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  • I am an Economic Developer

    Are you trying to determine a strategy for your organization, region, or industry? Then follow our Economic Developer path.

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  • I am a Policymaker

    Are you hoping to effect change in the economic landscape through federal, state, or local government policy choices? Then follow our Policymaker path.

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    Are you interested in learning more about clusters and conducting action-oriented research? Then follow our Academic or Researcher path.

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  • Data by Cluster

    A cluster is a regional concentration of related industries that arise out of the various types of linkages or externalities that span across industries in a particular location. The U.S. Benchmark Cluster Definitions are designed to enable systemic comparison across regions. View and compare clusters across the U.S.

    View Data by Cluster
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How do I compare different clusters on a national level?

    How do I find my region’s strongest cluster(s)?

    How do I identify which cluster my industry belongs in?

    How do I compare local vs traded clusters?

    Are there overlaps between the clusters?

  • Data by Region

    A region is broadly defined as a county, economic area (EA), metro/micropolitan statistical area (MSA), or state. The U.S. Benchmark Cluster Definitions use the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis defined economic areas. View and compare regions across the U.S.

    View Data by Region
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How do I compare different regions?

    How do I build a region to meet my needs?

    How is my region doing, especially in comparison to its peer regions?

    How do I find subregions related to my region?

    How do I use the map view to visualize economic data across the country?

  • Organizations

    View Organizations
  • Blog

    View Blog
  • Resources

    View Resources
  • Community

    The Community of Practice enables practitioners to share Resources, post Blogs, and find partner Organizations. View and contribute content of interest to the cluster based economic development community.

    View Community Page
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  • U.S. Cluster Mapping
  1. Resources
  2. The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance: A Cluster Development Initiative in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley

The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance: A Cluster Development Initiative in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley

by cmp.admin Fri, 11/15/2013 - 12:02

This study on the Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance of Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley illustrates how a region can position its roots in a declining industry into strengths for new cluster growth. Located in the western part of Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley has deep foundations in manufacturing that include textiles, paper, electrical components, and precision machining. The study offers an example of how an organization such as the Innovation Institute at Massachusetts Technology Collaborative can leverage public funds to make strategic investments that enrich cluster performance. By creating a collaborative framework within which company executives, academic partners, and the public sector can develop shared understandings, the Innovation Institute has addressed critical workforce and competitiveness issues for the Pioneer Valley's precision manufacturing cluster. In turn, these improvements have fostered new public and private investments that can independently sustain the cluster and its supporting organizations. This Policy and Impact Study is the fourth in a series of four developed as part of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, an initiative supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. 

A set of four Policy and Impact Studies was developed by the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project to impart collaborative, real-world examples of how clusters have been used to improve regional economic growth. These studies are: Mobilizing Oregon Clusters (OR), the Minneapolis-St. Paul Regional Cluster Initiative (MN), New Carolina (SC), and the Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance (MA). By documenting cluster programs and amassing a set of best practices, they display how organizations can apply and leverage data from the U.S. Cluster Mapping website to improve their own regions. Each study tells a unique story, but all provide lessons learned that can be applied and extended to other regions.

 

The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance - Executive Summary.pdf
The Precision Manufacturing Regional Alliance - Full Report.pdf
Cluster
Regional Economy
Author: 
Robert Kispert and Carlos Martínez-Vela
Publication/Specific Source: 
U.S. Cluster Mapping Project / Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
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The U.S. Cluster Mapping Project is led by Professor Michael E. Porter at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business School.

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.