Blue governance in action: how the Portuguese maritime cluster drives innovation and competitiveness
Maria Manuela Santos Natário, Elisabeth T. Pereira, João Pedro Almeida CoutoPurpose
This paper aims to examine the governance and performance of the maritime cluster in Portugal, viewing national cluster policy as a mechanism for leveraging synergies and for nurturing innovation and competitiveness networks, with particular attention to the maritime case.
Design/methodology/approach
This study evaluates how the Portuguese maritime cluster operates by assessing whether it meets key cluster conditions: geographical concentration, measured through the location quotient, the modified Hirschman–Herfindahl index, the relative participation index and the specialisation coefficient; and network synergies, density and diversity, analysed using interview and survey data collected from the Portuguese Forum Oceano members.
Findings
The results indicate that the Portuguese maritime cluster exhibits an organisational and spatial configuration consistent with the cluster concept, grounded in the agglomeration and concentration of maritime-related activities. The analysis also shows that the cluster, currently coordinated by Forum Oceano, effectively fulfils a cluster role by fostering knowledge and innovation networks and by strengthening innovation and competitiveness.
Practical implications
The evidence further suggests that European cluster-support policies have generated positive effects on the development of this cluster in Portugal. This study thus helps to consolidate the literature on maritime clusters and on the influence of European policies promoting clusterisation.
Originality/value
This paper delineates and validates the Portuguese maritime cluster and the conditions under which it can be recognised as such, offering a deeper understanding of the cluster, its actors, the European support policies involved and their direct links to the economic benefits achieved.