SYSTEM-FORMING CORE OF INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION CLUSTERS

Abstract

Obviously, technologies and innovations are the key drivers of the modern economy within Industry 4.0. One of the most successful ways of economic modernization is a clustering process and, what is important, introducing innovation clusters. This practice has been proved in the great majority of well-developed countries, for instance, the USA, Great Britain, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and many others. As many scientists argue, innovation clusters should have the central forming element – the core, that plays a key role in the forming and acting process of the cluster. Notwithstanding, many Ukrainian scientists have paid their attention to the cluster definition, types, and basic models, rather than cluster mechanisms, namely how, when, and where clusters are created and what is a central element of the clustering process. That is why this study presents the mechanism of the creation and functioning of international innovation clusters with educational and scientific cores. We defined two main approaches to the core formation: subjective (universities and research institutions) and objective (scientific projects, programs, fundamental developments). In the case of a subjective approach, universities and research institutions are getting entrepreneurial characteristics and consequently become entrepreneurial universities. To become the core scientific projects, programs, fundamental developments should be mature, widescale, and include many counterparties. Based on the experience of the largest innovative clusters in the world we identified five ways of core interaction with cluster subjects, namely vertical "top-down" and "bottom-up", horizontal, polycentric, and network. Moreover, we created the essence of the core as the central forming element of the cluster, which initiates, forms, determines the functioning, principles, goals, and development of the cluster. As well, we formulated the sufficient and necessary conditions of the international innovation clusters with the core in accordance with the subject and object approaches. These conditions are financial, managerial, and technological.