1. TCI Network Annual Global Conference
Kolding, Denmark, 5th September 2013
WHAT CAN EXPERIENCE WITH
CLUSTERS TEACH US ABOUT
FOSTERING SMART
SPECIALISATION?
Mari José Aranguren and James Wilson
Orkestra and Deusto Business School
jamierwilson

2. Motivation for Paper
• Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3)
– A case of theory being very rapidly translated into a policy agenda
THIS HAS SOME CONSEQUENCES
Concept still being explored and refined at the
same time as policy-makers are putting it into use
Facilitates development of theory in practice
rather than linear leap from theory to practice
without ‘proof of concept’ (Cooke, 2007)
Little time to reflect on links with already-
established policy initiatives
Dangers of over-looking the significance of
policy inertia
1.
2.
Interesting &
important
therefore to
explore the
relationship
between RIS3
and cluster
policy

3. 3 Clear Differences …
• Foray et al (2011) warn that a smart specialisation strategy is not
the same thing as cluster policy
• We highlight three clear differences
1. The scale at which the policy is articulated
• Cluster level vs regional level
2. The focus of concern of the policy
• Cooperation for competitiveness broadly vs pursuit of most appropriate
regional investments in STI
3. The policy tools that are employed
• Well defined & established vs process specific & under-developed

4. … but significant synergies
• Both imply forms of cooperation between firms and other agents
working in related/complementary sectors
– They are both systemic policies that require new forms of leadership &
governance (Sugden et al, 2006; Navarro et al, 2012)
• Both are place-specific
– They rely on place-based assets, context and institutions, and are limited in
working across territories
• Both are transformative, requiring processes of prioritization &
selection
– Therefore subject to debate around the appropriate role of government
• Both are characterised by extreme challenges in evaluating the
effectiveness of associated policies

5. Learning from experience with clusters
• Foray et al. acknowledge that “vibrant innovative clusters” are a
“classic outcome” or an “emergent property” of a RIS3
– We suggest that in fact pre-existing clusters and cluster policies in many
cases embody important elements of the entrepreneurial discovery process
that smart specialisation strategies seek to foster
• The paper therefore analyses the relevance of over twenty years of
experience with the long-running Basque cluster policy for the
development of a regional smart specialisation strategy
– A step-by-step approach, following the 6 steps set out in the European
Commission’s Guide to Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart
Specialisation (Foray et al., 2012)

6. Results 1
Steps to RIS3 design Contribution from clustering experience
Step 1: Analysis of regional context & innovation
potential
Strategy rooted in regional specificities
Looking beyond regional boundaries
Entrepreneurial dynamics: prospects for a
process of entrepreneurial discovery
Existence of cluster policy and functioning
cluster initiatives can provide a strong basis
for analysis and knowledge about regional
context, through for example existing
diagnostic processes within clusters, cluster
mapping exercises, and in-depth cluster
case analyses
Step 2: Governance to ensure participation &
ownership
“Quadruple helix”
Collaborative leadership
Boundary Spanners
Clusters themselves exhibit a long
experience with ensuring participation and
effective governance, and there is
significant potential to learn from and
improve these governance structures and
processes in the development of RIS3
Step 3: Elaboration of an overall vision for the
future of the region
Constructing the vision: scenarios…
Communicating the vision
The strategic reflection processes of
existing clusters can provide lessons in
constructing common vision, and the
clusters themselves are important vehicles
for construction and communication of a
regional vision

7. Results 1
Steps to RIS3 design Contribution from clustering experience
Step 4: Identification of priorities
Combine top-down and bottom up approach
Vertical and horizontal type priorities
Inter-cluster approaches and collaboration
among and between KET actors and
clusters can play an important role in
facilitating the coordination of bottom-up
and top-down input into prioritization
processes
Step 5: Definition of coherent policy mix,
roadmaps and action plan
Experimentation possibilities
Cluster policies have followed a similar
path, and experience shows the
importance of policy flexibility and
mechanisms to ensure sophisticated policy
intelligence
Step 6: Integration of monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms
Monitoring to follow the process of
experimentation
Evolve and adjust according to changes in
economic and framework conditions
Experience with cluster policy evaluation
suggests the importance of mixed
methodologies and a policy learning focus

8. Closing Message
Policy concepts go in and out of fashion:
While policy inertia is not good, it is
important to build from what already
exists in a fluid process, rather than jump
from concept to concept
Clusters and RIS3 are a classic example

9. TCI Network Annual Global Conference
Kolding, Denmark, 5th September 2013
A version of the full paper recently
published in a special issue of the journal
Ekonomiaz on smart specialisation:
Aranguren, MJ. and Wilson, J. R. (2013). ‘What can
experience with clusters teach us about fostering
smart specialisation?’, Ekonomiaz, No. 83, pp. 127-
146.
Available at www.euskadi.net/ekonomiaz
jamierwilson
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ESKERRIK ASKO
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