Regional Cluster Formation as a Tool to Increase Companies' Copmetitiveness by Example of Crimea Republic

The purpose of the research is the development of recommendations on the organization of the process of formation of SMEs clusters. To disclose the topic and analyze the research problems the author had: Studied Russian and foreign sources of information on the implementation of the cluster approach in the European Union and the Russian Federation: books, research articles, analytical reports, development programs, guidelines, laws and regulations; Conducted unstructured interviews with heads of cluster development centers Analyzed and rethought the author’s experience in organizing the work of the cluster development center of the Crimea Republic and formation agro-biotechnology cluster. Results of the research are: features of the incentive mechanisms for cluster projects were to increase the competitiveness of enterprises; factors influencing the formation of trust and the definition of trust mechanisms in the cluster; factors influencing the success of the formation of SMEs clusters were identified, main steps to form a SMEs cluster in top-down models considering Russian specifics. The practical significance of the research is the ability to use its results for the subsequent implementation of similar projects in other regions of Russia. The work contains 139 pages, 3 tables, 7 figures and 6 applications. Used literature sources - 54. Key words: territorial cluster, SMEs cluster, cluster formation, center of cluster development, formation of a SMEs cluster, creation of SMEs cluster, regional cluster formation.