Universities and the Development of Industry Clusters

Universities have emerged as central assets in regional economic development efforts around the nation and the globe. This is especially true in regions seeking to start and grow technology-based economies. Despite a widely held notion that universities play a critical role, little is understood about the mechanisms by which they impact the region's economy, and even less about the current status of university efforts. At the same time, the cluster approach is emerging as a dominant economic development strategy in many regions and states. Cluster development recognizes that the connections and interactions between firms and between the public and private sector fuel development and competitiveness -- and these interactions are inherently grounded in regions.

The Center for Economic Development (CED), funded by the Economic Development Administration and The Heinz Endowments, conducted a focused research and analysis project to yield an understanding of current practice across the US, a framework for thinking about university efforts, a set of practicable actions, and a dissemination strategy that circulates the best practices to national and regional policymakers and practitioners.

This research establishes a foundation for a critical review of the role of universities in cluster development. Practice often precedes policy and such is the case with university- and cluster-based strategies. States and regions have jumped on the bandwagon before there is established knowledge of the costs and benefits of these approaches. Contact us at ced-info@andrew.cmu.edu for more information.