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Modern economic literature provides various definitions of a cluster. Researchers of the French classical theory considered clusters on the basis of the concept of “filiere”, the purpose of their formation is the creation of technological linkages between industries and different sectors of economy in order to realize the main advantages.

In our opinion, the most appropriate and effective theory of cluster approach is the method of M. Porter. He suggested a theory of national, state, and local competitiveness in the global economy. “Clusters are geographically concentrated groups of interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, firms in related industries, and associated organizations (e.g., universities, standards agencies, trade associations) in particular fields that compete but lead collaboration”. Clusters cause a new view on the economy and its development, new roles of business, government and institutions, and new ways of structuring the relationship of the type “business—government or business—institutions” (Porter 2005).

The processes of globalization, global financial crisis, increased competition, the use of IT, modern knowledge, processes, and products (services) led to the emergence of clusters as an institutional framework of innovative development of regions and a country as a whole. As a consequence, the theory of clustering can be considered as a new approach to assessing conditions for the development of the regional economy, representing the system as a single interrelated complex that provides the possibility of making management decisions.

In the promotion of innovation development, a cluster becomes the most acceptable form of activity in the form of a network of independent production companies, including suppliers, creators of technologies (educational and research institutions), market institutions (consultants) and consumers interacting with each other within a network.

D. Lyakhovsky (2016) gives the following definition: “A cluster is a network of independent manufacturers or service firms, including their suppliers, creators of the technology and know-how (universities, research institutes, engineering companies, etc.), market institutions (brokers, consultants), and consumers interacting with each other within the same network and having geographical proximity”. This definition gives a broad idea of possible members of a cluster, their role, and functions, reflecting a modern point of view. The main role in the definition is given to consumers. We see a contemporary viewpoint on the role of a final buyer in the mechanism of transformation of resources and obtaining results of practical activity, i.e., all members of the cluster form a sort of network through interaction and relationships inside a cluster. The interaction based on geographical proximity determines the effectiveness of the cluster itself.

One may state that the most successful clusters will be formed if there are innovations in engineering and production technology, followed by entry into new market niche, as one of the features of a cluster is its innovative orientation.

To date, the cluster is considered as a network of geographically interrelated and complementary enterprises, including specialized suppliers, producers and buyers, which are in a close relationship with research and educational centers, local institutions, and authorities with the aim of improving the competitiveness of enterprises, regions and national economies. Regional cluster is a set of business entities located on the same property and forming the basis of the local environment through the production of the final product, based on the use of knowledge and technology. Such clusters usually unite not only large enterprises but also small and medium ones. Clusters are a driving force for improving competitiveness at all levels of the economic system, the engines of economic growth and social progress. At the core of the cluster, as a rule, there is a large enterprise which interacts with other organizations involved in the cluster, based on vertical links (chains of purchases and sales) and horizontal ones (more services, use of modern technology). There are auxiliary organizations that provide necessary technology, information, capital (financial resources), and infrastructure—they are typically created around large groups and become their suppliers. Large companies encourage them to the production of intermediate products and related services, which exerts a powerful influence on the development of small and medium businesses. Therefore, the competitiveness of the whole cluster depends on interactions within the clusters, the ability of their participants to use effectively internal resources and to mobilize external ones.

Thus, it should be noted that while forming a cluster, one must combine the resources of all kinds, such as: technology, capital, knowledge, services, human resources, etc., so that they could give unconditional and exceptionally high emergent effect. It is necessary to find the type of association, communication and interaction, which will give a constant generation of innovative ideas and relatively continuous process of turning them into goods (services).

Any pooling of resources will be accompanied by the formation of a single information space, and within this space the identification, accumulation, exchange, and development of knowledge will take place. The creation of such evolutionary space will require completion of certain principles:

  • unconditional relationship: centralized management bodies, enterprises, and mechanism of coordination and collaboration;

  • long-term relationships and the need for coordination of development of strategies of regional cluster participants with priorities of state and regional policies;

  • a geographical unity;

  • establishing institutional and functional infrastructure for the implementation of the clustering process;

  • the system of interaction in the technological chains;

  • the primary role of consumers in the cluster;

  • the ability to create new types of resources;

  • the availability of innovative programs;

  • flexibility and openness of a cluster as a system.

G. P. Khasaev and Y.V. Mikheev (2005) give the following definition: “A cluster is a sustainable territorial and sectoral partnership, united by an innovation program of introduction of advanced manufacturing, engineering, and management technologies with the aim of improving the competitiveness of cluster participants”. From our point of view, this definition states the nature of the problem, i.e., the cluster is clearly characterized as a partnership executing an innovative program, having an ultimate goal: improving the competitiveness of cluster members. Consequently, an innovation is an absolutely necessary characteristic of a cluster—and with a program, a partnership becomes a cluster.

