According to a new thesis on the influence of clusters on innovation in the Icelandic fisheries industry it clearly stands out that participating in a cluster enhances innovation in the industry. The author of the thesis is Heiðdís Skarphéðinsdóttir and it was constructed for a B.Sc. degree in fisheries science. Following is an abstract from the thesis:

The topic of the thesis is the influence of clusters on innovation in the Icelandic fisheries industry. Semi-structured interviews were taken with leaders of three innovation companies within the Iceland Ocean Cluster; Codland, Norðursalt and Ocean Excellence. The interviews focused on getting comments on each part of the questionnaire for comparison.

Furthermore a review is made on a number of the key theories relating to clusters and their formation. A look is taken at relationship networks, how they form, their utilisation and how they interact. Theories on clusters and their nature are touched upon with emphasis on Michael E. Porter‘s theories. Saras Sarasvathy‘s interesting theories on how entrepreneurs effectuate the means in their surroundings in a way different from the classic management theories would indicate are also studied.

From the results it clearly stands out that participating in a cluster enhances innovation in the Icelandic fisheries industry by creating a solid platform for the companies to cooperate.

For further information, please contact Heiðdís (heiddis@sjavarklasinn.is)