OPEN ACCESS This paper is developed from earlier studies / papers: 1) Mohan, A.V., Isshammudin, I., and Thiruchelvam, K. (2010) “Inter-Organisational Networks emerging in a Greenfield Cluster: A Study in Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor Cluster,” Workshop on Re- gional Knowledge Hubs in Asia: the Social Sciences and Humanities in Science and Technology Human Capital (STHC), Conference on Inter-Asian Connections II. Singapore. December 7-10, 2010. 2) Mohan, A.V. (2009) “Business Linkages for Fostering Innovation Activities: Case Studies of firms in E&E Sector of Penang, Malaysia,” Chapter in report on Fostering Production and Science & Technology Linkages to Stimulate Innovation in ASEAN (Oct 2009 – Feb 2010), ERIA funded project managed by DE-JETRO, Bangkok Research Centre. *Correspondence to : Avvari V. Mohan Associate Professor, Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus E-mail : Mohan.avvari@nottingham.edu.my World Technopolis Review Copyright©World Technopolis Association This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attri- bution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. WTR 2015;4:87-103 http://dx.doi.org/10.7165/wtr2015.4.2.87 87 2015 Copyright©World Technopolis Association Article 1. IntroductIon This paper is concerned with how frms develop and grow in regional clusters based in a developing country. We particu- larly explore how frms in a new (greenfeld) cluster and an already developed (brownfeld) cluster develop linkages for their growth. The argument is that start-ups / small and large frms are able to grow by developing linkages or networks for resources within clusters – and this tenet is based on studies of frms that are based from such clusters as Silicon Valley in the US, Cambridge in UK and other clusters from which have evolved over long periods of time and different elements or actors already exist for frm or start-ups to link up with and grow. In many developing countries governments are making efforts to develop clusters from scratch – which in this paper we term as greenfeld cluster. A greenfeld cluster is the con- text where the whole project is developed from scratch, and a brownfeld development is where the cluster is developed based on existing and new organisations in a region. In this paper, we believe the context of clusters can be important in determining the way frms develop linkages for their growth, and look at small frms in two contexts in Malaysia ie. a green- feld cluster development and a brownfeld cluster. The paper Abstract : This paper aims to explore how firms develop and grow in regional clusters based in a developing country. The argument is that start-ups / small and large firms are able to grow by developing linkages or networks for resources within clusters – and this tenet is based on studies of firms that are based from such clusters as Silicon Valley in the US, Cambridge in UK and other clusters from which have evolved over long periods of time. Most of the time we hear narratives from the developed world where there are brownfield cluster development efforts. In developing countries governments are making efforts to develop clusters from scratch – which in this paper we term as greenfield cluster versus a brownfield development, which is where the cluster is developed based on existing and new organisations in a region. In this paper, we believe the context of clusters can be important in determining the way firms develop linkages for their growth – and we look at two contexts in Malaysia ie. A greenfield cluster and a brownfield cluster. The paper presents findings from case studies of firms in a greenfield cluster (Cyberjaya) and a brown field cluster (Penang) in Malaysia. The cases reveal fairly different approaches to development of linkages or networks, which we hope will provides insights to cluster development officials and policy makers and implications to researchers for develop- ing studies of clusters and innovation systems. Keywords: Clusters, Greenfield, Brownfield, Linkages, Start-up firms, Small and MediumEnterprizes (SMEs) Malaysia How Firms Develop Linkages for Development and Growth - Cases in Malaysian Greenfeld and Brownfeld Technology Parks Avvari V. Mohan 1 *, and Isshamudin Ismail 2 Nottingham University Business School (NUBS), University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus 1 Pahang Bio Science, Malaysia 2 2015 Copyright©World Technopolis Association