"Transforming Territories Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

GEOINNO2024 Call for abstract (14/07/2023)

We are looking forward to having your contributions to the special session “Interregional perspectives on challenge-oriented innovation systems for sustainability transitions” that we are leading in GEOINNO2024, the 7th Geography of Innovation Conference which will take place at The University of Manchester on 10–12 January 2024. The call for submission of extended abstracts (of no more than 1200 words) will be open until 04 August '23.

MOOC Smart Specialisation in EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Region (27/07/2023)

The MOOC analyses the main phases of the design of a Smart Specialisation Strategy while considering the specificity of each territory. It includes 7 modules aimed at disseminating the guidance and methodological approach, as well as practical examples, lessons and experiences from the Enlargement and Neighbouring region. The MOOC draws from the extensive work done by the Joint Research Centre in the promotion of the Smart Specialisation Framework for the Enlargement and Neighbourhood Region. The primary target audience includes Policy makers (EU, national and local levels), innovation stakeholders, practitioners and consultants, students in the innovation related fields. The learner will learn how to design, implement and monitor Smart Specialisation Strategies.

Smart Specialisation: main achievements and forthcoming challenges in EU enlargement (10/10/2023)

As part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2023, this session aims to highlight the importance of targeted support for Smart Specialisation in the EU Enlargement countries and discuss the main needs for the future. Speakers will present key results from the countries' experiences in the design and implementation process of Smart Specialisation in two EU candidate countries, based on the methodological guidance for applying the S3 approach in the EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood region. (Tuesday 10/10/2023, 14:30 - 15:30 CET)

SMARTER Stream by JRC: Urban and rural transformations for sustainability and resilience (11/07/2023)

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Regional Studies Association (RSA) co-organised in June the 2023 SMARTER conference stream in the context of the RSA Annual Conference 2023 in Ljubljana. Please visit the updated page where you may find all presentations uploaded.

Connecting Regional Innovation Valleys through Circular Industries (14/07/2023)

The event, held in Gijon in June 2023 and co-organised by SEKUENS - the RDA of the Principality of Asturias - and the JRC, aimed to address one of the "burning challenges" defined by the New European Innovation Agenda: achieving circularity in the process and energy-intensive industries. It was framed within the pilot project "Partnerships for Regional Innovation" and led by the Asturias region's experience, which dealt with cooperation opportunities for the industrial value chain. The discussion covered the upstream and downstream activities of the process and energy-intensive industries concerning the reliance on strategic raw materials, the energy transition and the circularity challenges.

Inter-territorial Working Group on Transformative innovation for climate resilience (12/07/2023)

The Inter-territorial Working Group on Transformative innovation for climate resilience held its second meeting on July 30. The Working Group had its first meeting on 09 March 2023. Invited territories were mostly signatories of both the PRI pilot and of the EU Mission on adaptation to climate change. Its main objectives are identifying barriers, good practices and opportunities for implementing Climate Adaptation solutions with support of Smart Specialisation Strategies, ERDF and other relevant funds and supporting selected territories in aligning their cohesion policies with transformative innovation actions for climate adaptation and resilience. Another main objective is enhancing inter-territorial collaboration and partnerships on transformative innovation between participating territories based on common interests related to climate adaptation and resilience. Last but not least, providing strategic learning on how best to align cohesion policy with transformative innovation actions towards climate resilience, focusing on (i) governance structures (whole-of-government and multi-level governance), (ii) finance instruments, and (iii) inter-territorial collaboration.

Methodological guidelines for qualitative analysis of economic, innovation and scientific potential in the EU enlargement and neighbourhood (11/07/2023)

This report aims at supporting the S3 Framework in order to maximise the benefits and avoid potential issues in the qualitative mapping process. The focus is on providing instructions and advice on how to prepare each step of the qualitative analysis, taking into account the characteristics of the regional context. As the appropriate setup of the qualitative mapping sets the conditions for an efficient stakeholder dialogue in the entrepreneurial discovery process, which represents a Smart Specialisation cornerstone, this report underlines the necessity of systematic involvement of stakeholders in a transparent and fully participatory manner during the qualitative mapping phase.

PRI Scientific Committee papers (11/07/2023)

Here you can find publications relevant to Partnerships for Regional Innovation. It includes publications by the PRI Scientific Committee and selected JRC publications of direct relevance to the design and implementation of transformative innovation policies. We invite you to have a look!

