In 2009 BHP Billiton launched the “Mining Cluster: World-Class Supplier Program” to promote a more competitive suppliers industry in Chile by means of collaboration agreements between mining companies and services suppliers. This paper analyzes the role of mining multinationals as technological gatekeepers and the impact of the program on the mining regions. 19 interviews were conducted among the main participants in the program and were analyzed according to the grounded theory. While the program is contributing to knowledge transfer, it is reinforcing a hierarchy of places where the mining regions are predominantly becoming just spaces for extraction. Keywords Innovation; cluster; mining; Chile.