The U.S. Cluster Mapping Portal has soft-launched its Region Comparison Tool, which will allow users to directly compare different regions (States, Economic Areas, Metro/Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Counties) across various clusters and indicators. See below for a walkthrough of the process of creating and saving a custom region comparison.

Brookings -- Innovation and STEM-worker (science, technology, engineering, and math) intensive “advanced industries” are the prime movers of regional and national economic competitiveness in the United States. Industries like aerospace and auto, oil and gas extraction, or software and health IT stand at the forefront of the most disruptive technological and business dynamics of the moment, and will be central to U.S. prosperity going forward.

The National Association of Counties and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation, with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, have launched a new competition for communities experiencing economic challenges resulting from the contraction of the coal industry.

Join NACo and NADO on Thursday, 1/22 at 2pm ET to learn more about the challenge and ask questions to competition organizers. For more information about the competition, please read more.

Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore -- Recently, Richard Florida of The Atlantic‘s CityLab published a synopsis of a study detailing extensive research that linked arts clustering to widespread economic development in nearly every metropolitan region across the country. The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore elected to recreate some of this research and examine arts clustering in the Baltimore metropolitan area with 2012 data – two years newer than what was originally published – and compare it to the peer markets selected for the 2014 Regional Report.

LOWELL, Mass. -- Gov. Charlie Baker today announced a $4 million dollar grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (“MassTech”) to UMass Lowell to support development of a printed and flexible electronics industry cluster, an emerging field that has the potential to become a $76 billion global market in the next decade.

Godwin Xerri, Malta Independent -- According to a study published by Policy Research Corporation in 2008, Malta employs 7,600 people in the traditional maritime sectors, 11,000 people in coastal and sea related recreational and tourism and 1,400 persons in fisheries. These three areas make up for 20,000 jobs out of a working population of 190,000 people which represents 10.5% of Malta's work force.

Jonatan Paton -- The importance of clusters and cluster policies has been slowly increasing in the competitiveness context and in regional development models.

The U.S. Cluster Mapping Portal has soft-launched its Region Comparison Tool, which will allow users to directly compare different regions (States, Economic Areas, Metro/Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Counties) across various clusters and indicators. See below for a walkthrough of the process of creating and saving a custom region comparison.

Lisa Monti, Mississippi Business Journal -- A new study looking at Mississippi’s maritime industries spotlights the importance of shipbuilding, fishing, oceanography and marine technology as a dominant force in the state’s economy. The data show that in the three coastal counties, about 51,000 people – 35 percent of the entire workforce – are employed in so- called blue industries. Ashley Edwards, Susan Veglia and Kevin Buckley compiled the study as part of the Masters of Economic Development Program at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office -- Experts have long theorized that having a cluster of firms within a given industry helps a region’s economy grow.

Max Ufberg, Pacific Standard -- Seemingly every American city, from Boston to New Orleans, wants to be “the next Silicon Valley.” This isn’t anything new; it has happened before with industries like film, video games, and alternative energy. Basically, if an industry looks profitable, city (and state) officials will often try to work tirelessly to bring their own municipalities a piece of the financial pie.

On Friday, December 19, 2014, EDA's Regulatory Revision Final Rule appeared in the Federal Register. The new regulations will take effect on January 20, 2015. 

Things to Know: 

Brian Kelsey, CivicAnalytics -- The falling price of oil will compete for economic story of the year in 2014, but what does it mean for economic developers heading into 2015? Most of the attention so far has been paid to oil-producing states like Texas and North Dakota, but for economic developers in non-production states, could lower oil prices create opportunities for leveraging their own competitive advantages?

HARTFORD, CT -- Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced Connecticut has once again been recognized as a fuel cell leader, ranking as one of the top five states by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in its recent report State of the States: Fuel Cells in America 2014. The hydrogen and fuel cell industry is powering economic and job growth not only in Connecticut but across the Northeast region. Nearly 600 Connecticut companies are part of the more than 1,170 industry businesses in New England, New York and New Jersey.

Yvette C. Hammett, The Tampa Tribune -- Plans by Port Tampa Bay to transform the now-vacant Port Red Wing into a cluster of steel manufacturing operations took a step closer to fruition Tuesday. The Tampa Port Authority board approved a lease agreement with Tampa Tank Inc. and Florida Structural Steel, which could result in creation of 108 new jobs for the area. Now it is up to Tampa Tank to decide whether to take the deal, which includes an economic incentives package, or whether to expand in a location outside of Hillsborough County.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- RayGen Resources is the winner of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association's Grand Prize in its fourth annual Later Stage Awards. During the 5th annual CleanTech Investing Seminar in Lausanne, Switzerland, the GCCA honored 10 companies in 10 categories, with RayGen Resources winning the GCCA pitch contest and taking the top award. As the Grand Prize winner, RayGen Resources receives a special invitation to the exclusive, invitation-only, Campton Wealth Family Alternative Investing Conference (FAIC) taking place in March 2015.

