Cluster performance: evaluation attempts

Abstract

Authors raise a question about possibility to measure of clusters’ performance. The research is performed within a framework of EU project ‘Cluster Development Med’ (Horizon 2020). Authors suggest a model, which allows to make comparisons of clusters and to identify the better performing ones. The model embraces three dimensions of cluster activity, i.e, “Resources, Activities, and Processes”. The dimensions are suggested by the Lithuanian association “Knowledge Economy Forum”, in their work “Cluster Analysis”. Authors in their turn collect data and employ one of multi-criteria method to integrate indicators employed into one composite indicator for each cluster. Data for practical evaluation purposes were obtained, an interview on site with the coordinators of the Lithuanian clusters. Then Simple Additive Weighting method was used to estimate the efficiency of the clusters’ performance. The results were compared through suggested benchmarking. Suggested model can be used for evaluation of vide range aspects of cluster performance.