The Competitiveness Summer School
THE ANNUAL SUMMER PROGRAM AT THE IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL IN BARCELONA
The Competitiveness Summer School program is designed to be an enriching experience tailored for senior policymakers and seasoned economic development professionals. The course typically brings together participants from various countries and diverse areas of competitiveness and cluster-related fields. It offers opportunities to network with peers, learn from faculty, and explore new perspectives.
The program provides an overview of the core principles, methodologies, and strategies covered in the Foundation for Cluster and Competitiveness's more extensive training program. It is a highly insightful workshop designed to help senior stakeholders reflect on the need to enrol their teams in the Foundation's training programs.
The Competitiveness Summer School programme focuses on the fundamentals of job creation and prosperity by strengthening clusters' competitiveness and sustainability. There is a strong need right now to rebuild prosperity from the bottom up, regardless of trade wars or geopolitical shifts. We also want to emphasize the government's role in this endeavor, and no better testbed for soft industrial policies than Catalonia, which has experimented with cluster policies for 30 years and has been documented in an HBS case. The programme combines three days of in-class sessions at IESE with two days of field visits to learn from the lessons, both good and bad, of the Catalonia experience.
The program's pedagogical format emphasizes active participation from all participants, whether in case-method sessions, lectures, or field visits. Some pre-class reading will be required, but short videos and slides will also introduce the cases for discussion. In-class days will conclude with hands-on workshops or round tables to review a broader range of cases.
2026 Edition
8 - 12 June 2026 (Full Program)
8 - 10 June 2026 (Core Program)
The Competitiveness Summer School at IESE Business School in Barcelona is an annual summer program for senior policymakers and professionals in economic development.
It gathers participants from various countries and fields related to competitiveness and clusters.
The program offers networking, learning from faculty, and exposure to different perspectives.
It provides an overview of principles, methodology, and strategies from the Foundation for Clusters and Competitiveness's training.
Focuses on creating jobs and prosperity by enhancing cluster competitiveness and sustainability
Includes three days of classroom sessions and two days of field visits to learn from Catalonia’s experience.
Uses active participation methods like case studies, lectures, and workshops;
Participants complete pre-class readings and engage in discussions, applying tools to real-world cases.
