Clusters and Innovation in the Life Sciences

The paper presents a conceptual framework which faces clusters, or localized networks, in the life-science domains. Amongst the various lenses, it focuses on the relationship -if any- interlacing structural settings (clusters) and innovation by referring to the broader field of network theory approach. The final aim of the paper is to contribute to the extant literature by creating a theoretical framework able to describe the effects of intra-cluster and inter-cluster structural and nodal network characteristics upon the clusters' innovative performance. The work sheds light on the factors influencing different innovative performance across different domains in the life-science field.