ONTARIO -- Today, the Better Business Climate Act, 2014, passed third reading in the Ontario legislature. The Act will strengthen the province's economy by cutting red tape for business and reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens and practices that cost time and money. Along with burden reduction, the Act will also foster the development of globally competitive economic clusters which help attract investment and talent across Ontario by fostering regional capacity for productivity, innovation, exports, global competitiveness, business attraction and creating well-paying jobs. 

Kelly Petty, ColaDaily -- Megan Hughes Hickman, executive director of EngenuitySC, a public-private partnership to build economic competitiveness in the Midlands, said the region could flourish in many industries but would miss an opportunity not to lead on technology.

Mark Crawford, Area Development -- Economic growth in the Midwest was steady in 2014, thanks to solid performances by the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, especially transportation equipment. The economy also got a boost from the surging energy sector, led by oil-shale production in Ohio, which improved sales for supporting industries like sand, chemicals, and steel drill pipe made in Midwestern steel plants. 

Rebecca O. Bagley, Forbes -- In order to stay globally competitive in this new economy, regions must have an economic base that constantly innovates and optimizes the use of technology. Technology-based economic development, or TBED, is the approach used to help create a climate where this economic base can thrive.

Semiconductor Today -- At the 5th annual CleanTech Investing Seminar in Lausanne, Switzerland on 3 December, III-nitride epitaxial material supplier EpiGaN nv of Hasselt, near Antwerp, Belgium was announced as winner of the 2014 Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA) Later Stage Award in the category ‘Energy efficiency’.EpiGaN is a member company of the Flanders Cleantech Associaton (FCA) based in Antwerp, which provides the Flemish cleantech industry with a platform to gain exposure to worldwide business partners, networks and investor communities.

The Times of India -- AHMEDABAD: The city's first Cultural Heritage Cluster - aimed at incubating new ventures and innovative strategies that use culture for economic development - was launched on Sunday at Law Garden.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has joined forces with the Virginia Small Business Development Center/George Mason University to assist local businesses to boost their export sales and add quality American jobs as part of Ex-Im Bank's City/State Program. 

EVERETT, WA -- The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) recognized leadership in commercial real estate development at its November Night of the Stars event in Bellevue. Among the night’s winners were Mayor Ray Stephanson and Lanie McMullin, Everett’s economic development director, who were jointly honored as NAIOP’s Public Officials of the Year for Washington state.

Caribbean Journal -- It may be time to create economic “clusters” to spur growth in Jamaica, according to Densil Williams, Professor of International Business and Executive Director of the Mona School of Business Management at the University of the West Indies. Williams, who was addressing the Western Jamaica Economic Forum this week, said creating such clusters would bring “immense benefits to the business sector and ultimately the country.”

The TCI Network is committed to fostering knowledge sharing among practitioners. Presentations and other material of TCI conferences are a great tool for this purpose as they contain advanced theory and practice on competitiveness upgrading efforts, cluster development and innovation support globally and are widely used among practitioners in the network to advance in their daily activity. That is why TCI publishes all available conference material on their social medial channels.
 

Luke Runyon, High Plains Public Radio -- More cities want to take eating local food from just a hip trend to an economic generator. But as with many grassroots movements, there can be some growing pains along the way. That has some looking to the tech sector for lessons.

Following a presentation at the TCI annual conference in Monterrey, Mexico, Dr John Hobbs (School of Business, Cork Institute of Technology) was invited to give two presentations different research centers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The presentations were hosted by the Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP), which is part of the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship and the Industrial Performance Center (IPC) to share V‐LINC results and its potential for mapping Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship Ecosystems and Global Value Chains (GVCs).

Important Deadlines 
Required Letter of Intent (LOI), December 3, 2014, due 5:00 pm local time.
Full Proposal Submission January 28, 2015, due 5:00 pm local time.
 

