ISSN 0798 1015 HOME Revista ÍNDICES / A LOS AUTORES / To the ESPACIOS ! Index ! authors ! Vol. 39 (Nº31) Year 2018. Page 23 Features of managing innovative clusters of modern Russia Clusters innovadores de la Rusia moderna: características de gestión Inna L. LITVINENKO 1; Elena N. KLOCHKO 2; Maria V. ZELINSKAYA 3; Olga A. POLYANSKAYA 4; Nadezhda K. MARTYNENKO 5 Received: 18/03/2018 • Approved: 29/04/2018 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Literature review 3. Materials and methods 4. Discussion 5. Conclusions Bibliographic references ABSTRACT: RESUMEN: The availability of resource advantages for today is La disponibilidad de ventajas de recursos para hoy no not a guarantee of successful existence in a es una garantía de existencia exitosa en un entorno competitive environment. The clustering process competitivo. El proceso de agrupamiento requiere la requires the systematization of scientific ideas about sistematización de ideas científicas sobre clusters, sus clusters, their characteristics, stages of development características, etapas de desarrollo y características and features of territorial location in terms of long- de la ubicación territorial en términos de perspectivas term prospects for the development of the region. A a largo plazo para el desarrollo de la región. Un separate problem is the need to study the conditions, problema aparte es la necesidad de estudiar las measures and tools for forming competitive condiciones, medidas y herramientas para formar advantages of the cluster. ventajas competitivas del clúster Keywords: management, innovation cluster, Palabras clave: gestión, clúster de innovación, management resources, cluster activity study. recursos de gestión, estudio de actividad de clúster. 1. Introduction Clusters are commonly understood as a group of geographically concentrated interdependent companies and institutions functioning in a certain area and connected by a commonality and complementarity (Zemtsov, 2013). Clustering is beneficial, first of all, to small and medium-sized companies, as this increases their competitiveness due to the expansion of opportunities for cooperation, the use of a unified infrastructure, interaction with local research organizations. As a result of cluster formation, regions, in turn, increase their attractiveness to business, investors, skilled workers and researchers, so cluster policy has become one of the most used instruments of regional policy in the European Union (Rosenfeld, 2002). The identification and support of clusters is an important tool for stimulating economic development in countries with economies in transition. The management of innovative clusters and the implementation of cluster policy have relatively recently become popular topics in Russia. In early 2012, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia initiated a competitive selection of projects for the development of clusters in the regions of Russia. In total, about 100 cluster initiatives took part in the competition, among which 25 were selected for pilot support in subsequent years. A total amount of 3.8 billion rubles was allocated from the federal budget for the development of clusters in 2016-2017. This amount was distributed among the clusters depending on the quality of their development programs and specific projects on co- financing terms from the regional budgets. In 2016, the highest volume of subsidies (269 million rubles from the federal budget) was allocated to an innovative territorial cluster (ITC) in the field of information and telecommunication technologies of the Novosibirsk region. The lowest federal subsidy (1.3 million rubles) was provided to the information technology cluster of St. Petersburg. The average subsidy for the clusters was about 100 million rubles. At the same time, almost 1.9 billion rubles out of 2.5 billion rubles the federal subsidy of 2016 was aimed at developing the innovative and educational infrastructure of pilot ITCs and more than 500 million rubles were allocated for professional development, retraining of personnel, methodical, organizational, expert-analytical and information support. The methodology and implementation of cluster policy in Russia as a whole corresponds to the conceptual foundations of similar European programs, especially French and German ones (Abashkin, Boyarov & Kutsenko, 2012). However, it is equally important to compare the clusters themselves, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and adapt the directions of state support accordingly. 2. Literature review The theoretical substantiation of economic regionalization and organization of territorial production complexes is presented in the works of M. Bandman, U. Izard, G. Kleiner, N. Kolosovsky, V. Polyakov. The works of the following domestic scientists: S. Vazhenin, Yu. Gadzhiev, V. Malov, L. Markov, A. Migranyan, D. Yalov, and others are devoted to studies of the formation of new forms of territorial organization; A significant contribution was made by foreign researchers: G. Boush, A. Gambardell, M. Grou, C. Ketels, V. Kristaller, A. Lesch, G. Lindqvist, I. Mandel, S. Ozkan, M. Porter, A. Saxenian, O. Solwell, and others. Problems of the formation of regional clusters, network structures, business associations in the economy, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of their functioning are discussed in the works of V. Agafonov, E. Akinfeeva, J. Brennan, S. Bludova, M. Buyanova, D. Vuilov, I. Korobeinikov, N. Larina, R. Paturyrel, V. Radaev, S. Raevsky, M. Samoilov, M. Enright, and others. Cluster organization and innovative character of the region’s economy became the object of research by L. Dadaev, A. Dyrdonova, I. Kobersy, A. Zaitseva, O. Inshakov, N. Kizim, E. Kurkudinova, V. Kurchenkova, D. Shkurkin, O. Lomovtseva, V. Moseyko, V. Novikov, N. Nelyubova, V. Fesenko, V. Cherednik and others. A significant part of the scientific research is in the field of cluster management policies, which are largely reflected in the works of foreign researchers: T. Anderson, V. Gilsing, T. Röelandt, J. Sinderen, J. Sorvick, J. Furré, E. Hansson, P. Hertog and others. However, it should be recognized that there is a lack of research devoted to the formation of competitive advantages of clusters at the regional, national and international levels based on economic rather than territorial boundaries. The definition of the relationship between the existing advantages of clusters and the methods of stimulating their organization implemented by the state makes it possible to propose effective instruments of cluster policy aimed at realizing the competitive advantages of regional clusters, which predetermines the need for additional scientific study. 3. Materials and methods The purpose of the study is theoretical substantiation of the features of innovation cluster management, development of tools for the formation and realization of their competitive advantages in the region. The object of research is innovative clusters, the formation, development and implementation of competitive advantages of which determines the competitiveness of the region’s economy. The subject of the research is a system of economic and managerial relations that arise in the process of forming and realizing the competitive advantages of innovative clusters. The methodological and theoretical bases of the research were the concepts presented in the works of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of cluster formations, regional economy, cluster policy and innovations (Bogoviz Alexei, Vukovic Galina & Stroiteleva Tamara, 2013). The research was carried out on the basis of application of general scientific methods of cognition: system and structural analysis, historical-logical, comparison, analogy, formal logic, including abstraction. The information and empirical basis of the study was the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation, resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation; materials of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation; expert assessments and calculations of Russian and foreign scientists published in scientific literature, periodicals, materials of international and All-Russian scientific and practical conferences, reference legal systems, the Internet; the author’s calculations as well. 4. Discussion 4.1. Innovative Clusters as an Instrument of Innovation Activity To carry out a comparative analysis of models for the formation of innovative clusters, it is first necessary to determine what precisely is implied by the term “cluster”. In classical economic theory, this concept was introduced by M. Porter as “... geographically concentrated groups of interrelated companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, firms in relevant industries, and organizations associated with their activities (for example, universities, standardization agencies, and also trade associations) in certain areas, competing, but at the same time, working together” (Porter, 2000). In other words, the cluster is a kind of structural network that promotes achievements in various interrelated areas: from new technologies and products to the competitiveness of the country at the international level. Over the past few decades, most countries have not only used clusters as a foundation for the development of their economic performance, but have also been successful with the so- called “cluster method.” The latter means “... a new management technology that allows to increase