Implementing IT Innovation clusters in Colombia

Abstract

Different scholars, leading from Porter, Krugman, and Solvell, think that clusters can help to developing countries to develop capabilities to compete in the global market in specific industries. This alternative has been making waves in the world and as a result many countries recognize the importance of the clusters and initiate to develop policies to promote its creation and support its evolution. This document aims to find the success and failure factors in the incubation and development of IT clusters in order to suggest specific actions to be taken to construct or evolve IT clusters in Colombia. Using a framework developed by Solvell to evaluate cluster initiatives, and using secondary data, this comparative, empirical and exploratory multiple case study analyzes four outstanding IT clusters: Bangalore, India; Daedeok, Korea; Kista, Sweden and Campinas, Brazil. After the analysis of the collected data, the Colombian case is study, to finally draw a detailed recommendations based on the implications of the findings. The study concludes that clusters have strong impact in terms of innovation and to enhance industry capability and are a good way to improve the competitiveness of a region. Additionally, the creation of clusters can help to provide better quality of life and better infrastructure to the IT industry, as well as can be a tool for marketing the industry overseas. However, the creation of clusters is not an easy task; many initiatives have been failing, especially the ones pushed by the government.