The objective of this paper is to argue the importance of innovative clusters for the regional development having as example Romania. Many empirical studies emphasize a positive relationship between the cluster-like organization and the development extent at local or national level. The current article comprises a synthesis of these studies. On these grounds the formal clusters from Romania are analyzed in terms of their capacity to catalyze the regional development. The main conclusion of the work is that the Romanian economy does not have the experience of cooperation within a micro-economic network. The innovative clusters are very young and they have not demonstrated their growth potential.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />