09 October 2006 | 13 October 2006 | France

The 9th TCI Global Conference took place in Lyon, France on 9-13 October and it was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Lyon in partnership with the Région Rhône-Alpes, le Grand Lyon and the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, MINEF. The key point in this conference was "Governance and Involvement in Cluster Iniciatives" focusing on innovation governance.

This edition has beaten all the records of participation with 425 participants from 65 countries who discussed about economic developement and cluster-based development initiatives. The attendees have joined together to share ideas, build alliances and explore the best practices in different economic initiatives.

The 2006 edition was focused on governance and companies as cornerstones of cluster initiatives. “Many countries are identifying cluster development and innovation systems policy as a national priority, pouring resources into the growth and development of homegrown businesses as well as creating incentives for foreign companies to locate there. Countries that have not traditionally relied on domestic research and development are now turning their economy to cluster development and innovation systems policy as a main driver for high-tech innovation,” said Franziska Blunck, General Manager of TCI.

The importance of media as a facilitator for information flow within a innovation system was also another main subject deeply discussed. Innovation journalism covers the introduction of new concepts in society and put into the components of a news story the process of innovation itself as a central concept treating business, technology, politics etc. as part of the information.

The panel suggested that independent innovation journalism strengthens competitiveness, by focusing public attention in innovation economies on issues of public interest and developing a common language for discussing innovation, similar to the role of political journalism in democracies. Supporting development of independent innovation journalism can be a part of cluster initiatives, just like supporting independent political journalism has been a part of developing democracy.