Facts & Downloads

Benchmark of Cluster 55

In 2009 Cluster 55 (then named Øresund IT) participated in a benchmark done by professor Gerhard Meier zur Köcker. The benchmark clearly showed that Cluster 55 outperforms most other cluster organizations within ICT when it comes to matchmaking, building of network etc.  This has of course to do with that we are one of the oldest cluster organizations in Europe – founded 1999 – which means that we have gathered knowledge about cluster work during the past 12 years.

Download the benchmark report

R&D structure

A characteristic for the Øresund ICT cluster is that most of the R&D is conducted within firms rather than in public institutions. This means that access to R&D skills within the firm is of the utmost importance as far as their competitiveness is concerned. If we look at the Øresund Region the total number of R&D staff is around 43.000. The ICT sector accounts for 13.000+ of these. This means that more than 30% of the R&D staff in the region is employed in the ICT sector. In comparison there is about 700 public ICT researchers in the region.

Download the whole report here

Structure of the ICT sector

Employment is one of the important indicators for the structure of the ICT sector in the Øresund Region. The sector employs around 100.000 employees in more than 10.000 ICT firms so despite a relatively small population of 3.7 million inhabitants ICT plays a great role for the economy and employment rate of the Region.

A very important factor in the development of the ICT sector is the number of start-up firms, which are an important factor in the renewal of the ICT industry. The Øresund Region has historically had a high rate of start-ups within ICT i.e. 1.500 in 2007, contributing to a dynamic eco-system and in part explaining the attractiveness of the region for large ICT companies.

Another important structural indicator for development in the ICT sector is turnover. The ICT sector in the Øresund Region has on average an annual turnover of € 22 billion. Taking the number of employees into account, this means that 7% of the workforce stands for 23% of the total turnover in the region.

Download the whole report here

Comparison with other European clusters

On a European level the ICT cluster of Île-de-France is a superior number one measured on employment followed by Cologne, Lazio, Madrid, Lombardy and London. This fact points to the importance of being part of a densely populated region and the resources this enables. The Øresund Region is ranked 12 among the researched regions in Europe. The ICT cluster in the Øresund Region is larger than the better known clusters in Barcelona and Cambridge as well than the neighbouring clusters in Helsinki, Oslo, Hamburg and Berlin.

One way of measuring the appeal of an ICT cluster is to measure the number of foreign investments made in the cluster. Here, we can see that the largest clusters are also those that receive the largest number of foreign investments. London and Île-de-France are in a league of their own outnumbering the other clusters in terms of numbers of foreign investments, which again supports the assumption that large urban environments have the necessary framework conditions to attract investors, although Rome is characterised by allow number of foreign investments. Cambridge for example is at the bottom of the list.

Download the whole report here