The article analyzes the state and problems of cluster development in the real sector of the region based on the materials of the Pavlodar region. The main problem of innovative development of the Pavlodar region, as well as in all regions of Kazakhstan, in general, is the lack of innovative activity of enterprises, which is reflected in the volume, frequency and efficiency of their innovations. At the same time, most of the enterprises belonging to the real sector of the economy have sufficient resources for the development of innovative activity. However, the prospects for their interaction with enterprises in other sectors and sectors of the economy for the purpose of technology transfer are insignificant, which, in general, doesn’t meet the principles of balanced spatial development of the territory formulated by the program for the development of territories of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2020. One of the ways to solve this problem is formation and development of a cluster approach and interaction of business entities. The article assesses the efficiency of the cluster’s functioning as an institution of regional development. On the example of the metallurgical cluster of Pavlodar region, the main ways and methods of forming cluster initiatives in the regional economy are considered, a SWOT analysis of the development of the metallurgical cluster of the region is given, and its main problems are identified; identifies priority directions of clusters’ development (metallurgical cluster, including the production of final products, the cluster of railway engineering, agri-food cluster), the realization of which in the region could create the conditions for the emergence and full development of a number of new highly specialized sectors such as cluster chemistry, cluster of road and construction machinery, transport logistics cluster, cluster of modern production technologies and engineering, cluster of manufacturing components for machinery and equipment and cluster of industrial electrical engineering and equipment for power engineering. The authors also noted that the realization of regional development strategies of cluster initiatives can potentially lay the foundations for clusters “future days”, such as: cluster of resource efficiency and environmentally processing, the cluster of new energy, the cluster of innovative medicine, tourism and recreational cluster.