Abstract:

With the rising globalization in recent years, the participation of firms in the internationalization process has been increasing and companies are giving more emphasis on internationalization in their strategies in terms of entering new markets through various ways, especially through international trade. As a result, more and more firms have started to operate outside their domestic markets and export their goods to foreign customers. (Conconi et al., 2016: p.16). SMEs have the advantage of being more flexible and responsive to the needs of the customer compared to big firms. Clustering may offer new possibilities for the firms through collaboration. Significantly, these networking and support systems enable SMEs to compete better in the global marketplace. Building on local strengths, SME policies need to address the small-firm clusters to meet the challenges posed by globalizing economies (OECD, 2000: 1). Parallel to global developments and policies Turkey recently introduced UR-GE (Supporting the Development of International Competitiveness) program which offers support aiming to help the firms’ internationalization through clustering.

Keywords: