Liang Chen
Head of Cluster Operations, Meridian Advanced Manufacturing Cluster
Speaker and author on practical cluster diagnostics.
GCCER — The Global Cluster Excellence & Research Directory
Slide 1 of 3: The Global Engine for Cluster Excellence
The Global Engine for Cluster Excellence
Connect regional cluster leaders, enterprise buyers, and research innovators.
Most upvoted
Community favorites
The companies our community is championing right now.
- Featured
Precision manufacturing, clustered for scale
- Industrial Clusters
- Science & Technology Parks
- Advanced Manufacturing Labs
Verified - Featured
Where materials science meets industry
- Research Institutes
- R&D Consortia
- Testing & Certification Facilities
Verified - Featured
Turning lab breakthroughs into licensed technology
- Innovation & Tech-Transfer Centers
- University-Industry Partnerships
- Collaborative R&D Platforms
Verified Modernizing a legacy textile region
- Industrial Clusters
- Advanced Manufacturing Labs
- Testing & Certification Facilities
VerifiedApplied research for a bio-based Andean economy
- Research Institutes
- Testing & Certification Facilities
- Pilot Production Facilities
VerifiedAutomation suppliers, working as one region
- Industrial Clusters
- Advanced Manufacturing Labs
- Collaborative R&D Platforms
Verified
What's on
Events
Upcoming summits, meetups, and gatherings for the cluster ecosystem.
No events or programs yet
Upcoming events and accelerator programs for cluster leaders will be listed here.
Explore companiesAccelerate
Programs
Accelerators, fellowships, and mentorship for cluster leaders.
programA 10-week fellowship pairing researchers with industrial design partners and real pilot budgets — structured milestones, procurement support, and a path to a paid deployment.
programWeekly 1:1 sessions with practitioners who have built and scaled industrial clusters and research institutes. Bring a specific challenge — governance, funding, workforce — and leave with concrete next steps.
- program
Four focused weeks to a repeatable engagement strategy for industrial clusters — sharpen positioning, set partnership terms, and build a qualified pipeline of funders with weekly operator reviews.
program
Voices
Visionaries
The people shaping the future of cluster excellence and research.
Sofia Marchetti
Program Director, Cascadia Innovation & Tech-Transfer Alliance
Previously led two university tech-transfer programs.
Raj Mehta
Co-founder & Director, Iberian Robotics & Automation Cluster
Writes on cost-efficient shared testing facilities at scale.
Dr. Amara Osei
Director, Nordholm Institute for Applied Materials Research
Former national research fellow; holds 12 patents in advanced materials.
Capital
Investors
The funds and angels backing the cluster ecosystem.
David Okafor
Managing Director, Lattice Infrastructure Fund
Former operator; two exits in industrial data infrastructure.
James Whitfield
Founder, Northstar Cluster Fund
Hands-on from cluster mapping through full governance.
Mei Tan
Director, Foundry Research Fund
Writes on funder engagement for research-led organizations.
Elena Rossi
Program Director, Aurora Development Fund
Backed 30+ cluster and institute programs across infrastructure and agritech.
On stage
Speakers
The voices from our events, summits, and programs.
Tom Becker
Founder, Continuum Tech-Transfer Partners
Talks on licensing, spinouts, and cluster reliability.
Aisha Khan
VP Research, Sentinel Materials Institute
Workshop lead on peer review and research-standards design.
Carlos Mendes
Principal Engineer, Vertex Testing & Certification Labs
Speaks on production-ready cluster infrastructure.
Nina Petrova
Head of Research, DeepForge Applied Research Institute
Frequent keynote speaker on production-ready applied research.
In conversation
Insights
Featured interviews with the leaders and practitioners shaping cluster excellence and research.
InterviewWhy shared testing infrastructure is the new must-have for industrial clusters
Amara explains why shared testing and certification infrastructure moved from nice-to-have to table stakes for competitive clusters.
Dr. Amara Osei · Director, Nordholm Institute for Applied Materials Research
- Interview
Building trust into a cluster and research directory
Why verification and community ranking beat pay-to-win in a cluster and research directory.
Sofia Marchetti · Program Director, Cascadia Innovation & Tech-Transfer Alliance
Backed by
Supporting partners
The organizations supporting the GCCER community.
