Follow-up and evaluation

Follow-up of clusters

The main purposes of following up and evaluating the initiative and individual clusters of excellence are to:

• Contribute to continuous learning and development of each cluster and the initiative as a whole.
• Build knowledge and understanding of the clusters' performance and results in the systems in which they operate.
• Create a basis for decisions on continued funding.
• Contribute to policy learning for funders and others.

Three-part framework

The initiative's framework for follow-up and evaluation consists of three complementary parts. This includes:

• Part one: Ongoing reporting and dialogue with the authorities and between the clusters. 
• Part two: The clusters' own efforts for follow-up of results, analysis and self-evaluation of their development and impact. Each cluster will be compared against cluster-specific key performance indicators (KPIs) depending on the area and technology maturity level. Below are examples of basic KPIs. The Swedish Research Council and Vinnova also envisage that clusters will be given the opportunity to write their own self-evaluations, so-called impact reports.
• Part three: The agencies' joint follow-up and evaluation of clusters. One leg of this is common requirements for reporting follow-up data linked to common and cluster-specific KPIs. The second includes two planned evaluation sessions during the first phase of the clusters:  
  •  A formative evaluation, with a focus on learning and development, when the cluster has started, preliminarily after about two years. 
  • A formative and goal- and result-oriented, so-called summative, evaluation towards the end of the first phase of year five, prior to a possible financing of the next stage.

Examples of key performance indicators (KPIs)

In their ongoing follow-up and evaluation, the clusters of excellence must relate to key performance indicators that can be used both for basic follow-up and for international comparison with similar environments.

Below are examples of aspects that may be measured:

• Extent and international impact of scientific results and breakthroughs.
• Attraction, development and retention of international top talent as well as quality in leadership and governance.
• Impact in technology development, through innovations and the formation of spin-off companies.
• Extent of innovation activity, entrepreneurship and number of supported new successful companies.
• The cluster's ability to attract external capital in the form of public research and innovation funds, industrial capital, venture capital and the extent of such capital.
• Scale of engagement and utilisation in established industry and society.