Abstract:In recent decades, numerous cluster associations with public and/or private support have been established to facilitate clusters. These cluster associations have launched a number of activities and services aiming to increase the competitiveness, innovation, and productivity of their members and beyond. At the same time, it appears that many of these associations apply similar activity bundles to reach their objectives. However, the institutional context differs between clusters and their countries. This paper questions how these activity bundles are influenced by different sets of institutional conditions and proposes a framework for the explorative analysis of cluster activity bundles in specific institutional environments. Moreover, using the framework, a detailed review of cluster associations and their activities in different information and communication technologies (ICT) clusters is presented, the development of which is central to regional advanced industrial transformation in the context of regional smart specialization and the Industrial Renaissance.

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this paper addresses how cluster policy, particularly its management part, contributes to the processes of switching path dependency and escaping lock-ins in the old industrial regions. this is based on the case study of the Basque country in a timeline of 25 years. analysing the development of the Basque cluster policy on both a period and a stage-by-stage basis gives a practical understanding of the intervention framework for effective cluster policy management. Moreover, it rediscovers and stresses the importance of agile policy capacity to internal knowledge creation, constant learning and adaptation stimulating processes of path creation in old industrial regions by providing new ways of thinking about cluster policy interventions. ARTICLE HISTORY

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IntroductionHave you ever felt like reinventing the wheel? Or would you rather use the wheels you already have more effectively? We suspect the latter… This line of thought, is worth bearing in mind when developing new policies. It is better to take stock of available concepts, instruments and tools, identify new possibilities stemming from them, and develop potential synergies, than to begin from scratch and reinvent the wheel.The same metaphor can also be applied to "technology" or "knowledge" transfer, the daily work of Steinbeis 2i GmbH. An institution focused on building the capacities of regional enterprises, so that they can pass through the so-called 'valley of death' between pure research and innovation. Steinbeis 2i GmbH facilitates the transfer of technology, both hard (e.g. new products, materials), and soft (e.g. academic concepts and policy findings) from theory to practice. This includes engagement with public and private institutions, such as ministries, business development agencies, universities and especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Steinbeis 2i GmbH, does not so much create new innovations, but it does make it more likely for their stakeholders to develop their own innovations.A recent opportunity to engage in this form of 'knowledge transfer' was the annual European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) in Brussels. Specifically, the focus of this article was a session on "Revitalising Regional Economies through Smart Specialisation and Industry 4.0", organised by Regional Studies Association, which looked at the experiences of the successful implementation of the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3).Two points stood out in this session, the first was that when participants were surveyed, 50% of them agreed or strongly agreed that their region had clearly adopted a RIS3 strategy. However, at the same time, when asked where there is a need for deeper learning and exchange between regions and stakeholders, the majority of respondents answered: RIS3 implementation. Considering this anomaly, this article returns to the theoretical roots of RIS3 and provides an example from practice, which could serve to build ideas and synergies for the successful implementation of RIS3, without the need for reinventing the wheel.