Cluster participation in Catalonia rises 30%, hitting a record of 3,000 companies

The number of firms involved in Catalonia’s cluster program has risen by 30% over the past five years, according to ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment. As of today, the region’s 27 clusters comprise 3,000 companies and associated entities, collectively accounting for more than €80 billion in revenue. This figure represents 36% of Catalonia’s industrial output and 36% of its industrial employment.

“The Catalan government’s commitment to cluster policy, initiated 30 years ago, has remained pioneering and adaptable, integrating new tools to drive cluster progress”

Miquel Sàmper, Minister of Business and Labour of Catalonia

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These developments were announced by Miquel Sàmper, the Catalan Minister for Business and Labour, during the ACCIÓ Catalonia Clusters Advisory Committee's annual meeting held in Barcelona. Sàmper emphasized that “the Catalan government’s commitment to cluster policy, initiated over 30 years ago, has remained pioneering and adaptable, continually integrating new tools and concepts to drive cluster progress and deliver greater value to businesses”.

The Minister for Business and Labour also stressed that “To face up to new paradigms and the huge challenges facing us, we need more than ever a common front based on public and private collaboration, such as that which takes place in cluster policy”.

Sàmper further noted that the goal of cluster policy is to achieve “enhanced interconnectivity between competitiveness instruments to maximize the impact” given that “in a complex global environment like today’s we need a robust public policy, which is why we set the goal that the work done from the cluster ecosystem produces the maximum impact possible on Catalonia’s competitiveness”.

Clusters in Catalonia

A cluster is a grouping of companies (including SMEs, multinationals, and startups) and associated entities (such as universities and tech centers) operating in a specific economic domain, which both compete and cooperate. This model enhances the competitiveness of its members through joint transformational projects and the identification of strategic sectoral challenges.

Catalonia’s cluster policy is coordinated through the Catalonia Clusters programme, which has been driven by the government via ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment for over 30 years. Sàmper also said that proof of this policy's success is that “a respected institution such as the Harvard Business School has recognized Catalonia’s cluster model as a successful global case study in competitiveness”.

In 2023, the members of the Catalan clusters promoted some one hundred collaborative projects, while 180 companies received 2 million euros in grants for group initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of cluster projects. The Minister for Business and Labour also highlighted that in 2024, there has been a 60% increase in the competitive reinforcement projects that have applied for this line of grants.