Accelerating Industry-Led Regional Partnerships for Talent Development Federal Funding Opportunity Webinar
Wed, Dec 3, 2014 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM EST

EDA Assistant Secretary Jay Williams will provide an introduction of the Accelerating Industry-Led Regional Partnerships for Talent Development Federal Funding Opportunity. He will be joined by Kate McAdams, Senior Advisor to Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Bryan Borlik, Director of the EDA Performance and National Programs division. 

José Herrera, Times of Malta -- ‘The waves that shape us make us stronger’ was the tag line phrase used for the launch of the integrated maritime policy consultation process. It was a fitting phrase that coined the objective of a policy that would integrate the various maritime business opportunities with our social and environmental responsibilities leading to a step change, a change that will lead Malta to become a centre of maritime excellence. An ambitious order indeed, for it brings a number of challenges that must be overcome.

National Science Foundation -- From disaster recovery to caring for the elderly in the home, scientists and engineers are developing robots that can handle critical tasks in close proximity to humans, safely and with greater resilience than previous generations of intelligent machines.

Mary Serreze, MassLive -- A University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher has received a $4.1 million Environmental Protection Agency grant to create a national research center aimed at assisting small-sized drinking water systems. David A.

Josie Sexton, The Coloradoan -- In Fort Collins, industry clusters exist for clean energy, water, bioscience, information technology and even culture. In U.S. cities such as San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and Louisville, Kentucky, food clusters also exist. The tasks of a food cluster, and any industry cluster, can be nebulous until carried out.

Ramesh Shankar, PharmaBiz -- The Department of Pharmaceutical (DoP) has started the process for its much awaited Cluster Development Programme for Pharma Sector (CDP-PS) to enhance quality, productivity and innovative capabilities of the SME pharma sector in the country. By this programme, the DoP is aiming to increase the competitiveness, easy access to standard testing facilities and value addition in the domestic pharma industry especially to SMEs through creation of common world class facilities. 

On Monday, November 17, 2014, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced that the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is accepting proposals for a national partner to help coordinate the Accelerating Industry-led Regional Partnerships for Talent Development Program, a new learning exchange that will focus on building critical regional partnerships to accelerate job skills development across America.

Today, far too often important economic development decisions are being made with a lack of transparent, comparable data and analysis. U.S. Cluster Mapping takes one key step in the direction of bringing together state of the art research in clusters, combined with 52+ economic indicators into an online, open-data, open-source platform that allows practitioners to make more informed decisions about economic development, both in the U.S. and abroad. This webinar will be an interactive session that will take you through the tool and how best to use it to achieve your goals. 

WEST PALM BEACH -- One of South Florida's most progressive cities is turning its downtown into an engine for the growth of arts, entertainment and culture. The West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District (A&E District), a partnership of more than 20 venues in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, launches on Nov. 13, at 1:30 p.m. with a celebration at the Downtown West Palm Beach Waterfront Pavilion, 101 S. Flagler Drive.

Ethan Forman, The Salem Daily News -- Back in December 2011, the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development drove the discussion about what it would mean for the North Shore if a $1 billion resort casino were built at Suffolk Downs. The meeting drew heavy-hitters like Suffolk Downs COO Chip Tuttle of Salem, state lawmakers, and other local leaders to talk about casino jobs, traffic impacts and the long-held notion the Blue Line needs to be extended to downtown Lynn.

Zawya -- Representatives from DIAC meet with international counterparts at leading conference to share experience in developing a world class education hub

Gunnar Lindberg & Jukka Teräs, Nordregio -- Bioeconomic development in Örnsköldsvik in Sweden has a specific feature of strong clustering activity around the 'Biorefinery of the Future' initiative, but how did the regional biorefinery cluster develop over time to become one of the most interesting Nordic regional bioeconomy initiatives? What is the future of the Örnsköldsvik biorefinery?

Edward Lundquist, Marine Technology News -- An in-depth conversation with Greg Cox, a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and California Coastal Commission and a key proponent of the San Diego Blue Tech Cluster.
 

Douglas J. Guth, Fresh Water -- Greater Cleveland's workforce is highly educated, with 17 percent of its workforce boasting a graduate or professional degree. That puts the metro 10th in national rankings of top-skilled diploma carrying cities, one spot ahead of Pittsburgh. In terms of broader economic growth, demographer and urban planner Richey Piiparinen believes Cleveland can take advantage of those big brains through creation of high-density areas of expertise.

BizTimes -- FaB Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Area Technical College have announced further details about the Food Maker School and Center of Excellence they are forming on the south side of Milwaukee. FaB Wisconsin is an industry cluster that encourages economic development among food and beverage manufacturers across the state. 

Exeter Express & Echo -- The next step in the development of Exeter Science Park has been celebrated as work begins on the access road to a new climate cluster. East Devon MP and Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire joined those involved in the project to mark the start of work on the Global Environmental Futures campus, where the Met Office intends to base part of its new £97m supercomputer, subject to planning permission. The turf cutting ceremony heralded the start of work on the road opening up the new cluster, which has been named Upp

17th TCI Global Conference
“Creating shared value through clusters for a sustainable future”
10-13 November 2014, Monterrey, Mexico
www.tci2014.org

Jesus Lopez Jr., Standard-Examiner -- This week, Ogden officials announced plans to revitalize the area. If plans come to fruition, the area will have a chance to reclaim some of its economic glory. On Wednesday, Ogden City held a special open house and ground breaking at the Ogden Exchange Building, 600 W. Exchange Road.

BOSTON -- NECEC (New England Clean Energy Council and NECEC Institute) awarded Boston-based Next Step Living its 2014 Green Tie Gala Award for Breakout Company of the Year last week.

Theory into Practice -- The Geography of Jobs map is a dynamic visualization of job gains and losses over the last 15+ years for every metro area in the U.S. The red and blue bubbles represent a rolling 12-month net change in total employment for each metro area.

Read more
 

IEDC -- Whether targeting new sectors for growth or diversifying their economies, economic developers are most effective at attracting sustained investment when they understand corporate location requirements, identify specific opportunities based on their community, and market according to a cluster strategy. In the next ten years, a handful of innovative industrial sectors will be responsible for creating millions of highly-skilled, high-paying new jobs. For economic developers, these changes offer immense opportunity to build growth clusters.

Tyler Waldman, Technical.ly Baltimore -- At the CyberMaryland conference in Baltimore on Thursday, state officials signed an international memorandum of understanding with The Hague Security Delta.

The MOU with the Dutch cluster of more than 400 companies will last three years and, Department of Business and Economic Development officials hope, will lead to economic growth opportunities in both regions.

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Danielle Thomas, WLOX -- Gautier's mayor said every day there's a new inquiry from someone interested in opening a business in Gautier. He gives the credit to the city's economic development team, which he says has been working in overdrive. Mayor Gordon Gollott believes Gautier is on the cusp of an economic boom.

Tom Kalil and David Danielson, Office of Science and Technology Policy -- The Department of Energy national laboratories are American science and engineering powerhouses. These national treasures are generating innovative solutions to the world’s toughest energy challenges. However, promising solutions discovered at the laboratory bench can’t effectively address energy challenges unless and until they are successfully transferred to the marketplace as commercial products and services.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Governors and lawmakers in state capitals across the nation continue to take major steps to lower energy costs, reduce pollution, and save consumers money by increasing their states’ energy efficiency, according to the findings of the 8th edition of the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Ifor Ffowcs-Williams, Nelson Mail -- The evidence on economic development from throughout the world is quite clear: regions that are home to dynamic clusters and companies that are rooted in such clusters (such as Silicon Valley, home to Apple, Adobe, Cisco, Facebook, eBay, Google, Yahoo, YouTube and 7000 other firms) do better. One cluster I have visited is in Reykjavik, Iceland, a city familiar to many involved in Nelson's fishing industry. I have visited Hampidjan,

COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) presented its annual Excellence Awards at its 2014 Annual Summit, held October 22-24 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest. The Ohio Economic Development Association’s annual excellence awards program recognizes the achievements of individuals and organizations throughout Ohio in the areas of economic and workforce development. 

Jessica Palmer, Alamogordo Daily News -- Gov. Susana Martinez visited Alamogordo Friday. She hosted a conference at the New Mexico State University-Alamogordo Tays Center to announced the selection of Southeastern New Mexico by U.S. Small Business Administration as a Regional Innovation Cluster. It was one of only four new such regional networks throughout the country. Martinez said that New Mexico was chosen from 40 other potential candidates.

Karel Beckman, Energy Post -- Wave power at 7.5 cents/kWh? That’s what CorPower Ocean, a Swedish startup, is hoping to deliver with its new Wave Energy Converter (WEC). The technology for this new wave power device was invented by Dr. Stig Lundbäck, a medical doctor from Sweden who has spent his life studying the pumping principles of the human heart – and has used this knowledge to design a giant buoy that gently oscillates in resonance with the waves of the sea.

David Harry, The Forecaster -- The lingering question was simple for Icelandic businesswoman Erla Petursdottir.

"What do we do with fish guts?" she said Thursday Oct. 16.

