The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, situated in the heart of Europe, is well-known for its economic performance and political stability – a solid foundation to generate future economic diversification and growth. Research, technological development and innovation are key drivers to ensure the long-term sustainability of this first-rate-performance.

In a rapidly changing global market, the competitiveness of a country or region is more and more dependent on effective innovation networks involving both the private and public sectors. Luxembourg has therefore implemented various initiatives in order to strengthen the R&D and innovation potential of companies and to reinforce links with public research organisations and academia.

The Luxembourg Cluster Initiative, launched in 2002 by the Luxembourg government, is a key element of the national R&D and innovation policy which brings together various clusters and innovation networks established in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It actively encourages networking between the private and the public sectors and focuses on key technologies that have been identified as being important for the future sustainable development of the Luxembourg economy.

The Luxembourg Cluster Initiative is animated by Luxinnovation, the National Agency for Innovation and Research. Luxinnovation animates the following clusters:

• Luxembourg BioHealth Cluster
• Luxembourg EcoInnovation Cluster
• Luxembourg ICT Cluster
• Luxembourg Materials Cluster
• Luxembourg Space Cluster

Logistics and maritime activities represent sectors in which Luxembourg is positioning itself, putting emphasis particularly on innovative solutions for multimodal transportation and high value-added supply chains. As a result, cluster activities have been set up in these fields as well.

The Innovation Club encourages collaboration and the exchange of knowledge within the crafts sector. Its main purpose is to enable managers to share their experiences on key factors of successful innovation and stimulate new ideas.

What is a cluster?

A cluster is a grouping on a geographic area of enterprises, specialised suppliers, service providers, research institutions or other organisations that voluntarily develop collaborations in one or more areas of technology or research.

Aid schemes for innovation clusters

The Ministry of the Economy and Foreign Trade offers an aid scheme to support innovation clusters, which are defined as groupings of independent enterprises or research organisations. The aid can be granted for investment and animation expenses of innovation clusters.