International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development Volume 6 Number 3 © 2007 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. doi: 10.1386/ijtm6.3.193/1 Developing regional clusters in India: The role of national laboratories Santanu Roy Institute of Management Technology (IMT), India Parthasarathi Banerjee National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS), India Abstract This paper sets in perspectives the development of regional industrial clusters in India and discusses issues related to technology transfer from public-funded R&D laboratory system in India, such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to small and medium enterprises and the impact of such trans- fers on the development of Indian industrial clusters. This has been done with the help of case studies of technological and managerial intervention from three spe- cific CSIR laboratories. The paper also discusses different aspects of regional char- acterisation, specialisation and the role played by these national laboratories and others in trying to resolve the technological, managerial and social problems faced by industrial and artisan clusters. Introduction The process of technology transfer among different entities could be viewed as an active and intentional process to disseminate or acquire knowledge, experience and the related artefacts. However, the thrust on this issue has been changing gradually towards creating partnerships or building strategic alliances (Niosi 1999). This underlines the idea that forms of technological cooperation are no longer one way but involve long- term mutual benefits beyond short-term commercial success. Networks, according to Castells (1996), could be considered as open systems of inter- connected firms and R&D institutions with related interests. Freeman (1991) argues that networking should primarily be explained in terms of strategic behaviour, appropriation of knowledge, technological comple- mentarities and sociological factors such as trusts, ethics and confidence in the benefits deriving from cooperation with others. ‘Rather than going it alone or sub-contracting, network firms collaborate, for example, with their suppliers and customers in product development, pursue technologi- cal innovation through setting up joint ventures with unrelated companies, forge strategic alliances with their competitors to develop new markets, or 193 Keywords artisan clusters industrial clusters linkages networking R&D laboratories technology transfer TMSD 6 (3) 193–210 © Intellect Ltd 2007