JRC launches new Territorial Economic Data viewer release to help monitor EU funds for R&I (31/05/2023)

The JRC has just launched the new release of the Territorial Economic Data viewer (TEDv), a unique data visualization tool providing data on European R&I funding in a comprehensive framework. The platform is intended for policy-makers and researchers making available a wealth of information for monitoring and analysis purposes. A key feature of TEDv is that it allows users to compare different funding sources across multiple geographical areas, and relate them to territorial statistical information such as research and development expenditure. For the first time, these data usually scattered across various sources can be handily searched for and retrieved from a single platform.

SMARTER Stream by JRC: Urban and rural transformations for sustainability and resilience (15/06/2023)

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Regional Studies Association (RSA) are co-organising the 2023 SMARTER conference stream in the context of the RSA Annual Conference 2023 in Ljubljana. The overall focus of the SMARTER stream is on challenges and opportunities of place-based transformations towards sustainability and resilience. The JRC will curate a series of sessions including an opening session featuring distinguished keynote speakers, two policy dialogues and three paper sessions.

Connecting regional innovation valleys through circular industries (21/06/2023)

Registration is open! The event in Gijón, led by the Asturias regional experience, will open cooperation opportunities in one of the "burning challenges" identified by the New European Innovation Agenda, Achieving Circularity. The Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) will help to deliver on the New European Innovation Agenda establishing 100 Regional Innovation Valleys across Europe.

Eye@RIS3 update (01/06/2023)

We continue inviting the European regional/national authorities in charge to upload their Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3s) priorities for the period 2021-2027 promptly and thus join numerous EU Member States (CZ, GR, HU, IE, MT) and regions from FR, IT, PL, PT and SE that have done so during the past few weeks. The Eye@RIS3 tool provides key information on national and regional RIS3s thus facilitating collaboration and preparations of EU territories’ joint applications for various already published and upcoming calls. The S3 Platform recently facilitated the updated on-line tool for encoding the territories’ RIS3 priorities for the period 2021-2027. Please note that for security reasons you will need to get an EU Login account (ECAS) prior to uploading your territory’s RIS3 priorities. For support do not hesitate to contact Ales.Gnamus@ec.europa.eu or Gerard.Carat@ec.europa.eu.

Conference “Partnerships for Regional Innovation: From Pilot to Practice” (01/06/2023)

The conference “Partnerships for Regional Innovation: From Pilot to Practice” held on 30-31 May brought together participants in the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) Pilot and beyond to discuss further joint work, exchange good practices, co-shape the revised PRI Playbook and engage with interested stakeholders on the green and digital transitions. The conference was organised in the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, together with the European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions and the Dalarna Region together with the regions of Northern and Eastern Central Sweden and Vinnova, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and MidSweden. The event was an opportunity to hand over the PRI approach from the Swedish Presidency to the forthcoming Spanish Semester. The participation of Teresa Riesgo, General Secretary for Innovation of Spain, confirmed the alignment of PRI with the next term’s priorities.

S3 Summit: Smart Specialisation Strategy - São Miguel Azores 2023 initiative (19/05/2023)

The JRC and PRI pilot participants from Extremadura, Dalarna, Gabrovo, Navarra, the Northern Netherlands and Podkarpackie joined efforts with the regional government of the Azores in the workshop "PRI Learning Journey: Co-creating (inter)regional missions" at the Portuguese S3Summit in Ponte Delgada. The workshop provided an opportunity to learn about mission theory (Matthijs Janssen, Utrecht University) and policy practice (Tatiana Fernandez, Catalonia) and to explore three possible mission topics for the region of the Azores: self-sustaining agriculture, balancing biodiversity with its uses and sustainable and decarbonised mobility. The workshop represented a first attempt by the PRI community to support the initiation of local missions in one of its members. PRI pilot regions obtained useful experience on how to facilitate the process of mission development, demonstrating that co-creation workshops can be a powerful tool for mutual learning.

Capacities for transformative innovation in public administrations and governance systems (29/05/2023)

Despite mounting interest in transformative innovation policies, there are only few studies that provide insights with regards to their implementation. The present study asks which policy design features make a policy transformative and what capacities public administration and the broader governance system need in order to provide such transformative policies.

Suggestions for Monitoring and Evaluation of Transformative Innovation Policy JRC Working Papers on Territorial Modelling and Analysis (01/06/2023)

This paper focuses on TIP's monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and provides some recommendations for how to set up M&E, contrasting traditional M&E with modern M&E, and highlighting the need for real-time data. In sum, we state that M&E needs improving, and we suggest how this might be done. Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) has an important role in the sudden transition that our economies require to face up to today's grand challenges (climate change, sustainable development goals).

