The Clusters Meet Regions (CMR) Copenhagen took place on December 3–4, 2025, marking a pivotal moment for regional innovation and cross-border collaboration in Europe. Hosted during the Danish EU Presidency, this first edition gathered clusters, policymakers, founders, investors, and innovation leaders for two days of strategic dialogue, partnership development, and knowledge exchange.
The event was especially significant for the Global Startup Awards (GSA), as it became the first CMR edition hosted by a private organisation. Organised in collaboration with the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), the European Commission, Innovation District Copenhagen, and Danish Industry, the event highlighted Denmark’s position as a bridge between Nordic innovation practices and Europe’s broader industrial transformation.
Held at the modern and iconic Maersk Tower, CMR Copenhagen 2025 brought together leading actors from across Europe to explore strategies for SME growth, innovation capacity building, and sustainable industrial development.
Clusters Meet Regions (CMR) is a flagship initiative of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), supported by the European Commission, DG GROW, and EISMEA. The initiative aims to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems by connecting clusters, policymakers, startups, SMEs, academia, and investors across Europe.
The 2025 Copenhagen edition was organised by the Global Startup Awards (GSA) - whose parent company, XO-Group, is co-founded by MeOut Group - in close collaboration with the Capital Region of Denmark and Innovation District Copenhagen, providing a strategic platform to integrate Denmark’s innovation ecosystem more deeply into the European industrial landscape.
During the Clusters Meet Regions Copenhagen event, participants explored how regional cooperation can reinforce Europe’s competitiveness, accelerate the green transition, and drive digital transformation. The programme connected European clusters, regional authorities, SMEs, and innovation actors, creating space for meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchange.
Denmark’s role as a frontrunner in sustainable innovation was highlighted throughout the event, positioning the country as a bridge between Nordic and European innovation ecosystems. Discussions combined policy perspectives with hands-on examples of cluster-driven innovation, offering practical insights into effective regional collaboration.
Over two intensive days, Clusters Meet Regions Copenhagen facilitated dialogue, collaboration, and matchmaking among a diverse group of stakeholders. The event enabled participants to explore EU-level opportunities, develop cross-border partnerships, and identify new pathways for cooperation between clusters, corporates, academia, and public institutions.
Key focus areas included sustainability, digitalisation, and health innovation, showcasing Danish excellence while fostering connections that extend beyond national borders.
The first day focused on the role of clusters in enhancing regional competitiveness and driving European innovation. Insights from the European Innovation Scoreboard revealed that:
These results framed conversations about Denmark’s highly interconnected innovation ecosystem, where small-scale networks deliver significant results. Participants also heard presentations from leading Danish clusters, including Energy Cluster Denmark, Copenhagen Fintech, Danish Life Science Cluster, and CenSec, highlighting sector-specific opportunities and achievements.
The European Commission shared updates on the EU Startup and Scale-up Strategy, underscoring the need to improve financing pathways, foster research commercialisation, and support European startups in scaling locally. Contributions from Hanne Bregendahl (NorthDenmark EU-Office / dacob / EEN Denmark) reinforced the importance of translating policy insights into actionable cluster strategies.
The second day emphasised SMEs as the backbone of Europe’s economy. Sessions featured experts including Valentino Izzo (EISMEA), Sine Linderstrøm (Danish Industry), and Dario Zorić (Danish-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce), exploring concrete steps for strengthening innovation ecosystems, improving SME access to cross-border opportunities, and fostering collaboration among startups, clusters, investors, and academia.
Opportunity Labs provided a dynamic environment for participants to tackle key themes such as green transition and energy, health and life sciences, digitalisation and AI, innovation financing, and security and space technologies. Facilitators from WE BUILD DENMARK, Danish Life Science Cluster, Clusters of Sweden, and CenSec – Center for Defence, Space & Security helped shape actionable ideas and new cross-border partnerships.
The event successfully contributed to several strategic objectives, including:
The successful delivery of Clusters Meet Regions Copenhagen demonstrated the value of cluster-based collaboration in advancing Europe’s innovation agenda. By bringing together regional and European stakeholders, the event reinforced the importance of integrated innovation ecosystems in addressing shared economic, technological, and societal challenges.
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