The conceptual framework of competitiveness and clusters introduced by Michael Porter in his Competitive Advantage of Nations (Free, New York, 1990) remains exceptionally influential, especially among practitioners. The article discusses recent learnings about Porter's conceptual framework from practical applications and research directly driven by his work. It also outlines developments in the creation and analysis of empirical datasets and the analysis of policy processes, two main areas of current research in this field that are likely to increase in importance. The aim is to provide a coherent and current representation of key elements of the framework, while also discussing a few misperceptions about the concept present among practitioners or researchers.