In July 2017, Lithuanian Wooden Prefabricated House cluster PrefabLT and Lithuanian Medical Tourism cluster LITCARE received “Bronze Label” quality certificates from the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA). Up till now, Lithuania had just one certified cluster iVita, which was certified in 2014.

“Only active and successfully working clusters get certified. ESCA experts evaluate competences, cooperation quality between members and partnership with governmental institutions, budgeting and many more other aspects of the cluster activities”, explained one of the ESCA evaluation experts Marius Parescius.

After evaluation, successful clusters can be rewarded with “Gold”, “Silver” or „Bronze Label“. Evaluation process and criteria are strict. Clusters that do not carry a range of activities, do not have permanent staff or sufficient budget might be called a cluster initiative and in this case no certificate is issued.

Certified clusters are recognized and valued in international community. Certificate might open more opportunities in cluster matchmaking events or partner search for the EU funded project.

“We wanted to get certified because our goal is to develop our organization. Evaluation provides insights, recommendations and suggestions that will allow to make better decisions in order to improve our cluster strategy”, commented CEO of PrefabLT  cluster Paulius Valiulis.

According to Gražvydas Morkus, head of the Lithuanian Medical Tourism Cluster, certification for clusters opens up a new understanding of quality and maturity. “Any success-oriented and performance-seeking activity needs to be valued to grasp where we are and where we should go. The ESCA rating and certificate provided not only appreciated our 4 year efforts, but also gave recognition. ”

“In order to expand our activities outside Lithuania, we are constantly looking for reliable partners – both companies and other clusters with whom we can cooperate to develop and implement international projects. Without certificate, this is simply not possible, so the efforts of our cluster to gain this validation are a logical and pragmatic development step,” says Mr. Morkus.

PrefabLT cluster unites Lithuanian wood panel and modular home manufacturers, designers and related companies. The mission of PrefabLT is to unite, represent and publicize designers, manufacturers and builders of wooden frame and modular houses in Lithuania, thus successfully and significantly contributing to the added value of the branch enterprises.

LITCARE cluster unites leading Lithuanian clinics and centers providing medical, dental, medical rehabilitation, sanatorium,  accommodation, SPA and many other services. The purpose of LITCARE is to provide the medical tourist with the highest quality services in Lithuania. Cluster creates a value chain for medical tourism, supported by synergy of coordinated activities.

Source: mita.lt