The report provides an overview of national (and some regional) cluster programmes across the EU, Montenegro, Norway, and Turkey. It maps the strategic and industrial focus of the various cluster programmes. The reports assess the extent to which the programmes are embedded in other national economic strategies and identifies the instruments the programes employ to support cluster activities.

The guide provides advice on "how to make better use of clusters for promoting regional industrial modernisation, supporting the growth of SMEs and encouraging smart specialisation". It provides an explanation of what clusters and cluster policy are, their role as well as success factors. It provides examples and highlightes several success stories of programmes, smar clusters, and instruments implemented by regions.