Spitzencluster Evaluation

Description

The Leading-Edge Cluster Competition is one of the central instruments within the High-Tech Strategy of the German Government. The program was launched in 2007, and 15 clusters were selected by an independent jury during three waves of the competition. Each cluster is eligible for five years of R&D support with the aim to improve collaboration between regional research institutes and high-tech firms within a specific technology and to strengthen innovation and competitiveness.

The purpose of the accompanying evaluation is to analyze the strategic and technological development of the clusters, their impact on the regional and sectoral environments and the process of transforming innovation potentials into sustainable value added.

Read more on the BMBF pages in GermanExternal link or EnglishExternal link.

Partners

RWI, Essen; Joanneum Research, Graz; ISG, Köln

Team (Chair of Microeconomics – FSU Jena)

Prof. Dr. Uwe Cantner, PD Dr. Holger Graf, Susanne Hinzmann, Christian Morgenstern, Stefan Töpfer, Tina Wolf

Duration

2009-2014

Funding

BMBF

Publications

Project reports (in German):

• RWI, ISG, Joanneum Research und Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena (2014), Begleitende Evaluierung des Förderinstruments „Spitzencluster-Wettbewerb“ des BMBF – Abschlussbericht. RWI Projektberichte downloadExternal link
• Rothgang, M., U. Cantner, J. Dehio, D. Engel, M. Fertig, H. Graf, S. Hinzmann, E. Linshalm, M. Ploder, A. Scholz und S. Töpfer (2014), Begleitende Evaluierung des Förderinstruments „Spitzencluster-Wettbewerb“ des BMBF. Abschlussbericht – Kurzfassung. RWI Materialien 83. Essen: RWI. downloadExternal link

Other publications:

• Uwe Cantner, Holger Graf and Michael Rothgang (2018), Geographical clustering and the evaluation of cluster policies: introduction, Journal of Technology Transfer, doi: 10.1007/s10961-018-9666-4External link, SharedItExternal link
• Töpfer, Stefan, Uwe Cantner and Holger Graf (2017), Structural dynamics of innovation networks in German Leading-Edge Clusters, Journal of Technology Transfer, doi: 10.1007/s10961-017-9642-4External link,  SharedItExternal link
• Wolf, Tina, Uwe Cantner, Holger Graf and Michael Rothgang (2017), Cluster ambidexterity towards exploration and exploitation: strategies and cluster management, Journal of Technology Transfer, doi: 10.1007/s10961-017-9617-5External link, SharedItExternal link
• Hinzmann, Susanne, Uwe Cantner and Holger Graf (2017), The role of geographical proximity for project performance: evidence from the German Leading-Edge Cluster Competition, Journal of Technology Transfer, doi: 10.1007/s10961-017-9600-1External link, SharedItExternal link.
• Cantner, Uwe, Graf, Holger and Hinzmann, Susanne (2014), Policy induced innovation networks: the case of the German ‘Leading-Edge Cluster competition’, in: T. Scherngell (Ed.), The geography of networks and R&D collaborations, Ch. 19, Springer, Heidelberg.