FIAL Main - Technical Insights #ClusterFIAL Main - Technical Insights #Clusterhttps://www.fial.com.au/blogs/tag/clusterWed, 09 Jul 2025 19:39:20 +1000http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[TCI Oceania Conference 2022]]>https://www.fial.com.au/blogs/post/TCI-Oceania-Conference-2022The power of collaboration through Clusters was unleashed at the 2022 TCI Oceania Conference in Cairns - ‘Clustering for Scalable Impact’. The 2022 event provided the perfect platform to connect, share ideas and network face-to-face with stakeholders far and wide.]]>

Clustering for Scalable Impact

The power of collaboration through Clusters was unleashed at the 2022 TCI Oceania Conference in Cairns - ‘Clustering for Scalable Impact’.

 

Every few years, the TCI Oceania Chapter hosts a conference to discuss the latest ideas on Clusters. This year the conference was run in beautiful, tropical Cairns. The theme for the 2022 conference was Clustering for Scalable Impact. The event provided the perfect platform to connect, share ideas and network face-to-face with stakeholders far and wide.

A total of 63 people attended nine sessions over the course of one and a half days, led by 10 international, forward-thinking keynote speakers including Merete Daniel Nielsen, Prof Madeline Smith, Dr Allan O’Connor, Dr Sam Bucolo, and Dr Emily Wise. 

 

More than 10 Clusters from six sectors within Australia gained access to tools and expertise surrounding designing and operating a Cluster for sustainability and scale. 

 

Discussions centred on the topics of collective leadership, Cluster impacts by design and how Clusters are building for sustainability and scale. Participants also dove into the notion of building trust, unlocking the power of collaboration and measuring the impact of collective leadership, all to amplify a Cluster's overall impact. 

 

"The power of collaboration means people are open to conversation, people are building relationships and people are prepared to share. These three elements, alongside the journey of building trust, will strengthen and build momentum post-conference for Cluster's and their respective sectors," said Mirjana Prica, Managing Director of FIAL and Chair of TCI Oceania. 

"This had to be the best thing I have done to date as chair. So many great connections were made, my brain is buzzing with extra ideas that I hadn't even thought of.  We got to work on our cluster in today's workshop which was quite a beautiful exchange of energies, ideas and hard questions." - Irene Pollak from Circular Economy FNQ.

The connections generated at this conference are essential to collectively scale-up small-to-medium enterprises across all sectors, including Australia’s Food and Agribusiness sector. Event partner, FIAL, has been a key driver of Clusters within Australia's Food and Agribusiness sector. They have supported the establishment and growth of 12 Clusters nationally, including the Tropical North Queensland Regional Food Network based in Cairns. 

 

Newfound learnings of Clusters and how they can foster collaboration, growth, trust and innovation will aid in this objective and resonate nation-wide across Australia’s Food and Agribusiness sector and all sectors.

 

About TCI Oceania Chapter: TCI Oceania is one of formal regional Chapters of the TCI Network, which is the leading global network of people and organizations working in clusters and innovation ecosystems around the world. 

 

Clusters are geographically proximate groups of interconnected companies, including government, research and industry, allowing businesses to collectively create a local ecosystem to foster trust and knowledge, and drive innovation and growth.


Case study produced by FIAL Project Officer, Amber Keep

]]>Thu, 26 May 2022 09:53:16 +1000<![CDATA[Social Glue]]>https://www.fial.com.au/blogs/post/social-glueSocial glue is the invisible threads or soft infrastructure that create community-driven interconnections between people within a region, to share tacit knowledge and develop deep personal linkages to build foundations for regional development and economic growth.]]>

How to create social glue: a good practice guide

In developing clusters or applying circular economy principles to your region, there are six dimensions to improve your strategic planning process and create social glue.

 

By social glue we mean the invisible threads and soft infrastructure that create community- driven interconnections between people within a region; to share tacit knowledge and develop deep personal linkages to build foundations for regional development and economic growth.

 

In How to create social glue: a good practice guide, we explore best practice across the literature and our own experiences with clusters here in Australia. 

Read the guide here
]]>Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:14:42 +1100<![CDATA[Cluster Grant Program 2021: Media Release]]>https://www.fial.com.au/blogs/post/cluster-grant-program-media-releaseFIAL is providing new funding to build on the successful Cluster Program. $600,000 in matched-funding will be available to new and existing agri-food clusters across Australia, supporting their ability to capture growth opportunities.]]>

$600K funding injection drives Australian agri-food toward its $200 billion target

Australia’s 180,000 agri-food businesses are on track to unlock over $200 billion in value and create an additional 300,000 jobs by 2030.


According to the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre, trading as FIAL, increased collaboration between businesses across the value chain, is one of the factors that will help catalyse the sector’s ability to unlock the $200 billion potential for the agri-food sector, outlined in FIAL’s Capturing the Prize, released in late 2020.


To feed this potential, FIAL is providing new funding to build on the successful Cluster Program. $600,000 in matched-funding will be available to new and existing agri-food clusters across Australia, supporting their ability to capture growth opportunities.  

 

This critical funding injection will support the agri-food sector’s continued movement toward unlocking $200 billion in value and creating an additional 300,000 jobs by 2030.

 

Clusters are regional groups of interconnected businesses, researchers, and government agencies that create local ecosystems of resources, shared labour, infrastructure, knowledge, and relationships. This accelerates innovation, strengthens supply chains, and allows greater value to be captured.  


“Clustering is the answer for how Australia’s 180,000 agri-food businesses, 98% of which are small to medium enterprises (SMEs), can achieve the economies-of-scale required to harness the growth opportunities that are guiding the sector toward a $200 billion by 2030, said FIAL Managing Director, Dr Mirjana Prica.


This current funding builds on the success of FIAL’s Cluster Program that provided $900,000 of matched-funding to equip four clusters – FermenTasmania, Food and Fibre Gippsland, Central Coast Industry Connect, Food and Agribusiness Network - with the resources and support to sustainably grow.

 

“Funding received through FIAL’s Cluster Program in 2017 has supported the agri-food businesses in regions to commercialise new products and export to new markets. I encourage as many new, emerging, or existing clusters to apply for a share of the $600,000 now available,” said Dr Mirjana Prica.


“FIAL’s 2021 Cluster Grant Program is an investment in our nation. Supporting agri-food businesses to collaborate will supercharge their abilities to scale-up, compete internationally and create jobs for Australians,” said FIAL Chair, Dr. Michele Allan.


About the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre:

Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) is the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre. Industry-led and funded by the Australian Government, FIAL catalyses growth for businesses operating across the agri-food value chain. For more information, www.fial.com.au 


For more information on FIAL’s Cluster Grant Program 2021: https://www.fial.com.au/cluster-grants-program

 

Media Contact:

Peta Slack-Smith

Peta.slack-smith@fial.com.au

0400 171 957

]]>Wed, 05 May 2021 11:33:29 +1000<![CDATA[FIAL European Cluster Visit 2016]]>https://www.fial.com.au/blogs/post/european-cluster-visitWhilst in Europe in 2016, FIAL took the opportunity to meet with different cluster leaders, academic experts and government policy makers to learn what principles should be followed to encourage the formation of successful clusters in Australia.]]>
Europe has a proven track record in the development of clusters and the resulting economic benefits it has brought to the regions in which they operate. Whilst in Europe, FIAL took the opportunity to meet with different cluster leaders, academic experts and government policy makers to learn what principles should be followed to encourage the formation of successful clusters in Australia. 
View Full Report
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