The impact of innovation cluster policies on Energy-transition: Learning from leading energy clusters in Germany

Innovation clusters are often known as innovation ecosystems and have a significant impact on the German economy and regional development. Different federal states already have placed various cluster policies to support the cluster initiative. These policies are designed to congregate diverse actors (e.g., SMEs, large companies, research institutes, and regional institutions) with similar interests in particular demographic proximity [1]. Moreover, clusters with excellence in energy topics also lead territorial energy-transition and support multiple actors to develop rapid and scalable innovations. Seen in this light it became a natural interest for policymakers, investors, and firms to analyze the ongoing activities of leading energy clusters. Such analysis could give a broader overview of current trends and the mutual interest of a diverse set of stakeholders. In this context, the present work considers analyzing energy clusters with different perspectives such as geographical scope, members companies, and focus topics. A total of 44 energy clusters along with 4524 members are taken into account in this study.