This collection covers a number of relevant and timely issues in cluster research, such as the territorial roots of radical innovation processes, new ways of understanding and measuring the role of place in economic development, path renewal, internationalization, and entrepreneurship.

PrefaceIntroduction: Rethinking clusters. Towards a new research agenda for cluster researchLuciana Lazzeretti, Francesco Capone, Annalisa Caloffi and Silvia Rita Sedita 1. Radical or not? The role of clusters in the emergence of radical innovationsNils Grashof, Kolja Hesse and Dirk Fornahl 2. Radical vs incremental innovation in Marshallian Industrial Districts in the Valencian Region: what prevails?Jose-Luis Hervas-Oliver, Francisca Sempere-Ripoll, Sofia Estelles-Miguel and Ronald Rojas-Alvarado 3. Place-based innovation in industrial districts: the long-term evolution of the iMID effect in Spain (1991–2014)Rafael Boix-Domenech, Vittorio Galletto and Fabio Sforzi 4. Rereading industrial districts through the lens of entrepreneurshipRoberto Grandinetti 5. Understanding processes of path renewal and creation in thick specialized regional innovation systems. Evidence from two textile districts in Italy and SwedenCristina Chaminade, Marco Bellandi, Monica Plechero and Erica Santini 6. Local or global? Does internationalization drive innovation in clusters?Marco Bettiol, Maria Chiarvesio, Eleonora Di Maria and Debora Gottardello7. Clusters and internationalization: the role of lead firms’ commitment and RIS proactivity in tackling the risk of internal fracturesMario Davide Parrilli 8. Growth in regions, knowledge bases and relatedness: some insights from the Italian caseNiccolò Innocenti and Luciana Lazzeretti 9. Six critical questions about smart specializationRobert Hassink and Huiwen Gong 10. In response to ‘Six critical questions about smart specialization'Dominique Foray