Following the open call last month (Oct. 2006), the participants to be involved in the preliminary stage of the EABIS Knowledge & Learning Network on CR & Clusters of Innovation have now been selected:

• Jonas Eder-Hansen (Copenhagen Business School, DK)
• Wayne Visser (Cambridge University, UK)
• Steve Downing (Henley School of Management, UK
• Steven MacGregor (IESE Business School, E)
• Atle Mittun (Norwegian School of Management, N)
• Antonio Tencati (SDA Bocconi, I)
• Renato Orsato (INSEAD, F)
• Paul Begley (Accountability, UK)
• Nigel Roome (Solvay Business School, B)
• Elena Bonfigioli (Microsoft, EMEA)

The Review Committee had to make a tough selection following a competitive call and number of applications received. The other applicants, as will the EABIS network, will be kept informed on the progress of this initiative. Further engagement opportunities will arise in the next phase of the project design, to be expected by Spring 2007.

As an initial step, the Network will meet in Brussels on 20 and 21 November 2006, hosted by EABIS. The purpose of the first meeting is to bring together researchers and practitioners who have studied clusters of innovation and/or innovation for sustainability from a variety of perspectives to enable the construction of a more transdisciplinary understanding of this phenomenon and to develop the ground for comparative research across Europe that enables the conditions that inhibit or promote the activities of clusters to be developed. The objective is to work together to share approaches as a way to formulate a concerted research proposal for submission to the EC under FP7.

For more information please contact Nigel Roome (nroome@ulb.ac.be) or Bart Neerscholten (bart.neerscholten@eabis.org)

This initiative, part of the European Knowledge Network (formerly Category C) Funding Scheme of the EABIS Corporate Funded Programme, has been made possible due to the generous financial support of EABIS's founding corporate partners: IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Shell and Unilever.