Intellectual property strategies, collaboration and technological capabilities: The fuel cell cluster in Vancouver, BC

This paper describes the development of the fuel cell cluster in Vancouver, Canada, with data collected over three years. This allows to following up the links that come up and the patterns and purposes of collaboration among cluster actors. Knowledge flows through patenting and the university role on the knowledge creation are key issues for this research. Other factors considered are: access to venture capital, characteristics of the city where the cluster is located, and the policies oriented to support its development. The paper is organized in five parts: (i) The ways to collaborate and the links produced between different types of organizations. (ii) The role of customers, suppliers and competitors to produce innovations and the identification of fuel cells market opportunities. Particularly, the paper addresses the role of the university on the fuel cell market development because some differences related to the traditional role reported in the clusters literature were found. (iii) The geographic location of the cluster and the analysis of policies behind the cluster growth. (iv) The intellectual property strategies to protect knowledge and commercialize it at the fuel cell market. (v) The identification of core capabilities that have positioned companies as competitors on the international market.