Clusters are often self-defining entities, especially in situations where they are at a nascent or developing phase. This poses certain challenges for the evaluator in determining the strength and even material substance of the cluster. As a means of assessing cluster cohesion, community discussion groups were held in 11 communities where technology cluster initiatives were launched. These sessions served to gauge the strength of relationships, linkages among cluster actors and initiatives and assess the perceived role of the public investment in coalescing cluster activity. The panellist will outline the nature of these groups, as well as their utility in evaluating the contribution of the National Research Council’s investment in innovation via clustering. #Research,Technology,andDevelopmentEval #Evaluation2009