Regional Competitiveness: Introducing Clusters and Innovation Systems. Case Study: Sud Muntenia Region

The present research underlies on the idea that recently in both governmental long term strategies and economic theories regions are considered as centers of economic growth and as hubs in the spillover of knowledge and that innovation is a critical component of long-term economic prosperity. The analyses focuses on discovering how regional competitiveness can be supported by innovation, emphasizing also the role that agglomeration economies and clusters have in this process. The study is based on a Romanian region, Sud Muntenia, and it presents an image of the innovation support structures, academic environment, innovation partnerships and clusters allocation in the region in comparison to the national level. The methodology used relies on quantitative and qualitative instruments, information being processed from statistical data, focus groups and questionnaires applied on the main regional actors involved in the innovation process.