theo Bovens, Royal Commissioner
• City of Eindhoven, Mayor Rob van Gijzel
• Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bertold Leeftink, Director-
• General Enterprise and Innovation

Local organizations

• Brainport Development
• Wageningen UR Alterra
• City of Eindhoven
• Eindhoven 365 Citymarketing organization
• Province of Noord Brabant
• Brabant Development Agency

 
 

Консултантски  Клъстер  Веритас  ООД,  ул.  Богатица  34,  Офис  А-­‐01,  1421,  София  
Consulting  Cluster  Veritas  OOD,  34  Bogatitsa  Str.,  1421  Sofia,  Bulgaria  
www.veritascluster.com,  tel:  +359  2  4393344,  fax:  +359  2  9633391,  office@veritascluster.com