Missions and Cohesion Policy: Living separate or dancing together? (31/05/2023)

The JRC-TEDAM working paper explores avenues for cross-fertilisation between the mission oriented approach and cohesion policy. On the one hand, missions can help restore a strong sense of identity into cohesion policy and strengthen its impact through more directionality. On the other hand, cohesion policy could contribute to infusing a more pronounced place-based dimension into the missions approach. The paper looks at these aspects with an eye to discussions on the future of place-based policies.

PRI EVENT: CONNECTING REGIONAL INNOVATION VALLEYS BY CLIMATE NEUTRAL INDUSTRIES (21/06/2023)

Co-organised by the Agency for the Economic Development of the Principality of Asturias (IDEPA) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), this initiative’s objectives are setting the European scene for industrial strategic autonomy and transition to sustainability, and promoting collaboration among the regions that, like Asturias, share the challenge of industrial transition to circular and carbon-neutral industry. Registration will be announced in the coming days.

JRC present at the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum 2023 (08/05/2023)

The eighth annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals took place on the 3rd and 4th of May, 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Joint Research Centre contributed to two sessions during the Forum, “Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa Day 2023” on Tuesday 2nd of May and “Implementing national STI4SDG roadmaps – capacity building and Partnership in Action” on Thursday the 4th. The focus of the contributions was based on JRC’s projects on STI for SDGs roadmaps in Africa.

The Square: putting place-based innovation policy for sustainability at the centre of policymaking (08/05/2023)

In this anthology, leading scholars reflect on the conditions for place-based innovation for sustainability and its consequences for directionality, strategy development, governance, actors and instruments for delivery and investment.

A new study delves on how Arctic regions implement Smart Specialisation strategies for SDG’s (14/04/2023)

As the Arctic regions continue to attract increasing global policy attention, a new evidence-based scientific report, published in March 2023, aims at providing insights on how the smart specialisation strategies developed at regional level address sustainable development challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study includes examples of relevant projects and initiatives drawn from Arctic Finland, Arctic Sweden and Arctic Norway and it highlights how crucial it is for the European Arctic communities to increase research and policy debates about empowering sustainable development and industrial transitions. Joint Research Centre Deputy Director General, Salla Saastamoinen keenly presented the study and highlighted some of the main findings during her intervention at the annual Summit of European Indigenous Sámi People that took place on 22nd – 24th March 2023 at the European Parliament, Brussels.

Partnerships for Regional Innovation: From Pilot to Practice Conference, 30 & 31 May, Tällberg, Dalarna, Sweden (30/05/2023)

Participants will share the lessons learnt from the PRI Pilot Action and take stock of the achievements obtained in collaboration, since its launch in May 2022. The event will encourage participants to bring PRI collaboration to the next level by meeting other participants, discussing topics of interest and possibilities of close interregional collaboration and is an excellent opportunity for gathering information on Regional Innovation Valleys, for community building and for establishing partnerships. We would like to encourage each and every region to take the lead in a topic of their interest, and mobilise the territories they would like to partner with, to join the event.

S3 SUMMIT: Smart Specialisation Strategy – São Miguel Azores 2023 initiative (17/05/2023)

The Regional Directorate for Science and Technology (DRCT, GRA), the National Innovation Agency (ANI), and the Joint Research Center (JRC) are organizing the S3 SUMMIT: Smart Specialisation Strategy – São Miguel Azores 2023 initiative, which will take place from May 17 to 19, 2023 in São Miguel, Azores. This initiative focuses on Smart Specialisation Strategies and comprises 3 events: - 17/05: 1ª Jornada RIS3 Açores 2022-2027 - 18/05: Innovation and Smart Specialisation Forum - 19/05: Partnerships for Regional Innovation learning journey: Co-creating (inter)regional missions

Live stream available - PRI Event “From playbook to implementation” (28/03/2023)

We can call it a success! Tuesday 28 March 2023, the 2023 Partnerships for Regional Innovation High-level event took place in Brussels at the Berlaymont Building, organised by the Joint Research Centre and by the European Committee of the Regions, and also broadcasted live. The participants were mainly high-level representatives from the EU institutions and ministers, deputy-ministers, mayors and members of regional councils from PRI Pilot territories. The hybrid event has attracted over 1200 participants (160 in presence, 1049 online with 249 peak viewers).

