The assessment of clusters and local innovation hotspots: Notes from the MAPS-LED project

The role of clusters in fostering economic development is a fertile field of investigation for economic geographers and policymakers. How, where and by what circumstances clusters thrive is still an open question that can deliver different outcomes. What follows is a gathering of studies on clusters conducted in Boston (US) and Rome (Italy) for the project “Multidisciplinary Approach to Planning of Smart Specialization Strategies in a prospective to enhance Local Economic Development” (MAPS LED), funded by the European Commission through the HORIZON 2020 Research Programme – Marie Skwlodoska Curie RISE Actions under the Grant Agreement No. 645651. The project intended to examine how Smart Specialization Strategies (S3) can be implemented, with respect to the new agenda of Europe 2020, by incorporating a place-based dimension. The main activities carried out within this project were: 1) analysis of S3 in terms of spatial, social and environmental factors; 2) field work, by means of qualitative research, in the area of Boston (USA).