Firm-level impacts of regional cluster affiliation

In order to remain competitive in a globalised and ever more competitive economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), need to innovate – and they need to do it faster and more often. Although competition increasingly takes place on an international level, regions have not lost their relevance and are in fact recognised as the institutional level where innovation frequently takes place. Regional clusters, as means of stimulating regional innovativeness and competitiveness, are thus at the heart of current innovation support policies, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of SMEs throughout different regions. While quantitatively measurable benefits of regional cluster affiliation have been largely analysed by academia, there is a paucity of research in terms of how these benefits impact cluster members on a firm-level. The objective of the present work is thus to identify and understand these impacts along different firm-level dimensions and from a qualitative perspective.