REGISTER - Partnerships for Regional Innovation High Level Event, March 28, Brussels (28/03/2023)

Wondering about what 74 European territories have experienced in the Partnerships for Regional Innovation Pilot project about transformative innovation towards Green Deal? Why is the implementation of the New European Innovation Agenda critical for Europe’s future? Join us at the High-Level political event PRI holds at the Berlaymont building in Brussels on March 28, endorsed by the presence of Commissioner Gabriel, Commissioner Ferreira and the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Alves Cordeiro. Please register, we are looking forward to seeing you on March 28!

Eye@RIS3 update (15/03/2023)

We kindly invite the European regional/national authorities in charge to encode their new RIS3 priorities AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The Eye@RIS3 tool provides key information on national and regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3s). The S3 Platform has recently put on-line the updated tool for encoding the territories’ RIS3 priorities for the period 2021-2027. The tool also facilitates encoding the new 2021 NUTS codes allowing for the territories that have changed their regional status in the recent years (e.g. France, Poland) to encode their RIS3 priorities. Please note that you will need an EU Login account (ECAS). For support do not hesitate to contact Ales.Gnamus@ec.europa.eu and/or Gerard.Carat@ec.europa.eu

High Level Event Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) “From Playbook to Implementation” (28/03/2023)

The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions launch on 28 March the High Level Event on the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) “From Playbook to Implementation” as a bridge between smart specialisation and other EU policies to promote innovation-driven territorial transformation. The participants will be the Presidents and Regional Ministers of the 74 territories, who will accompany Commissioner Gabriel, Commissioner Ferreira and the President of the European Committee of the Region, Alves Cordeiro. At the scientific level, the event will gather world-leading experts in place-based innovation and territorial development through the PRI Scientific Committee.

4th Interregional Cooperation PRI event held in December 2022 (17/01/2023)

The PRI aspiration towards Interregional Cooperation was presented in the 4th PRI Plenary event held. 132 representatives of the 74 PRI territories participated in the event. The European Committee of the Regions and the Joint Research Centre introduced jointly the PRI’s playing field for territories to cooperate on transitions to sustainability pathways. PRI members’ valuable experiences were exposed, and, after intense parallel working sessions, meaningful insights were harvested about the Interregional funding mechanism, Innovations Services and Collaboration in Policies and Tools for accelerating the transitions; the above can prove excellent building blocks for the regions to collaborate and for building up together joint proposals to submit to the European instruments/programs at the disposal of the Interregional Cooperation. Interreg, I3, Euroclusters and Missions and the forthcoming Deep Tech Valley’s Call were presented by DG RDT, DG REGIO, DG GROW and DG CLIMA.

Workshop “Building the Future: Collaboration for Sustainable Transformative Innovation” (27/01/2023)

On the 23rd of November, we hosted an Iberian workshop at JRC Seville with cross-border regions from Portugal and Spain. The Portuguese Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, and the Portuguese Secretary of State for Regional Development, Isabel Ferreira, joined the debate with JRC researchers and representatives from 8 Portuguese and Spanish regional managing authorities. The workshop aimed to foster a collaborative culture, to exchange experience and knowledge about monitoring and evaluation, governance and inter-regional collaboration between Spanish-Portuguese border regions.

Fifth Plenary Meeting on Interregional Cooperation in PRI (27/02/2023)

This 5th Plenary aims to advance towards the implementation of Interregional Cooperation, agreeing on the steps forward and paving the way for strengthening its political endorsement. This 5th PRI Plenary has been designed as a 3-hour morning session, with 3 main blocks: Insights gathered on Interregional Cooperation and the way ahead for implementation, Stocktaking in the activities of PRI Working Groups and the preparation for the PRI High Level Event, that will take place in Brussels on 28th of March 2023.

Enhancing the sustainability dimension in Smart Specialisation strategies: a framework for reflection (05/01/2023)

This report introduces a tested reflection framework that aims to provide guidance for enhancing the sustainability outcomes of Smart Specialisation strategies. To make the framework accessible and useful for policy makers in all interested regions and countries, the JRC consulted and tested the framework on the ground.

Discovery processes for transformative innovation policy, Lessons learned from the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) practice (17/01/2023)

The purpose of this paper is to review available studies on how “Entrepreneurial Discovery Processes” have been implemented and identify which lessons learned are relevant to the new context of transformative innovation policies, where “discovery and experimentation” processes will continue to be a key aspect.

