Previous BCSS

The pioneer editions of the BCSS were hosted by the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (BGSE). Now, after the consolidation of the BCSS as a referent at global level, the BGSE has passed the organization to a more specialised institution in cluster competitiveness, the International Center for Competitiveness (ICC) of the IESE Business School.

Past editions of the Barcelona Clusters Summer School received applications from 24 different nationalities. When asked about their decision to attend the Barcelona Clusters Summer School, most attendees were practitioners who were motivated to learn the latest techniques and practices for their jobs and refresh their understanding of the theoretical concepts underlying their work.

Asked to rate the quality of instruction, the structure of the courses, and the quality of materials on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being poor, 5 being excellent), participants in the pasts Clusters Summer School gave the instructors an average rating of 4.22, the course contents and methodology and average rating of 4.17.

Students opinions
Reflecting on their experience, many students reported that one of the best aspects of the program was the remarkable international representation. According to Daniel Saikaley, who works for the National Research Council of Canada and attended the I Clusters Summer School, "the internationality of the attendees was a real bonus. In addition to what I was learning from the professors in class, the other students opened my eyes to the unique approaches utilized in other countries."

Beverly Morgan, a student from Jamaica in the II Clusters Summer School, said that she was looking forward to “working in small groups to maximize learning. Listening to other people working allows you to make the most of your experience, since you get to compare strategies and learn what is most useful for others.”

Maria Pierrestegui, Consultant for the Productive Modernization Program of the Rio Negro Province (Argentina) of the Inter-American Development Bank, reported that she decided to attend the I Clusters Summer School because "it was a unique opportunity to learn cluster strategy from the world's leading theorists and practitioners while meeting other people from around the world who are involved with all aspects of cluster projects. To top it off, it all takes place in Catalonia, Spain, which is one of the pioneers in cluster theory implementation, and specifically in Barcelona, which is a wonderful city."

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