In Maine, the same question is asked about lobster shells. The answer may be found in the New England Ocean Cluster, an approach modeled on the Iceland Ocean Cluster that Petursdottir, the managing director of Codland, has belonged to for more than two years.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Smart grid member companies from the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster asked U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) recently to promote a comprehensive energy approach that supports domestic production of both renewable and fossil fuel resources to help the nation achieve energy independence. Ellmers, whose district includes many Research Triangle Region counties, requested a briefing on the region’s smart grid cluster following her September launch of a bipartisan Grid Innovation Caucus in the House of Representatives with U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA-09).

UN Women -- On the fertile and lush fields of the Dibra region, one of the poorest in Albania, located on the north-east border of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 47-year-old Emrie Lata and her husband collect their daily harvest. Emrie has worked on this land most of her life, collecting forest fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs, which she sells for a profit. Her husband is unemployed and Emrie has to support the family, including their three sons. One of them has emigrated abroad in order to help the family, but his income alone is not enough.

The Portland Daily Sun -- Officials on Thursday announced the successful establishment of the New England Ocean Cluster in Portland, a new waterfront incubator for companies focused on opportunities such as food processing, boat building, energy production, fishing, aquaculture, biotech, biomedical, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, retail products, health and wellness, marine technology and applied science.

Felix Rodrigues Lima, KSN-TV -- WICHITA, Kansas – The city is looking to find ways to diversify its economy by finding other industries that could grow and thrive in the Air Capital. The City Council approved funding to identify what they call industrial clusters that could help create jobs for thousands of people. It’s looking to a consulting firm called Starnet to study industrial job clusters that could be expanded and potentially create jobs.

Location plays a critical role in the success and sustainability of a high-technology venture, whether it’s a startup capitalizing on the proximity of venture capitalists, a company in search of bright talent, or an established brand that continues to expand.

Western North Carolina has faced economic challenges for decades. Industries that once brought prosperity – tobacco, textiles, furniture manufacturing – have waned. As a largely rural area, it is not an easy place to develop new industry. Rather than continue bidding wars with other locations to chase "the next big thing," the region decided to focus on its local assets, and businesses with an organic connection to the region. A cluster of outdoor equipment companies has emerged, one that taps the recreational opportunities of the Blue Ridge Mountains as it competes on a national scale.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony today, Portland city officials unveiled Phase 1 of the Portland Technology Park alongside members of the Bioscience Association of Maine and the U.S.

Rockford, IL, a once-proud manufacturing town, recently uncovered a potential solution to its decades-long economic struggle: a quietly thriving aerospace and aviation cluster. Local officials have grown fond of remarking that no airplane today flies without a component made in or around Rockford. And today, factions that hardly interacted before are finding ways to pull in the same direction -- even competing aviation companies. "The business community is stepping up in a new way," according to UTC Aerospace Systems, one such member of this effort.

In just six years, North Louisiana has created a fast-growing cyber cluster in a region historically dominated by manufacturing and oil and gas. The catalyst for this stems from the combined vision of local and state leaders to diversify the region's economy and inculcate a knowledge-based workforce.

The Southern Governors’ Association, under its president Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, recently commissioned the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) to conduct an economic analysis regarding the value of a regional approach to support the South's advanced manufacturing sector.

SARTA (Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance) is invigorating agriculture technology ventures through its new AgStart cluster program. Drawing on California's core tech and agriculture sectors, AgStart facilitates the research and development of ag tech companies and entrepreneurs. Said SARTA CEO Meg Arnold: "There is a huge, and growing, need for agriculture technology to increase productivity and yield, improve cost effectiveness, and enhance the efficient use of water, energy, and land. Sacramento ...

The world’s leading technology clusters grew organically, over the course of decades. High tech clusters like those around MIT in Boston and Stanford in Silicon Valley have long benefited from commercializing innovations coming out of nearby universities and labs. This in turn spurred regional economic growth, boosted institutional wealth, and provided a magnet for research talent. The question for countries and regions seeking to employ such practices is how to capitalize on their assets to encourage their own innovation ecosystems.

Developed as part of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, New Carolina: Private Leadership in Economic Development is a study on how private sector leaders in South Carolina embraced cluster development to upgrade their region’s competitiveness. It also provides real-world examples of how cluster-based economic development works as part of modern economic policy at the regional level.