Update now your S3 priorities in Eye@RIS3 and help support collaboration between regional innovation valleys (17/02/2023)

Since several years the Eye@RIS3 tool has been forging transformative innovation collaboration across Europe and beyond, thus facilitating creation of numerous Innovation collaborative networks, projects and partnerships. The Commission’s Communication on a new European Innovation Agenda calls for supporting the creation of the regional innovation valleys, building on the Smart Specialisation Strategies, and where appropriate, on the Partnerships for Regional Innovation. The Eye@RIS3 tool provides key information on the innovation priorities on the basis of the national and regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3s). The S3 Platform has recently put on-line the updated tool with the new section aiming at the encoding of the territories’ RIS3 priorities for the period 2021-2027. The tool now facilitates encoding also for the new 2021 NUTS codes allowing for the territories that have changed their regional status in the recent years to encode their RIS3 priorities. In order to allow for full functionality of the tool shortly, we kindly invite the European regional/national authorities in charge to encode their new RIS3 priorities as soon as possible, in order to facilitate innovation networking across Europe, and in particular to facilitate the creation of and collaboration between upcoming regional innovation valleys. While the Eye@RIS3 tool for the period 2014-2020 has been closed for encoding or editing, the tool for the period 2021-2027 is now ready to propose or edit the respective S3 priorities.

Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals Roadmaps in Sub-Saharan Africa: Kick-off meeting and capacity building training workshop (13/02/2023)

During the three-day event, representatives of six pilot countries (The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, and Seychelles) shared the state of the art on STI systems, policies and frameworks towards the SDGs. Needs, expectations and next steps were discussed both in plenaries and bilateral meetings. Dedicated capacity building training and workshops were provided, also in collaboration with invited partners including UNDESA and AUDA-NEPAD. The project aims to help design effective STI policies and strategies to support innovation ecosystems towards the SDGs in Africa, to strengthen STI capacities and to build more inclusive, sustainable societies.

Entrepreneurial regional governance: Territorial cohesion through open innovation (07/12/2022)

This Seminar will inform about the New European Innovation Agenda. The fresh evidence is expected to yield considerable benefits for regional policy-making, in particular in the context of RIS3 strategies connected with sustainable development goals, ESIF-, RRF- and JTF-aided economic transition policies, innovation procurement, open government and open data developments, Horizon Europe and other collaborative and open innovation practices of public authorities.

Fourth PRI Plenary meeting on how interregional collaboration can support systemic transformation (14/12/2022)

The central objective is to better understand how interregional collaboration can support systemic transformation. This will be an online workshop to be held on Wednesday 14 December 2022 from 10.00 to 17.00 hrs. By invitation only (PRI Pilot participants).

"Friends of EU Research and Innovation" initiative (24/10/2022)

EU R&I Days 2022 launched a new initiative called Friends of EU Research and Innovation, a database of individuals and organisations available to act as multipliers of EU Research and Innovation. Any organisation or individual can become a Friend of EU R&I, as long as they are open to spread the word about EU Research and Innovation. Universities, NGOs, businesses, networks and umbrella associations in the EU, at national and sub-national level are ideal candidates. Once there is a significant number of registered stakeholders, they will have access to a digital platform with exclusive events and content, as well as networking features similar to the EU R&I Days.

North Macedonia hosted an International Conference on Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans and Türkiye (03/11/2022)

On October 18 and 19, 2022, the Marriott hotel in Skopje was the chosen venue for the international conference “Implementing the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport – Support to Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans and Türkiye”. More than 100 participants attended the event including high officials, policy makers, innovation practitioners, representatives from start-ups and SMEs, academia, business society and civil organisations from the EU Enlargement region but also from the EU member states. The agenda included a diverse group of panel discussions that sought to elaborate on the benefits of the implementation of EU-style innovation policies, with particular focus on Smart Specialisation in the EU Enlargement region concerning the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

The identification of Smart Specialisation priority domains in Albania, a mapping exercise (23/11/2022)

The mapping exercise described in this technical report contributes to gather evidence based information as a basis to select and define the priority areas of the Smart Specialisation Strategy of Albania. This study supports a first identification of the economic and productive domains that might be considered in the selection of the priority areas for a Smart Specialisation Strategy in Albania, and it includes both quantitative and a qualitative analyses.

Smart Specialisation in the Eastern Partnership countries - Potential for knowledge-based economic cooperation (14/11/2022)

The Eastern Partnership is a specific Eastern dimension to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Through the ENP, the EU works with its southern and eastern neighbours to achieve the closest possible political association and the greatest possible degree of economic integration. The purpose of this study is to contribute to evidence-informed research and innovation policy, in particular the development of Smart Specialisation Strategies. The study presents a solid basis for these processes in the Eastern Partnership region by offering an extensive quantitative analysis of national-level potential in the economy, innovation, science and technology. The report also indicates the evidence-informed areas for knowledge-based economic cooperation to support bilateral and region-wide initiatives.

