Basque Country: the knowledge cluster

Clusters have basically been conceptualised as a concentration of firms that prosper on the basis of their interaction. However, the classical cluster concept is developing in a more cultural perspective. The so‐called Knowledge Society and the development of information and telecommunications technologies have opened the playing field. New countries and regions can thus meaningfully reduce their distance with respect to other leading regions, provided they create a structure to acquire and disseminate knowledge. This emerging concept also offers more possibilities to be used by all the types of regions in different circumstances, including developing countries. The basic tool for beginning this learning capability will be the creation of a co‐operation structure such as a cluster, including all actors of the innovation system in a country or region. They can be called knowledge clusters: the knowledge cluster in the Basque Country is one of these experiences.