This report on San Diego, California is the first of five regional reports completed as part of the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, a private-led collaboration aiming to inform key decision makers across the U.S. on the value of cluster-based regional economic competitiveness. This project is unique in its coverage of five regions and 15 individual clusters using a common methodology, individually and comparatively.

San Diego was chosen as a pilot region because of the way it reduced its dependence on tourism and defense aerospace to emerge from a deep recession over a decade ago to become one of the nation's fastest growing, diverse economic regions. Significant investment in research and development; important formal and informal connective institutions among industry and academia and government; and the vision, entrepreneurial spirit, and concerted action of business and government leaders enabled San Diego to develop this economic diversity and attain competitive positions in clusters such as communications and biotechnology/pharmaceuticals.