The Joint Research Centre invites European regions to participate in the REGIONS2030 Pilot Project (10/09/2022)

A call for expression has been sent by the JRC targeting European regions with the aim to generate interest in contributing to the Pilot Project "REGIONS2030: Monitoring the SDGs in the EU regions - Filling the data gaps", supported by the European Parliament. The REGIONS2030 Pilot Project will be implemented with the participation of up to 10 European regions willing to evaluate the achievement of the SDGs and explore the synergies of SDGs monitoring, policy-making and sustainable regional development.

Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) in the European Week for Regions and cities 2022 (11/10/2022)

The first ‘Partnerships for Regional Innovation’ PRI Open Forum will be held as an online workshop during the European Week of Regions and Cities on 11th October, from 16:30 to 18:00 hrs. Registration is still open: everyone with an interest in innovation policies for territorial transformation is invited!

New Territorial Economic Data Viewer (TEDv) in the European Week for Regions and cities 2022 (11/10/2022)

A new version of the Territorial Economic Data Viewer (TEDv), available in the S3 platform Tool section, will be presented during the European Week for Regions and cities on 11th October, from 11h to 12h. You can still register!

Implementing the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) in EU Regions in the European Week for Regions and cities 2022 (11/10/2022)

How is the European Union helping SMEs and public organisations to their digital transformation? A new policy instrument for 2021-2027 is the implementation of a network of European DIHs in the EU regions. During the workshop within EWRC 2022 we will present important developments of the initiative and how the network will be supported by the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) and we will reply to your questions.

Smart strategies for reconstruction and development in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia (12/10/2022)

The workshop aims at providing a space for reflection on whether smart strategy-driven innovation in new major priority areas, such as the question of the energy system, could significantly contribute to sustainable reconstruction and development. Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia will share their thoughts and experience during the event.

Transition of the S3 to the PRI(S4) through the circular economy (13/10/2022)

We explore the exchange of good regional practices and experiences in the transition of the S3 to the PRI (S4) and through the circular economy. Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) offer an opportunity for a new systemic approach in developing and connecting public policies and investments. The workshop will focus on how the PRI approach can be channeled for sustainability and regional transition to a circular economy, as one of the main building blocks of the EU Green Deal.

International Conference: Implementing the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport - Support to Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans and Turkey (18/10/2022)

The conference “Implementing the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport - Support to Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans and Turkey” will bring together high officials, policy makers, innovation practitioners, representatives from start-ups and SMEs, as well as members of academia, business society and civil organisations from the EU Enlargement region but also from the EU member states.

Seminar in memory of Jaime Del Castillo: Contribution to Regional Development Policies in Europe and Latin-America (06/10/2022)

Jaime Del Castillo - University professor of applied economics at the University of the Basque Country (UPV), founder and president of Infyde Global Consulting - has played a key role in guiding and implementing regional innovation policies in the European Union and in Latin-America. He has been a mentor and source of inspiration for many colleagues and students. At this event, colleagues and friends pay tribute to his tireless curiosity and contributions.

Case studies towards Green Transition in EU regions (28/09/2022)

A grouping of five case studies reports an in-depth analysis across five regions from across the European Union representing a diversity of approaches to using S3 for Green Transition: the Basque Country in Spain, the Centro region in Portugal, the region of East and North Finland, the region of Western Macedonia in Greece and the region of West Netherlands.

Towards Green Transition in EU regions (28/09/2022)

The report provides a detailed overview of the lessons learnt from five case studies on regions from across the European Union representing a diversity of approaches to using smart specialisation for Green Transition: the Basque Country in Spain, the Centro region in Portugal, the region of East & North Finland, the region of Western Macedonia in Greece and the region of West Netherlands.

Launch of the first Lighthouse event of the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) Pilot Action (08/09/2022)

The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions launch on 8 September the first Lighthouse event within the Second Plenary Meeting of the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI). Lighthouse events is a PRI Pilot flagship arena to connect participants together to get insights on key elements of the PRI approach, giving them the opportunity to inquire, share experiences and identify participants that face similar challenges. The first PRI Lighthouse event focuses on a selection of available JRC tools and methods that can help diagnose resilience and sustainability challenges starting from data and indicators. The online event is under invitation for the PRI community.

Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) in the European Week for Regions and cities 2022 (11/10/2022)

The first ‘Partnerships for Regional Innovation’ PRI Open Forum will be held as an online workshop during the European Week of Regions and Cities on 11th October, from 16:30 to 18:00 hrs. Everyone with an interest in innovation policies for territorial transformation is invited! The PRI Open Forum is a venue to learn about the ongoing PRI Pilot and to connect with other regions and stakeholders from Europe and beyond. PRI offers a complementary strategic framework to Smart Specialisation that seeks to leverage the power of systemic innovation to deliver economic, environmental and social co-benefits. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with the Committee of the Regions (CoR) will report on progress with the PRI Pilot initiative, working jointly with over 70 territories to develop the new approach in support of the much-needed green and digital transition. Practitioners from the territories participating in the PRI Pilot will be with us to share their experiences and ideas, while the workshop will serve as an inspiring platform to connect and commence a continuing dialogue with other regions and stakeholders with an interest in developing innovation strategies for transformation.

New Territorial Economic Data Viewer (TEDv) in the European Week for Regions and cities 2022 (11/10/2022)

A new version of the Territorial Economic Data Viewer (TEDv), available in the S3 platform Tool section, will be presented in European Week for Regions and cities on 11th October, from 11h to 12h. The TEDv provides a comprehensive territorial data visualization (at NUTS levels 0, 1 and 2) of EU Research and Innovation (R&I) funding and beyond.

International Conference: Implementing the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport - Support to Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans and Turkey (18/10/2022)

The conference “Implementing the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport - Support to Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans and Turkey” will bring together high officials, policy makers, innovation practitioners, representatives from start-ups and SMEs, as well as members of academia, business society and civil organisations from the EU Enlargement region but also from the EU member states. It aims to discuss the progress made by the Western Balkan economies in Smart Specialisation with a the particular focus on the implementation stage and the contribution to the Western Balkan Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (Western Balkan Agenda).

Update of the Eye@RIS3 (26/08/2022)

The Eye@RIS3 tool provides information on the innovation priorities across Europe on the basis of the regional/national Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (S3). An updated Eye@RIS3 tool recently incorporated into the S3 Platform facilitates the encoding of regional/national S3 priorities for the period 2021-2027 as well as new 2021 NUTS codes. In order to populate the Eye@RIS3 tool data for the 2021-2027 period as quickly as possible and facilitate interregional cooperation around S3, we kindly invite the European regional/national authorities in charge of their respective S3s to encode their new priorities at the earliest opportunity. In order to encode new S3 priorities for your territory you will need an EU Login account (ECAS). Please note that the Eye@RIS3 tool for the period 2014-2020 has been closed for encoding or editing any S3 priorities.

Higher Education for Smart Specialisation (HESS) activity (26/08/2022)

The HESS project is in the process of launching a set of stakeholder consultations in relation to its work. The HESS project, a JRC collaboration with DG EAC, seeks to engage and support regions and stakeholders from higher education in regional development processes and regional innovation systems. As a result, throughout the autumn, the project team will be undertaking a series of focus groups across the European University ERASMUS+ funded projects to explore how they relate to their local ecosystems and contribute to smart specialisation and regional development. Meanwhile as a first step in engaging with the EIT KIC’s HEI Initiative project, a stakeholder survey will be launched to all successful project applicants, with a view to exploring their regional engagement. Finally, the second meeting of the HESS Advisory Group will be held on 8th September 2022, with a focus upon drawing out the links and relevance with the JRC and CoR’s Partnerships for Regional Innovation pilot action. The HESS advisory group is made up of seven external experts and two observers from across the EU who work as academics or practitioners in the field of education and skills and territorial development. The co-creation group provides direction to the project, reflects on outcomes and identifies policy implications of relevance to the HESS project and higher education more broadly.

What lessons are there for Open Discovery Process (ODP) from the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process' (EDP) experience? (17/08/2022)

Based on the JRC's experience with smart specialisation strategies over the past decade and state-of-the-art literature on innovation, the S3 team is revising the EDP's experience to contribute to the ODP's conceptual, methodological and practical development by summarising the lessons learned from the EDP experience during the 2014-2020 programming period. In order to identify the most innovative practices, SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US!!

