Barriers to inter-company cooperation in clusters

Clusters have proved to be an important source of competitiveness for the economic development of regions within the European Union. One of the main goals of cluster development is to stimulate cooperation between companies in one or a few related sectors. The stakeholders of a cluster, as well as the local economy, can derive many benefits from such cooperation. However, there are numerous barriers, which make it difficult for the companies within clusters to cooperate. This article addresses the need to develop a cluster-specific approach to inter-company cooperation. The aim of the article, on which this article is based, was to analyse the current co-operation efforts of Polish cluster initiatives and identify the main challenges that arise from organising such cooperation within clusters. The significance of cooperation between companies, for the strategic development of a cluster, is discussed and a set of tools to enhance this cooperation is proposed. Furthermore, reflecting the outcomes of the study, cluster policy actions are recommended.