Summarizing, we should consider the approach of D.V. Proskura et al. (2008) and emphasize the main features of a cluster (Fig. 1):

Fig. 1
figure 1

Key characteristics of a cluster

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  • production and technological linkages of the companies forming a cluster;

  • territorial and production community of relationships:

  • developed infrastructure with the transfer of knowledge and technology;

  • flexibility of a cluster—namely, the possibility of its expansion and contraction;

  • openness of a cluster as a system.

As noted above, a cluster is a union of different types of resources, including capital, knowledge, technology, human resources, financial resources, etc. Acknowledging the openness of the system, the authors initially state that a cluster has a direct and immediate exchange with the environment in each of these resource elements, and, first of all, in terms of information exchange.

The level of management of industrial complexes of regions determines the level of the whole economic and social state of regions. It is necessary to say that they strengthened their economic independence under the conditions of functioning of market relations. The experience of management under the conditions of market economy shows that the state industrial policy should be implemented not only through the legislative and legal regulation of macroeconomic processes, but it should also provide investment support for industrial enterprises, implement investment plans and programs, and create favorable conditions for the development of certain economic segments that determine its mechanisms.

Today one of the strategic goals of the region is the creation and development of forms of associations like research and production clusters. According to the Decree of the RF Government dated April 23, 2010, No. 282, a research and production cluster is characterized as “a contractual form of cooperation of organizations providing support and carrying out purposeful activity on development, production and promotion of nano-industry production to domestic and foreign markets of high-tech products”.

The main feature of these associations is a system of interaction between industries and organizations, which will have a positive impact on improving production efficiency, promoting competition, minimizing risks, developing links with foreign companies, training of specialists and improving their qualifications, developing and promoting modern scientific achievements, reducing transaction costs.

Competitive advantages of clustered structures are achieved mainly through interaction of different sectors, creation of business connections, collaborative technologies, obtaining new information, development of marketing, strategic decision-making, and coordination. Due to the proposed system of interaction between enterprises, a cluster has more efficient access to resources inside it. Due to the participation of enterprises of various industries in the cluster, there is a possibility of obtaining progressive methods of work, technologies, and new marketing channels. Enterprises in a cluster gain an easy access to new equipment, services, and other components. Participation in a cluster does not involve competition between enterprises, but rather focuses on a specific segment of the market. Combining the efforts of businesses in order to maximize profits is the main point that determines the benefit and the essence of being a member of a cluster. Coordinated development and investment allows anyone to win, because the links in a cluster are interdependent, the income of one of the links is distributed among others in the optimum ratio, so the entire cluster benefits.

The creation of industrial clusters of the Voronezh region is one of high-priority directions of development of the region. Accordingly, it was decided to create the Center of cluster development in the form of the state budget institutions. The purpose of cluster development is the creation of conditions for effective interaction of enterprises—participants of territorial clusters, educational and scientific institutions, non-profit and public organizations, state authorities and local governments, investors (investing in the development of territorial—industrial clusters), ensuring the implementation of joint (cluster) projects. The tasks to be solve by the Center are the following:

  • promoting the creation of new enterprises (production sharing formula);

  • expanding the practice of joint participation (consortium) of organizations-cluster participants in the implementation of major orders (public procurement, transnational corporations);

  • elaborating and solving the issues related to the implementation of joint projects in the field of cost reduction, competitiveness, logistics, information and communication technologies, etc;

  • organizing the development of common standards for products, suppliers, etc.;

  • expanding marketing activities of organizations participating in the clusters in order to gain access to new markets, including international ones;

  • development of unified requirements to suppliers and the evaluation of suppliers within a cluster;

  • organizing benchmarking and ensuring the conformity of products of enterprises;

  • participants of clusters to the requirements of consumers in order to access new markets etc.

The Center of cluster development of the Voronezh region was established in September 2011 by the initiative of the regional government. Its main task is creating conditions for effective interaction of enterprises-participants of clusters, educational and research institutions, non-profit and public organizations, authorities, and investors. The necessity of adopting “The Concept of cluster policy of the Voronezh region in the industrial sector of the economy” was determined by the need to harmonize regional policies and activities of the Federal authorities, in particular, the “Concepts of the long-term socially-economic development of the Russian Federation until 2020” sets a goal of “creating a network of territorial-production clusters, realizing the competitive potential of the territories”.

It is possible to distinguish three main reasons why the states stimulate the development of clusters:

  • clusters increase productivity and efficiency of production, because firms get an easier access to suppliers, skilled labor, information, services, and educational centers;

  • clusters stimulate innovations, as firms have access to the latest information on improving the production process; and educational and research centers generate new knowledge and have the opportunity to experimentally confirm or refute the validity of new theories;

  • clusters facilitate commercialization of knowledge and production. Favorable conditions (labor availability, support institutions, and vendors) are provided in order to create new firms and to develop new kinds of goods.

