Networks and Clusters
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Clusters are groupings of companies with similar characteristics that operate in the same place or region and collaborate in pursuit of greater production efficiency. In Brazil, they are equivalent to the Local Productive Arrangements (APL). Universities and research institutions also are part of the APLs.
Official figures show that in 2024 there were 397 APLs in all regions of the country, responsible for almost 1.8 million direct jobs in more than a hundred sectors of the Brazilian economy.
Brazil’s main clusters are located in the Southeast and South. The state of São Paulo has the highest number of technology clusters, followed by Minas Gerais, Amazonas, Espírito Santo and Paraná. Throughout the country, however, public initiatives at the federal, state and municipal levels, as well as private efforts, are based on the productive arrangement approach.