Inovace a region: klastry a regionální inovační systém Zlínského kraje

Innovations represent an underlying element of competitiveness in global economies. In the process of innovation building, spatial relations play an important part. Generally, the regional and local levels are emphasised because of the importance of actors’ interactions in the process. After their transition to market economy, the theme of innovation building has become crucial also for post-socialist countries. Thus, innovation support tools are firmly positioned on their political agendas. Clusters and regional innovation systems belong to fundamental innovation support tools on the regional and local levels. This article evaluates selected aspects of clusters and regional innovation systems of post-socialist countries with the Zlin region as the model area. Our conclusions point to a number of ambivalences related to the implementation of the concepts in practice. Firstly, there is a conceptual problem how the institutionalized clusters meet the definition and the essence of the term. The multi-sector Czech-Slovakian Industrial Cluster represents the most extreme case in this regard. Secondly, the institutionalized clusters are typically created on the top-down basis and financed from public resources including EU structural funds. This state is connected with the threads of unnatural character of the process resulting into the stagnancy of cluster development. Thirdly, the ability to stimulate the interest of prospective financial institutions is the main institutional problem. Fourthly, there is no straightforward answer on the innovativeness of the institutionalized clusters. Finally, a low level of specialization in progressive industries is the main problem of innovative environment in the Zlin region. Overall, the current state of regional innovation system in the Zlin region may be denoted as a premature stage of its development.