See who in Alaska is providing jobs in tourism by clicking on this interactive Alaska Tourism Cluster Map from the Alaska Partnership for Economic Development. It shows the strength of Alaska's tourism industry is not evenly distributed--Southcentral, Southeast, and Anchorage reap the most benefit from jobs and spending due to ease of access and cruise ship passenger spending.

Health care has been designated as one of Nevada's targeted clusters for economic development, but even local professionals in the field admit they a hard time grasping its breadth and diversity. Yet in a recent study conducted by the University of Nevada, Reno and commissioned by regional health network Renown Health, nine industrial clusters were identified that, if nurtured properly, could yield competitive advantages and create more jobs in the state.

Developed as part of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance: A Cluster Development Initiative in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley illustrates how a region can position its roots in a declining industry into strengths for new cluster growth. It also offers an example of how an organization such as the Innovation Institute at MassTech can leverage public funds to make strategic investments and enrich cluster performance.

This Brookings article summarizes findings from an evaluation by D.C. consultancy Optimal Solutions Group on the U.S.

This blog post by Forbes contributor Rebecca Bagley breaks down how U.S. regions can encourage advanced energy development by exploiting the assets and opportunities in their vicinity. Appealing to an example of a mature energy cluster in Northeast Ohio, local business leaders stress that organizations can efficiently deliver services only after they have outlined their regional strengths and market opportunities.

This month's Innovate@EDA newsletter by the U.S. Economic Development Administration features a Q&A discussion with Professor Michael Porter, who explains the vital role that clusters play in strengthening the U.S. economy.

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The Milwaukee Food and Beverage cluster (FaB) has been empowering local food entrepreneurs. As a $71 billion industry, the food ingredients manufacturing industry is expected to grow at a rate of 14.5 percent nationally. Wisconsin is ranked second in the nation in organic food production, which is expected to grow at an even higher 20 percent rate.

As CEO of NorTech, an economic development organization for advanced energy and technology clusters in Northeast Ohio, Forbes contributor Rebecca Bagley shares her insights on how cluster companies and institutions can best exchange ideas and expertise with individuals in influential positions. Highlighting a recent roundtable discussion she hosted for local business leaders with U.S.

This Brookings blog post discusses the Obama Administration's new Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership, which will back coordinated, sustainable investment in advanced manufacturing in U.S. localities. Aside from the welcome financial support, a cornerstone of this initiative is its recognition of the emphatically regional underpinnings of U.S. manufacturing.

On May 2, 2013, the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) hosted a webinar on the newest version of the U.S. Cluster Mapping website, delving into its data, charting, and organization registry functions.

This BizTimes Media article brings attention to recent regional recognition of the Milwaukee creative cluster as a major driver of economic growth.

Developed as part of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, Mobilizing Oregon Clusters: Private and Public Sector Partnering for Economic Growth is the first in a series of four Policy and Impact Studies. It is designed to share experiences and lessons regarding cluster development from Oregon Business Council, a non-profit business membership organization comprised of the state’s largest and most established companies. 

We have continued to add new organizations to the website as we aim to make it an optimal network for connecting with other cluster-related groups and initiatives. We invite you to register for free as a user on the site and add your own organization to our organizations directory. This directory allows cluster initiatives and other economic development organizations to register themselves in a national database. It enables initiatives to showcase their activities to a wider audience and identify relevant partners.

This Brookings blog post reveals how the Obama Administration’s small matching grants for several dozen regional cluster initiatives around the country are beginning to catalyze noticeable national economic development. 

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Image: LendingMemo.com

This excellent article from the New York Times describes how a lack of college graduates is causing some cities to fall behind economically. 

The U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission is encouraging collaboration between cluster organizations in the two countries. Read the attached letter for an opportunity to meet Russian cluster organizations at an event in early November 2012.

Image: ITAR-TASS

In 2005, the Oregon Business Plan launched the Oregon Industry Cluster Network to identify Oregon's mature, emerging, and potential industry clusters and assist cluster participants as they work to accelerate innovation and the growth of their industries.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration, along with several other federal agencies, is funding a $26M Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge to help catalyze and leverage private capital, build an entrepreneurial ecosystem, and promote cluster-based development for U.S. advanced manufacturing.

This article by the NJ Spotlight shows how the new State Strategic Plan for New Jersey addresses the needs of its large growth industries in biopharma and advanced manufacturing, as well as opportunities to spur sustainable economic growth in the context of the state's political and cultural climate.

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Image: Peter Ginter

The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA), along with the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, today announced the launch of the beta version of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Web site, a new tool that can assist innovators and small business in creating jobs and spurring regional economic growth.