During the 27th TCI Global Conference in Chihuahua, Mexico, we held a special event to honor and thank our founders and long-time members for their incredible support of our community.

Linda Jamison, from Invest Northern Ireland, was one of the members recognized for her dedication and active role in the TCI Network. In this interview, Linda talks about her journey in the network, how TCI has helped and inspired her cluster work in Northern Ireland, and gives us a sneak peek into the upcoming 2025 TCI Global Conference in Dublin.

How did you find out about TCI Network and what motivated you to join?

TCI was this magical ‘secret sauce’ organisation that I was introduced to back in 1998 and at the time it provided a conduit into a network of global cluster experts who had been engaged with Government and Captains of Industry in Northern Ireland and were instrumental in setting up the region’s first ever cluster organisation -Northern Ireland Growth Challenge (NIGC). Having been employed by NIGC as a Cluster Manager, it provided the foundation for my knowledge and subsequent training in the world of Clustering. In the early days, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend inspirational training sessions delivered by Michael Porter, Michael Enright, Emilia Duch and Ifor Ffowcs Williams.

Since then I have participated in many annual TCI Global Conferences; in particular those hosted in South Africa and New Zealand, many years ago now, showcased the power of the global TCI Network and enabled me to bring along delegations of Northern Ireland colleagues who were introduced to valuable connections with expertise relevant to our specific needs here in this region.

In 2014 we hosted the second meeting of the TCI Cluster Evaluation Working Group in Northern Ireland and this was the start of another new learning journey and the opportunity to establish what have grown into long lasting friendships with a number of key cluster experts including Emily Wise, Madeline Smith and James Wilson.

Since then I have availed of TCI support to network to identify global speakers for conferences, workshops and funding partnerships. Patricia Valdenebro helped to co-ordinate a TCI European partnership that resulted in the collaborative EU Clusters3 Project which provided insight into Cluster Policy with partners in seven European regions; also enabled Northern Ireland to avail of a cluster policy peer review that has influenced and provided the foundation for the shaping of the Invest NI Cluster Support Programme we have today.

In 2016 the Clusters3 Project also enabled me to host the largest Cluster Conference ever held in Northern Ireland and provided a platform to engage with acclaimed cluster expert Christian Ketels, who also returned to attend our recent 2024 NI Cluster Acceleration Conference.

TCI has been the inspiration for my continued professional development and in the spirit of collaboration I have always sought to connect others with the network, including facilitating introductions to my cluster colleagues in the Republic of Ireland who have now established a very strong TCI presence in our neighbouring country, including having an Irish TCI Board member, John Hobbs, from Munster Technological University!

Having previously delivered competitiveness modules on the Ulster University Masters Programme I brokered connections between UU & Harvard Business School and co-designed a Clusters for Competitiveness Postgraduate Course which benefitted greatly as a result of input and delivery from TCI experts, leading to colleagues in NI receiving a new postgraduate qualification.

Since my early exposure to TCI Global Conferences, particularly the one hosted in New Zealand, I have had a longstanding ambition to one day host the TCI Global Conference in this part of the world. This ambition has finally been realised due to the strength of our partnership with colleagues in the Republic of Ireland and a successful joint bid between Intertrade Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Invest NI has resulted in bringing the 2025 TCI Global Conference to the Island of Ireland.

What are the main advantages of being part of the TCI community?

TCI has opened doors leading global cluster experts from across Industry, Government and Academia, and has enabled me to link those experts with colleagues in Northern Ireland responsible for delivering our economic development objectives.

The Global TCI Conference in Iceland 2023 provided exceptional insight into the Icelandic Maritime Cluster and the 100% Fish model, which was certainly food for thought in respect to the evolution of cluster development with entrepreneurship and investment being the critical success factor of the cluster.

The TCI 2024 Cluster Policy Workshop hosted by Werner Pamminger, from Business Upper Austria reconnected us over two days with friends and colleagues across Europe, Latin Amercia and Canada. TCI continues to enable me and my colleagues to leverage best practices, to take advantage of training and research and link up with like-minded practitioners and professionals who are always delighted to share their knowledge and experience.

The recent launch of the Invest NI Cluster Acceleration Programme leveraged TCI global experts from Spain, Netherlands, Iceland, Scotland, Norway and Austria. The experts who spoke at the conference also gave up their time on either side of the conference to meet with emerging local clusters in Maritime & Offshore, Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering, Agri Food and some even signed MOUs to establish longer term relationships.

The value of being part of an organisation that provides a conduit to global cluster expertise and brokers connections with people who are both gracious with their time and willing to openly share their experience cannot be underestimated.

Any requests or expectations for the future of the network?

To continue to challenge thinking in relation to Cluster approaches, methodology and research. To provide safe spaces for critical thinking and the sharing of ideas to stimulate the development of cluster strategies, methodologies, evaluation, and research. To ensure global insights are shared while continuing to engage with global experts from leading institutions and consultancies.

What can we expect from the 28th TCI Global Conference in Dublin?

Excited to showcase our collective efforts and successes across two jurisdictions on the Island of Ireland. To give delegates a flavour of our uniqueness and differences that make us such a special place and enable truly great people to thrive. To showcase the value of effective collaboration at a Government level, industry level and academic level, highlighting innovative approaches to clustering on the Island of Ireland.

We want delegates to get an unforgettable experience so that they won’t want to leave and or if they do we want them to want to come back to build upon professional relationships they have established during the 28th TCI Global Conference.

We collectively aim to

• demonstrate how collaboration across two separate but uniquely linked countries can maximise the economic development of both – even in the post-Brexit environment;
• showcase how from a NI perspective how we can use clusters to drive home the benefits of Dual Market Access;
• give delegates a flavour of our ‘small, but mighty’ approach – ie. very small island, but one that has pivoted traditional industries using a clustering approach to develop globally competitive industries eg. aerospace, screening equipment, cyber, life science, advanced manufacturing and maritime;
• I imagine that delegates can also expect to experience great ‘craic’ from a conference in Dublin!

We’ll be sharing more details about the TCI Global Conference 2025 soon—you won’t want to miss it!