The Portuguese Maritime Mega Cluster: Assessment and Innovation

In these last five years, the creation of a Maritime Cluster in Portugal has been an issue of first political and economic relevance. The enlargement of the Continental Shelf under national jurisdiction into a total surface of 2.2 million square kilometres (with a predictable high level of mineral, genetic and hydro thermal resources)–particularly taking into account the economic crisis in current context–awakes all kinds of hopes and ambitions. The main guidelines of theIntegrated Maritime Policy for the European Union–requires the creation of a maritime mega-cluster. It should include both traditional (fishing, canning industry, shipbuilding, maritime transports), and modern sectors (wave and tide energy, biotechnology), in a country that it is not known for a high level of social capital or its capacity of developing joint efforts. Starting with the assumption that geographical proximity and enterprises/institutions strategic cooperation promote competitiveness and innovation and, in consequence, the development, we propose to determine the existence of cooperation relationships and/or partnerships between activities connected with the maritime sector; if those relationships exist, are they partnerships at local, regional or national scale; and if recent trends point out towards innovation. The paper quantifies these a cluster main inter sectorial linkages, based on the integrated system of Portugal’s Input-Output Matrix. It is also put in evidence the multiplier factors of direct, indirect and induced effects. Taking into consideration the final quantitative results, the authors present some remarks in terms of Employment, GVA and Investment in Portuguese Sea Cluster Economic Sectors.