A cluster can be defined several ways. A simple definition of a cluster would be an industry concentration higher than the Country as a whole. Using that definition, there are a number of clusters in Canada in the automotive, furniture, plastics, metal, chemical, pharmaceutical, life sciences, health-care and information technology industries.
Experts say much of what defines a tech cluster is image.
Basic research must be conducted in a tech cluster for it to be considered one. Those could include research done at universities or by private think tanks. There s also a mouthpiece, a news organization or organizations that are very supportive of the industry. A professional organization that supports technology exists in every tech cluster. A cluster can be thought of as a regional human ecosystem made up of all the people in that area with an interest in some aspect of technology.