Heidelberg, Germany, December 16, 2013 / B3C newswire / - In recognition of its excellent cluster management performance the BioRN Network was awarded the "Gold Label of Cluster Management Excellence" from the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA) in the context of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI). BioRN had previously undergone an external evaluation of its cluster management structure and processes for several days. With this award, the organization also receives the "Cluster Excellence Baden-Württemberg" label from the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
In order to earn the quality labels, the work of the BioRN cluster management was evaluated on the basis of 34 criteria. These included the strength of its network, its service offers, its media presence, and the continuous evaluation of its cluster development. Based on the positive assessment of the external evaluators, BioRN was recommended for the European Gold Label as well as the "Cluster Excellence Baden-Württemberg" label.
"The two awards are a welcome recognition of our core competence: Bringing together partners from academia and industry in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region for the purpose of economic value creation," says Christian Tidona, managing director of BioRN. "At the same time, it is an incentive for us to now use our cluster management expertise, which we have developed during the German Leading-Edge Cluster Competition, to initiate and coordinate large pan-European consortia between the major players in health research and the health care industry."
The awards were presented on December 3, 2013, by Peter Hofelich, representative of the Ministry of Finance and Economics of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The "Cluster Excellence Baden-Württemberg" label and the EU Gold Label are awarded for a two-year period. Thereafter, BioRN will again undergo external evaluation.
About the BioRN Network e.V.
In the BioRN Network association, approximately 80 institutional partners have joined forces to promote the development of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region to make it one of the strongest locations for health research in Europe. Members are research institutions such as the University of Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), as well as major global enterprises such as Roche, BASF, Merck and AbbVie, biotech companies and service providers, municipalities and public institutions.
In 2007, the association initiated and coordinated the participation of the BioRN cluster in the Leading-Edge Cluster Competition of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. The region won the competition as the only life science cluster in the first round in 2008.
Together with the Heidelberg Technology Park, the association is a shareholder of BioRN Cluster Management GmbH. The BioRN network is supported by its strategic partners, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Rhine-Neckar, the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region and the state of Baden-Württemberg.
About the quality label "Cluster Excellence Baden-Württemberg"
The quality label is intended to create an incentive for having one's own quality tested and evaluated. Excellent cluster managements are thus highlighted and receive an independent, voluntary quality certificate for two years.
About the "Gold Label of Cluster Management Excellence"
The Gold Label was developed in the framework of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative (ECEI) on behalf of the European Commission in order to guarantee comparability of the management of European cluster organizations. A differentiated, multi-stage procedure examines the strategy, structures and services of a cluster management.
Contact:
BioRN Network e.V.
Dr. Christian Tidona
Managing Director
Im Neuenheimer Feld 582
69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Phone: +49 6221 649220
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.biorn-network.org