Observation of innovation clusters in the Rhône-Alpes region

We wish to evaluate corporate networks namely in terms of collaborative activities and evaluate the performance of member companies (improvement of employment and competitiveness). The methodology we have developed to observe clusters is based on characterization indicators as well as impact indicators. These indicators are fundamental as the expected spinoff of the cluster will differ according to the particular cluster’s profile: *Economic structure: membership with the repartition between companies/laboratories/schools; size of the afore listed entities, number of employees; R&D capacity, both in technological terms and in other terms: number of researchers (private and public), R&D expenses, intensity of the cooperation activities with others entities, sectors and markets involved. To produce indicators on the R&D capacity, we wish use the R&D survey conducted by the Ministry of Research, as it contains company expenses in R&D, research areas and the number of researchers. It is therefore possible to search for companies which are part of a cluster to calculate the overall R&D capacity and its evolution (using the temporal series). Technically, the indicators will every time be built over a period of two years, so we can achieve the largest coverage possible. Annual declaration of social data (DADS) will be used to build indicators on employment, as they show information at the scale of establishments, and so by using aggregates we can measure employment in the cluster. This precise information is important for our project as the weight of the cluster in the regional economy and the evolution of employment in the cluster are of the highest interest for public stakeholders.