# Technological agglomeration and the emergence of clusters and networks in nanotechnology

## TL;DR

This paper examines how technological agglomeration, involving co-location and coordination of research activities, fosters the development of nanotechnology clusters and networks, highlighting the role of institutional entrepreneurs in this process.

## Contribution

It provides an empirical analysis of nanotechnology clusters in Europe, illustrating how technological agglomeration contributes to cluster emergence and development.

## Key findings

- Co-location and coordination are key for nanocluster emergence.
- Institutional entrepreneurs actively shape technological agglomeration.
- Strong nanoclusters depend on integrated research and innovation platforms.

## Abstract

Research and development at the nanoscale requires a large degree of integration, from convergence of research disciplines in new fields of enquiry to new linkages between start-ups, regional actors and research facilities. Based on the analysis of two clusters in nanotechnologies (MESA+ (Twente) and other centres in The Netherlands and Minatec in Grenoble in France), the paper discusses the phenomenon of technological agglomeration: co-located scientific and technological fields associated to coordinated technology platforms to some extent actively shaped by institutional entrepreneurs. Such co-location and coordination are probably a prerequisite for the emergence of strong nanoclusters

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/0911.2982