The European Cluster Conference 2016 with theme Clusters 4.0: Shaping Smart Industries was organized in Brussels, on 01-02.12.2016. About 250 cluster members, policy-makers, practitioners and other stakeholders had the opportunity to hear and discuss about the most recent trends and priorities for industrial modernization.

The event focus was on changing the industries trough the process of digital transformation using the Industry 4.0 trends. The key question is how to use clusters to capitalize upon new technologies and services that drive the industrial transformation trends, where everything becomes interlinked and smart, including factories, machines, production systems and the actors along the value chains.

The participants attended the conference in several parallel sessions and follow-up workshops where they could share experience and practices about industrial modernization in the areas of Advanced and digital manufacturing, Green manufacturing and the circular economy, and Service innovation and the creative economy.