Ministers From France, Pakistan Distinguished Speakers at CLUSTERS2006 International Conference on Competitiveness

The keynote addresses at the Clusters2006 international event for competitiveness offer attendees the opportunity to hear a star-studded line-up of cluster initiatives and innovation system development leaders share their experience, insight and vision first-hand.

Lyon, France (PRWEB) October 7, 2006 -- The keynote addresses at the Clusters2006 international event for competitiveness offer attendees the opportunity to hear a star-studded line-up of cluster initiatives and innovation system development leaders share their experience, insight and vision first-hand.

The Competitiveness Institute’s (TCI), the leading international organization of cluster practitioners, ninth annual conference Clusters2006 is held in Lyon, France, October 9 to 13. The conference is organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Lyon in partnership with the Région Rhône-Alpes, le Grand Lyon and the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, MINEFI.

One of the main topics of Clusters2006 will be innovation governance. Among the speakers are François Loos, Minister Delegate for Industry of France, and Pakistan Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan.

Mr François Loos, Minister Delegate for Industry of France, also served as the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade between June 2002 and May 2005. He was also Minister Delegate for Higher Education & Research in the first Raffarin government. François Loos is a graduate from the Ecole Polytechnique and has an engineering diploma from the Ecole des Mines. He also holds a postgraduate diploma (DEA) in mathematics.

Mr Omar Ayub Khan is a Member of the National Assembly and is currently serving as the Minister of State for Finance. He is also a member of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF), Pakistan . His professional experience includes serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of software and business companies. Mr Ayub holds BBA and MBA degrees from George Washington University, U.S.A.

Every year TCI organizes a global conference where our members meet to exchange experience, collect information and share best practices on innovation system development, cluster initiatives and competitiveness worldwide. TCI also organizes regional workshops and symposia on various hot topics. The conferences highlight the members’ expertise and TCI as a facilitator for competitively challenging projects.

Information about the Lyon 2006 conference, contact: Frederic Miribel, Project Leader, Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, + 33 (0)4 72 40 57 89.

The Competitiveness Institute, TCI, is an international non-profit organization for economic development professionals, cluster practitioners and policy makers within agencies that support regional development. TCI is a global leader in knowledge management, benchmarking, governance and evaluation of competitiveness initiatives. TCI provides the leading international arena where cluster practitioners meet, government agencies seek hands-on competitiveness counseling, and global companies find high-quality partners, marketing analysis and matchmaking services by clustering experts. It is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, TCI has approximately 400 members in more than 40 countries. www.competitiveness.org.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Lyon (CCI of Lyon) The Chamber of Commerce of Lyon (Industry and Services Division) offers personalized advice to SMEs in search of finance or innovation assistance. CCI of Lyon is working on measures to encourage innovation. The main missions are: To represent and promote the economy of the constituency in relations with the government and local authorities; Advise and assist businesses with their projects. Inform and train at every stage of the professional life; Create and manage the facilities necessary for the development of the local economy.

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