The ECTN Virtual Education Community Prosumer Model for Promoting and Assessing Chemical Knowledge

The dynamism of the learning economies is examined in order to single out the key factors allowing to promote knowledge dissemination and invention developments. The various steps involved in the production and usage of both tacit and explicit technological knowledge as common good are analysed in order to optimize its portability. The role played in this respect by business clusters (especially when adopting the prosumer model) dealing with knowledge is discussed with particular reference to chemical education in Higher Education Institutions. The adoption of the prosumer model for building a European system aimed at promoting and assessing chemical knowledge is examined. The particular case considered in the paper is the one born out of the activities of the Universities member of the European Chemistry Thematic Network association through its Virtual Education Community Committee and the operational support of the former spinoff of the University of Perugia Master-UP s.r.l. Results achieved during the first year of activity are discussed.