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Description

The European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), on behalf of the European Commission, in collaboration with the City of Regensburg, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy and “Bayern Innovativ” is proud to organise the "Clusters meet Regions" event in Regensburg, Germany, on 26 & 27 November 2025.

The event will bring together cluster experts, industry leaders and European, national, regional, and local policymakers on a dynamic stage to create synergies and share knowledge on cross-innovation: new and effective ways of working together to make regional innovation ecosystems sustainable, resilient and competitive.

Participants will explore innovative forms of collaboration between businesses, scientists, public administrators, and citizens to create a green, fair, and productive environment. Expand your professional network by connecting with relevant stakeholders in fields such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, urban creative industries, mobility, IT security, and sensor technology. Discuss how the EU‘s simplification agenda addresses cluster practitioners and individual businesses, share issues in the implementation of EU rules and programmes, and assess their impact to identify areas where simplification is needed. Take the chance to initiate new trendsetting projects that transcend regional borders and become part of future European innovation alliances. 

🗓️ Draft Agenda
📋 Participants' Booklet

 

HOST REGION AND CONTEXT 

The UNESCO World Heritage city of REGENSBURG is the host of the first “Bavarian edition” of the renowned “Clusters meet Regions” series, which has been making waves across various EU regions since 2022. With its 180,000 residents and a metropolitan area of 340,000 people, Regensburg is famous for its well-preserved historical city centre, including medieval gems like the Stone Bridge and Cathedral St. Peter. 

Over the past three decades, Regensburg evolved into one of Germany’s top business locations, driven by strong investments in technology, innovation, and value added. This strategic development was and is supported by a dynamic industrial base with key sectors including automotive, green technology, sensor technology, and biotechnology. Alongside global players, numerous small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, the universities and (scientific) institutions form together with the City of Regensburg the successful and diverse cluster innovation landscape. 

CLUSTER POLICY AND INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

The Bavarian cluster policy with 17 state-wide clusters and other technology networks go back to a long tradition. Embedded in this environment, the regional clusters contributed greatly to making Regensburg a leading hub for cluster policy implementation. This gave rise to the individual, competitive cross-innovation strategy, including smart and creative approaches within, but also far beyond the regional borders. The innovation ecosystem comes alive through the key cluster organisations that drive sector-specific entrepreneurship and cross-sector innovative technology transfer in the fields of:

EVENT OBJECTIVES

Get ready for an exciting exchange in the heart of Bavaria and…

  • make the ECCP meeting in Regensburg to your platform for cross-cluster collaboration, expert discussions with practical relevance, and promising new projects. 

  • let us show you the “Regensburg way of cooperation” as a successful example for strengthening sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience.

  • see how “X-innovation” (cross-innovation) in Regensburg promotes synergies within our innovation ecosystem, based on best practice examples in the fields of creative industries, smart city development, green tech, mobility, artificial intelligence and sensor tech. 

  • be part of a vibrant community that is made up of cluster experts and policymakers from European, national, regional, and local levels that drive growth and transformation within, but also far beyond regional borders.

  • take the chance to feel the innovative spirit by discovering Regensburg also behind the scenes with guided tours through the city and its most interesting places.

  • celebrate the Bavarian "Novemberfest" with us in the House of Bavarian History/Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte – a landmark where history X (crosses) future in a very special way. 

KEY ASPECTS OF THE AGENDA – PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

Day 1: Conference, Innovation Experiences, Networking/Matchmaking, Guided Tours and Site Visits

  • Welcome and opening remarks by representatives from the City of Regensburg, the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, and DG GROW – European Commission
  • Setting up the scene with insights into Bavaria’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, and Regensburg’s cluster strategy presented in the ECCP input paper (Prognos)
  • Overview about Regensburg’s cluster ecosystem and cross-innovation strategy
  • Cross-Session I: Smart City X Cluster Innovation
  • Cross-Session II: Creative Industries X Urban Development
  • Networking lunch/coffee breaks
  • Bavarian cluster networking, Meet our local cluster experts & B2B matchmaking,
  • Site visits I:  
    A) Guided city tour, UNESCO World Heritage sites – max. 25 persons (English)
    In the Middle Ages, Regensburg was one of the wealthiest and largest cities in Europe – closely linked through international trade with Venice, Constantinople, Prague, Cologne, Paris... fortunately, this metropolis has been preserved to this day, including the impressive Stone Bridge over the Danube, the Gothic cathedral, dozens of tower houses and even Roman fortifications. Experience 2,000 years of history in a lively, innovative and vibrant city.

