Helping Scottish Government prepare to evaluate future cluster development

Wavehill and Hall Aitken supported Scottish Government to design a robust evaluation framework for Scotland’s emerging Cluster Development Programme. Am ambitious initiative at the heart of Scotland’s National Innovation Strategy, the programme aims to strengthen Scotland’s economy by fostering industry-led clusters in key sectors such as offshore wind, life sciences, fintech and advanced manufacturing, bringing together businesses, academia and public agencies to drive collaboration, innovation and growth.

The project involved developing a comprehensive set of evaluation options to support the programme as it evolves. This included approaches for assessing the design of the overall programme, testing the readiness of individual clusters, and evaluating both delivery processes and long-term economic impacts.

The study developed options for ex-ante, interim and ex-post evaluation and explored system, cluster and organisation level approaches. It proposed monitoring indicators for cluster maturity and economic strength and examined governance and delivery options for evaluation activity.

A key emphasis of the framework development was the inclusion of flexible, proportionate evaluation approaches that can adapt to clusters at different stages of maturity and to a programme that will continue to develop over time. The framework set out how evidence can be used not only to demonstrate impact, but also to support ongoing learning and improvement across the system.
The research combined:
• desk based review of policy and international practice
• consultations with Scottish Government and delivery partners
• workshops with Cluster Management Organisations and expert stakeholders
• development of high level theories of change and evaluation frameworks

A central part of the work focused on helping partners understand how cluster development could be tracked beyond immediate outputs. The proposed framework connected operational delivery with longer term indicators relating to collaboration, innovation, investment, productivity and skills.

The work also explored how learning could be embedded into programme delivery. This included options for structured feedback loops, comparative analysis across clusters, and approaches that supported ongoing refinement of cluster action plans and wider policy decisions.

The work will help Scottish Government and delivery partners build a stronger evidence base on what works in cluster development, informing future investment decisions and supporting the growth of internationally competitive clusters across Scotland.