Title: Assessing the role of innovation clusters in sustainable development: a comparative case study of Japan and South Korea, and implications for Nigeria

Authors: Temitayo Shenkoya

Addresses: Science and Technology Knowledge Research Institute, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea

Abstract: Poverty remains a complex issue, in the global south - particularly in Nigeria. Many countries have successfully transformed their economies from developing to developed economies through the development of innovation clusters in various areas of their countries. However, there is a paucity of research providing empirical evidence and real-life case analyses in this transformative process. This study presents itself as one of the earliest studies to provide empirical evidence to support the relevance of innovation clusters to sustainable development - through an analysis of the performance of innovation clusters in South Korea and Japan. The results of this study show that the ultimate goal of innovation clusters is to foster sustainable development and eradicate poverty. The findings underscore the importance of innovation clusters in achieving these objectives, highlighting the government's leadership role in fostering collaboration amongst various stakeholders within an innovation cluster to maximise the developmental efforts of the government.

Keywords: innovation cluster; SMEs; open innovation; policy; collaboration; national development plans; sustainable development; Japan; South Korea; Nigeria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTLID.2025.146728

International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2025 Vol.16 No.2, pp.198 - 215

Received: 02 Mar 2024
Accepted: 03 Jul 2024
Published online: 16 Jun 2025 *

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