    B) City innovation tour – max. 25 persons (English)
    Regensburg combines tradition and innovation. The old town is a well-preserved medieval trading metropolis of European significance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So where is innovation visible here? Firstly, cities have been places of innovation for centuries – they absorb trends, introduce them and develop them further. Secondly, it is about modern life in a historic city, about identification, conflicts of use and how these can be addressed with smart city methods.

    C) Kreativareal – 2 groups à 25 persons (English/German)
    In the eastern district of town, the City of Regensburg is progressively establishing a sustainable, co-creative innovation hub for the creative industries. The guided tour offers insights into the history of the heritage-listed city warehouse „Stadtlagerhaus“, accompanied by a presentation of the plans for its transformation into a creative center featuring studios, craft rooms, offices, and event spaces.
     
  • Welcome by the Lord Mayor of Regensburg 
  • Cultural evening "Novemberfest" at the House of Bavarian History/Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte

Day 2: Conference, Innovation Experiences and Site Visits

  • Wrap-up day 1
  • Cross-Session III: GreenTech X AIR (Artificial Intelligence Regensburg)
  • Cross-Session IV: StartUP X HealthTech 
  • Closing remarks 
  • Site visits II:  A) MINT-Labs – Promoting STEM-education for young people (English)
    The MINT-Labs are an extracurricular learning centre for STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We'll show you our labs and workshops - and if there's time, you can solder a flashing rainbow unicorn yourself.

    B) RUBINA House of Sustainability – Innovations in energy efficiency and sustainability (English)
    With over 200 members from business, research, and the public sector, 
    the Energieagentur Regensburg (Regensburg Energy Agency) is a regional network driving the energy transition and climate action. During a guided tour of the RUBINA building, participants also have the opportunity to explore the um:welt exhibition, learn more about the building’s energy and environmental technologies, and gain insights into the work of the Energieagentur Regensburg.

    C) BioPark Regensburg - Promoting innovation in life-sciences and healthcare
    The BioPark technology and innovation centre houses life science and healthcare companies and serves as the management and administrative headquarters of the BioRegio Regensburg life science cluster in Eastern Bavaria. The site visit includes laboratory tours and insights into the activities of startups as well as established biotech companies.

    D) BUILDING LAB Regensburg – Innovation centre for the digitalization of construction (English)
    The Bavarian Construction Industry did establish the BUILDING LAB innovation center for construction digitization and as a new element of the TechCampus Regensburg. It serves as an interdisciplinary knowledge transfer hub between science and the construction industry, as a demonstration and development environment for construction technologies, as well as for the training and further education of the professionals of tomorrow. The visit in BUILDING LAB will show examples for digitalized cooperation of industry, trades, business, administration and politics for the construction value chain.

🗓️ Download the Draft Agenda

VENUE AND LOGISTICS

*Hotels and arrival: Please refer to the Participant's Booklet for more information about your stay in Regensburg, under 'Accommodation and Arrival'.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The "Clusters meet Regions" event in Regensburg will

  • strengthen cross-cluster collaborations at regional and European levels
  • promote new business partnerships and R&D collaborations
  • provide strategic insights into cluster-driven innovation and policymaking
  • represent Regensburg as a leading European hub for sustainable innovation and cross-sectoral cooperation

Furthermore, it will contribute to Europe’s broader goals of enhancing competitiveness and building resilient, innovation-driven regional economies and will support the European Commission by:

  • collecting experiences of how EU rules, policies and spending programmes work in practice in diverse real-world contexts (testing the downstream application of EU law). 
  • recognizing obstacles to the implementation of EU policies that impede progress towards the intended objectives and find possible solutions. 
  • identifying good practices and draw lessons to maximise their use and impact. 
  • determining the possible unintended consequences of EU rules, such as indirect impacts on entities outside the scope of the rules and cumulative impacts to explore possible solutions. 
  • detecting opportunities to reduce administrative burdens and translate them into simplification measures (e.g. authorizations, permits, certifications and reports). 
  • verifying specific elements in relation to planned simplification measures, to ensure that they are well-targeted and deliver the intended benefits.
     

REGISTRATION

Event organised by ECCP
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Event Target
Cluster managers, Cluster Policy Makers, EU business community, Investors, Large audience, Project coordinators, SME
Event Type
Clusters meet Regions
Register today to get involved
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