Links & Resources
This area gathers a wide range of documents, presentations, articles and links to cluster portals and relevant organizations active in cluster and regional development.
We hope that these suggestions will further your knowledge on clusters!
Contact TCI Secretariat if you want to send us a contribution.
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Cluster management excellence in Germany (On Competitiveness)
This brochure is a recent publication of ESCA (European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis) regarding the cluster excellence in Germany. It consists in an analysis of the German cluster organizations which reveals better results regarding the development of competences in the cluster management team than their European peers, and that they have a competitive advantage but efforts are necessary to preserve it.
Authors: Sophie Hantsch, Helmut Kergel, Thomas Lämmer-Gamp, Gerd Meier zu Köcker and Michael Nerger -
Promoting Innovation in Clusters (Links and Resources)
‘Promoting Innovation in Cluster’ analyzes the factors that facilitate promotion of innovation in Indian MSMEs. It aims at providing a roadmap for promoting innovations across MSME clusters using Cluster Development methodology. This book is derived from the learning of the project ‘Promoting Innovation Clusters’ funded by the ‘National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India’ and implemented by FMC during years 2007 to 2012 in ‘Foundry’, ‘Life sciences’ and ‘Information & Communication Technology’ clusters across different locations in India.
Authors: Dr. A S Rao, Mukesh Gulati, Dr. Tamal Sarkar, Keerthi Lal Kala, Ranjan Singh, Sourabh Gargav and Dr. Ashutosh Khanna -
Cluster Development: The Go-To handbook (Links and Resources)
This book on cluster development provides a personal and up-front perspective on what the author, Ifor Ffowcs-Williams, has seen in the practice of cluster mobilization and management in over two decades of experience. The first part of the handbook, "Setting the Stage", explores "The What?" and "The Why?" of cluster development. And the second part of the handbook, "Cluster Development in Practice", identifies in detail "The How?" of cluster development, dividing the journey into a series of Twelve Steps.
Author: Ifor Ffowcs-Williams, from Cluster Navigators -
Competition, Competitive Advantage, and Clusters: The Ideas of Michael Porter (Links and Resources)
With expert contributors from a range of disciplines including strategic management, economic development, economic geography, and planning, this book assesses the contribution Michael Porter has made to these respective disciplines. It clarifies the sources of tension and controversy relating to all the major strands of Porter's work, and provides academics, students, and practitioners with a critical guide for the application of Porter's models.
Edited by Robert Huggins and Hiro Izushi -
Policy instrument for RIS3 Clusters (Reports and Studies)
This working paper studies the important role clusters can play in the strategy and implementation process of RIS3 plans. According to authors, the cluster theory is closely related to the theory of smart specialisation and could even be said that, to some extent, the latter is derived from the first. The paper defines, compares and shows similarities and synergies between the two concepts.
INFYDE Working Paper Series - Authors: Jaime del Castillo, Belen Barroeta, Jonatan Paton -
Super Cluster: Ideas, perspectives, and trends shaping the global impact of the Massachusetts life sciences industry (Links and Resources)
This report looks at how Massachusetts' biomedical practitioners are using the super cluster's resources to transform the life sciences industries and the practice of healthcare so it can realize its true benefit to society. The cluster is comprised of several industry and academic sectors which touch and enhance the life sciences. Because of the groundbreaking work that has emanated from the super cluster, Massachusetts is recognized globally for discovering treatments and cures for different infectious and chronic diseases that affect the society. This report is designed to help the life sciences industry assess its strengths and weaknesses at a time of mounting challenges, rising needs, and bountiful opportunities. In it, the super cluster's most notable leaders share their perspectives on the region's growth and its impact in the global marketplace.
By various authors (collection and processing of the information by PricewaterhouseCoopers) -
Super Cluster: Ideas, perspectives and updates from the Massachusetts life sciences industry (Links and Resources)
This report describes the current state of Massachusetts Life Sciences Super Cluster, the outlook for the future and critical areas of improvement so it can realize its true benefit to society. The cluster is comprised of several industry and academic sectors which work on life sciences. Because of the groundbreaking work that has emanated from the super cluster, Massachusetts is recognized globally for discovering treatments and cures for different infectious and chronic diseases that affect the society. This report is both a celebration of the success and potential of the Massachusetts life sciences super cluster as well as a warning against complacency. It contains articles by and interviews with some of the super cluster's most important people, like the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006 winner Craig Mello, top pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device CEO's, and experts from academia, medicine, venture capital and state government.
By various authors (collection and processing of the information by PricewaterhouseCoopers) -
Clusters in Poland (On Cluster Initiatives)
This catalogue by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) aims at promoting Polish clusters as well as their innovative services and technologies, and help to find potential partners, initiate transnational cooperation and implement joint research and development projects. The catalogue is one of the outputs of the project “Polish clusters and cluster policy”, implemented by the PARP and whose main objective is to strength the Polish clusters by increasing their competitiveness and innovative ability through development of human capital and cluster policy.
By the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development -
Cluster games (On Cluster Theory)
This book presents a framework to study the conflict between the cooperation represented by the cluster and the selfish ways of the actors to follow their own interests. The contribution of cooperating companies in the form of clusters is essential in order to increase countries’ competitiveness. Longstanding cooperation between companies forms a special process making complex hierarchy in clusters which main business motives are basically driven by the interests of staying alive, being competitive and strengthening the competitiveness as well as maximizing the profit as a cluster, but also as an individual company. The cooperation and the actors’ selfish interests should be kept in balance or they could lose both joint and individual profits, although it doesn’t mean a guarantee for a working and successful cluster so this book also shows approaches for a better understanding of the opportunities and decisions that drive clusters and their actors.
Authors: Endre Gedai, László Á. Kóczy and Zita Zombori -
Evaluation of cluster policies (Cluster Policy)
The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (CAPV) was pioneer in implementing an industrial policy based on clusters in the beginning of the 90s. The evaluation of this policy is essential in order to improve its design, development and adaptation to each moment and context. However, the evaluation of cluster policies still remains as a challenge nowadays. This book presents different initiatives in the evaluation of cluster policies developed by CAPV and the conclusions extracted of them. It also shows practical experiences in the evaluation of this kind of policies.
Authors: Mari Jose Aranguren, Cristina Iturrioz, Cristina Aragón and James Wilson