The development and approval of the concept is a natural stage in building the strategic management system of the region. The implementation of cluster policy by the Government of the Voronezh region will expand the access of entities-cluster participants to investment, innovation, specialized services, and personnel and will concentrate production and labor forces in the most competitive areas of the regional economy.

As for the application of the cluster approach in the Voronezh region, it is necessary to say that cluster mechanisms allow revealing the main competitive advantages of the region, which, in turn, provide sufficient conditions for the formation of clusters, first of all, due to the high research and personnel potential, as well as the availability of competitive technology, innovation, and research infrastructure.

The purpose-oriented program “Formation and development of clusters for 2013–2018” is being implemented in the Voronezh region, and its volume of financing constitutes RUR 120 million. The experts highlighted the agro-industrial (processing) sector, construction, manufacture of equipment for oil and gas and nuclear industries, furniture manufacturing, and electronics as the most perspective directions of development of clusters.

Nine clusters have been created in the Voronezh region so far: a cluster of manufacturers of equipment for the oil and gas industry was one of the first ones; the IT cluster; the cluster of construction materials & technologies, furniture, and electronics; transport and logistics cluster; “Voronezh electro-mechanics” cluster; the cluster of aviation; the cluster “Beef cattle”. The meat cluster was started in 2010. Its membership today consists of all the beef producers in the region—from small farms to such giants Zarechnoye LLC, which possesses the feedlots designed for the simultaneous breeding of 24 thousand animals and a meat processing plant capable to produce 40 thousand tons of meat per year. The aim of the cluster (which costs RUB 560 million) is to build a value chain: from production, genetic breeding, and development of commercial herds to processing and marketing of meat. The basic idea of creating a meat cluster is the unification of all production levels: genetic companies, feed facilities, meat processing plants and the level of implementation. The meat processing plant in Ramonsky district was launched this spring and the creation of the cluster was completed. Zarechnoye LLC has developed its own brand “Prime beef”, the production of which will be realized throughout Central Russia. It became the first meat cluster in Russia. Benefits for participants are provided in the manner prescribed by regional legislation in the sphere of investment policy. The head of the regional Department of agrarian policy Anatoly Spivakov previously explained that a cluster allows producers to “keep all steps of added value in the region, and also it helps manufacturers to manage the difficulties more confidently”. By the end of 2015, the region covered its own needs in milk (120–130 %) and needs in beef (300 %).

The main results of implementing the cluster policy in the Voronezh region are the increase of the economic competitiveness of the region through growth in production volumes, the increase of the share of innovative products and productivity of cluster members, the increase of volumes of direct investments in the region’s economy, and increase of number of competitive enterprises in the region.

The main aim of cluster policy is to ensure high rates of economic growth and diversification of the economy by increasing the competitiveness of enterprises, suppliers of equipment, components, specialized production and services, research, and educational institutions and making up territorial-production clusters. The clusters, being cross-sectoral formations, increase the interconnection and complementarity of businesses through faster implementation of specific technologies, information and marketing skills. An important feature of a cluster is its innovative orientation—the rapid development of new types of equipment and production technology, followed by the entry into new markets.

The main expected results of the development of cluster policy in the Voronezh region are total amount of additional tax revenues of the consolidated budget of the region by 2019—RUR 450.8; the total number of small and medium-sized businesses participants of the clusters—98 companies; the total number of jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises—cluster participants—over 10,000 people.

According to A. Brodetsky (2013), an important feature of cluster is its innovative orientation, manifested in the rapid development of new types of equipment and production technology, followed by the entry into new markets. We should identify a number of factors stimulating the innovation activity of companies:

  • interaction of educational institutions and industrial enterprises, ensuring the development of scientific research and innovative activity in the region;

  • participation in a cluster facilitates access to new technologies used by enterprises due to the cost reduction for implementation of research and development activities as a result of cooperation, easier and cheaper access to specialized inputs (components, equipment, personnel, and services) in comparison with other options of integration (vertical formation of alliances);

  • the enterprises participating in a cluster have additional competitive advantages due to the possibility to carry out an internal specialization and standardization, to minimize the cost of innovation, and also due to a flexible business structure of small businesses competing in the process of production of creative ideas, enabling the identification of innovative points of growth of the economy of the region.

Analyzing the above, the cluster approach should be considered as a new management technology that allows increasing the competitiveness of both individual enterprises and an industry brunch or a whole region.

The work was performed within of the Federal Target Program “Researches and development in the priority directions of development of a scientific and technological complex of Russia for 2014–2020” according to the agreement No. 14.577.21.0139 about subsidization (the unique identifier of scientific researches and experimental development RFMEFI57714X0139).