The Peer eXchange & Learning (PXL) workshop on Monitoring for Smart Specialisation Strategies is organised by the Smart Specialisation Platform in co-operation with the Lithuanian Research and Higher Education Monitoring and Analysis Centre (MOSTA). Lithuania (LT), Friuli Venezia Giulia (IT) and Lower Austria (AT) will present their experiences in monitoring. It will take place on 23 October 2018 in Vilnius (Lithuania). It will follow the "Smart Specialisation: Progress and Future Prospects" event organised by MOSTA on 22 October 2018.

A workshop on regional convergence and European integration took place at the Real Instituto Elcano in Madrid (Spain) in October.

A bilateral meeting between the Regional Economic Modelling (REMO) team and several cabinets of the Spanish government took place in Madrid (Spain) in October.

The 10th Anniversary of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) will be held in Gdańsk on 12-13 June 2019. The Forum will be hosted by the Pomorskie Region together with the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation in close cooperation with the European Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and other partners. About 800 participants from governments, international organisations, NGOs, universities, local and regional administrations and businesses will come together to discuss developments and challenges in the Baltic Sea Region.

The European Week of Regions and Cities gathers a broad spectrum of actors showcasing their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and emphasise the role of the local and regional level in the European governance process. On this occasion, members of the Smart Specialisation teams will address a wide range of topics including the Smart Specialisation Platforms for agri-food, energy and industrial modernisation and the integration of SMEs in interregional partnerships, skills for S3 and the role of Higher education. It will be held from 8 to 11 October 2018 in Brussels.

The Regional Economic Modelling (REMO) team participated in the 2018 European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) in Brussels (Belgium) and organised a special session.

The Stairway to excellence initiative and the S3 industrial modernisation platform), DG GROW together with the Innovation agency of Andalusia Region (IDEA) and the European network of Defence-related Regions (ENDR) are organising a symposium on "Synergies between EU funding for defence and dual use research & innovation". It will take place on 3d and 4th of October 2018 in Seville. More information will be available soon.

The European Symposium "Synergies between EU funding for defence and dual-use research and innovation" aims to support the synergies between ESIF and European Defence Fund, Horizon 2020, COSME, Erasmus+ and other relevant funding instruments that can further strengthen the European defence and industrial base, whilst enhancing regional competitiveness, ensuring growth and employment, and improving European strategic autonomy and the security of its citizens. The event is open to regional authorities and stakeholders interested in this topic. It will take place on 3d and 4th of October in Seville, Spain. Deadline for registration: 27th September.

The conference offers a comprehensive picture of the smart specialisation policy experience and highlights recent developments both conceptually and empirically. Particular attention will be given to implementation challenges and ways to address them, as well as to methodologies for impact assessment. It will also explore how smart specialisation engages with global value chains and production networks, and how firms, regions and cities can benefit from cross-border interactions. It will take place from 26th to 28th September 2018 in Seville (Spain).

The conference offers a comprehensive picture of the smart specialisation policy experience and highlights recent developments both conceptually and empirically. Particular attention will be given to implementation challenges and ways to address them, as well as to methodologies for impact assessment. It will also explore how smart specialisation engages with global value chains and production networks, and how firms, regions and cities can benefit from cross-border interactions. It will take place from 26th to 28th September 2018 in Seville (Spain). Deadline for submitting abstract and complete special session proposals: 17th May 2018.

The Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies (KC TP) supports a number of dedicated and specialised platforms and models that are used to generate and exchange information with stakeholders and partners (e.g. RHOMOLO, LUISA, STRAT Board, Urban Data Platform, T-Board), alongside the S3 Platform. While these platforms and models differ in specific focus, they have one common denominator: a territorial outlook. The KC TP organises a dedicated session preceding the 2018 SMARTER Conference on the morning of the 26th of September. Participants will be provided with a fundamental understanding of what the KC TP is and what it does. Next to a general understanding, the specific platforms/models will be elaborated upon, so that afterwards participants will be able to use or refer to them in (at least) a basic way. Attendance is free but prior registration is required. Please note there is limited seating available.

The 2018 SMARTER Conference on Smart Specialisation and Territorial Development offers a comprehensive picture of the Smart Specialisation policy experience, including an evaluation of its early results, and highlights recent developments. Particular attention will be given to implementation challenges and ways to address them. In addition, the conference will explore how Smart Specialisation engages with global value chains and production networks, and how firms, regions and cities can benefit from relationships across borders. By gathering around 150 participants, including researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from Europe and beyond, the Conference will provide a unique and lively setting to explore the current status and future perspective of the Smart Specialisation policy concept. It will take place in Seville, Spain from 26 to 28 September 2018, as we flagged in past editions of the S3 Newsletter. Please note that attendance is by registration only (note that registration is now closed) and that the conference can be followed via web streaming.

The Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies supports a number of dedicated and specialised platforms and models that are used to generate and exchange information with stakeholders and partners (e.g. RHOMOLO, LUISA, Strat-Board, Urban Data Platform, T-Board), alongside the S3 Platform. While these platforms and models differ in specific focus, they have one common denominator: a territorial outlook. The KC TP organises a workshop preceding the 2018 Smarter Conference on 26 September 2018 morning. Participants will be provided with a fundamental understanding of what the KC TP is and what it does, so that they will be able to use or refer to the platforms/models in a basic way. Please note that registration is now closed.

On 25 September 2018, one day before the start of the 2018 SMARTER Conference, DG JRC will host a ground-breaking international workshop dedicated to the developments and potential of Smart Specialisation worldwide. Building on European successes and experiences, Smart Specialisation is increasingly being considered a driver of decentralised innovation policies. So far, it is present at different levels of implementation in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Norway and Peru, and is gaining traction in China, the United States of America, Canada and Africa, among others. The objective of this workshop is to showcase the main developments of various non-EU countries in the implementation and/or adaptation of Smart Specialisation, and to bring together the Smart Specialisation worldwide community. It will gather the participation of recognised academics, experts from international organisations, policy-makers and practitioners, as well as European Commission representatives and representatives from the European Union External Action Service.

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission organises the first global workshop on Smart Specialisation (S3) that will take place ahead of the 2018 Smarter Conference. Building on European experience, S3 is increasingly being considered a driver of regional economic transformation policies in several countries and regions around the world. This workshop aims to showcase the main developments of various non-EU countries in the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa in the implementation and/or adaptation of the S3 approach, bringing together the S3 worldwide community, learning from experience and exploring possible cooperation between the participating institutions. It will give a unique opportunity to bring together recognised academics, experts from international organisations, S3 policy-makers and practitioners, as well as representatives from the European Commission. It will take place on 25 September 2018 in Seville, as we flagged in past editions of the S3 Newsletter. Please note that attendance is by registration only (note that registration is now closed) and that the workshop can be followed via web streaming.

The Regional Economic Modelling (REMO) team participated in the ERSA congress in Cork (Ireland) and organised a special session.

All participants of the S3P Agri-food Semi-annual Working Committee meeting are invited to register and participate in the Food Safety 2020 event taking place on 11-13 June 2018 at Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences. The event is organised by the ERIAFF network and will focus on the following three themes: High Tech Agriculture, Nutrition, and Big Data. Furthermore, the S3 Platform envisages to organise a "Peer2Peer Café: Learning together" session on the 13th of June as part of the ERIAFF event.

All regions participating in agri-food thematic partnerships are invited to the S3P agri-food semi-annual working committee meeting. It will bring together the European Commission services and representatives of all agri-food thematic partnerships and will offer lead and partner regions an opportunity to: • assess the progress of each partnership and discuss any ongoing/future challenges; • obtain information on possible synergies with other initiatives, (e.g. Interreg, EIT Food or EIB); • discuss and share strategic guidance for the next period on key issues such as building synergies with EU funding programmes, overcoming regulatory obstacles for investment, understanding financial instruments, and skills. It will take place on 11th June 2018 in Seinajoki, Finland. Please register online (open to participating regions only).

Organised by the S3 Platform, this event will gather a small group of experienced practitioners that will provide insightful feedback of their experience of S3 implementation to date and will reflect together on better RIS3 design for the upcoming programming period. Emphasis will be given on: 1) An overview of strengths & weaknesses witnessed so far, as well as threats and opportunities that may be emerging, based on the experience accumulated so far with the S3 process; 2) Lessons learned by regions and main pitfalls observed for each of the six steps described in the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) guide; 3) Recommendations for a continuous improvement of the RIS3 with a view to better designing the strategies after 2020; 4) Capacity (e.g. in terms of human resources) needed to successfully design and implement a RIS3. Registration is now closed.

All regions participating in agri-food thematic partnerships are invited to the S3P agri-food semi-annual working committee meeting. It will bring together the European Commission services and representatives of all agri-food thematic partnerships and will offer lead and partner regions an opportunity to: • assess the progress of each partnership and discuss any ongoing/future challenges; • obtain information on possible synergies with other initiatives, (e.g. Interreg, EIT Food or EIB); • discuss and share strategic guidance for the next period on key issues such as building synergies with EU funding programmes, overcoming regulatory obstacles for investment, understanding financial instruments, and skills. It will take place on 11th June 2018 in Seinajoki, Finland. Please register online (open to participating regions only).