This paper presents studies on clusters and cooperation networks of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developed by the European Commission, as well as a description of the current German strategy for developing competence networks (Kompetenznetze Deutschland), focusing specifically on the case of the regions of Berlin and Brandenburg. The main goal of this work is to analyze the experience of the European and German initiatives and to verify the possibilities of adapting such initiatives to the context of local productive systems and technology parks in Brazil. In general, the SMEs in European clusters were found to perform better than other SMEs in their respective sectors. Increasing competitiveness of clusters and regional economic growth were found to be strongly tied to investments in innovation. The lessons learned from this study which could possibly be applied to Brazil are a more direct support of the public sector, a stronger focus on innovation, and the definition of management processes for cooperation networks.
Germany; Brazil; Clusters; Competence networks; Cooperation networks