Education and Innovation Summit, June 22, 2022 (26/08/2022)

The JRC participated in the Education and Innovation Summit of the Directorate General Education and Culture (DG EAC) on the 22nd of June. The plenary session on STEAM was opened by the commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, who called upon the third mission of higher education institutions to support transformative innovation and the twin (green and digital) transitions. Andreia Inamorato, senior researcher in the smart specialisation team of the JRC, moderated the plenary.

Innovation ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa: the path towards localised STI for SDGs roadmaps (12/07/2022)

The 1.5-hour side event was held virtually on the margins of the HLPF 2022. The first part of the event shared the overview on STI performances in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the second part, countries developing their STI for SDGs roadmaps in the context of the Global Pilot Programme, as well as countries willing to engage in the process shared their experiences, achievements, and expectations. Discussants provided their reflections on the way forward and suggested their perspectives on actions to apply the lessons learnt in Sub-Saharan Africa while scaling up the work on STI for SDGs Roadmaps.

Smart specialisation reaches out to new audiences at the EDEN conference (26/08/2022)

EDEN is the European Distance Education Network. This year the conference focus was on “Shaping the Digital Transformation of the Education Ecosystem in Europe”. The JRC participated in the conference with a presentation titled: ‘That’s the way the cookie crumbles. And this is how open educational practices become essential ingredients’, by Andreia Inamorato, senior research in the smart specialisation team. PRI (Partnerships for Regional Innovation) and HESS (Higher Education for Smart Specialisation) were approached as initiatives that promote and illustrate ways for education institutions to further engage with transformative innovation through regional development. The PRI Playbook contains fiches with tools for a wide range of stakeholders, and the HESS project published case studies that serve as inspiration for strategic planning and action.

COVID-19 and the smart specialisation strategy (18/08/2022)

The report focuses on organisational policy capacities and governance processes required to deal with the consequences of COVID-19.

Linking the ‘Recovery and Resilience Plan’ and Smart Specialisation. The Spanish Case (18/08/2022)

This study aims to analyse the alignment of investments in the Spanish ‘Recovery and Resilience Plan’ with the Smart Specialisation Strategies priorities (2021-2027) of the country and its regions to identify opportunities for potential synergies and complementary between funding instruments. The structure and methodology follows the Marques Santos (2021) approach that has been applied in the Portuguese case study.

Linking the ‘Recovery and Resilience Plan’ and Smart Specialisation. The Greek Case (18/08/2022)

This work analyses the alignment of investments in the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan (‘the Greek RRP’) with the Smart Specialisation Strategies priorities (2021-2027) of the country and its regions to identify potential synergies and complementarities between funding instruments. The structure and methodology follows the approach that was applied in the Portuguese case by Marques Santos (2021).

Linking the ‘Recovery and Resilience Plan’ and Smart Specialisation. The Italian Case (18/08/2022)

This study aims at analysing possible synergies between the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Smart Specialisation Strategies for 2021-2027 of Italian regions.

Partnerships for Regional Innovation: 63 regions, seven cities and four Member States selected for Pilot Action (30/05/2022)

On May 17th, the Commission announced the 63 regions, seven cities and four Member States selected in the pilot project for Partnerships for Regional Innovation, an initiative developed together with the Committee of the Regions. Participants in the pilot action are open to share good practices and to co-develop and test tools to mobilise multiple sources of funding and policies, and connect regional and national programmes to EU initiatives for the green and digital transformations. These Partnerships will feed into the new Innovation Agenda for Europe, where innovation drives the transformation for sustainability, connecting local strategies with EU-level initiatives.

The European Startup Village Forum: Call for Pledges (26/04/2022)

The European Startup Village Forum is part of the flagship action on research and innovation for rural communities, included in the Long-Term Vision for the EU’s rural areas set out by the European Commission in 2021. It promotes an open space where institutions and stakeholders can meet, discuss and shape action for startup-driven innovation in rural areas. A call for pledges has been launched to gather the commitment of public and private organisations to support the objectives of the Forum.

JRC’s participation in the 7th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (14/06/2022)

Under the theme of “Science, technology, and innovation for building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the seventh multi-stakeholder forum on STI for the SDGs was held on 5-6 May 2022. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) took special part in the Thematic Session 3: Global, national, and local innovation ecosystems where the need to apply localized, evidence informed and participative priority setting processed for research and innovation investments were discussed.

First Pilot Plenary meeting on Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) (07/07/2022)

Following the high interest from EU territories and Member States to participate in the PRI Pilot Action launched jointly last month by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions, we are pleased to announce the first PRI Pilot Plenary meeting. This will be an online event to be held in the morning of 7th July 2022. The PRI Pilot Plenary will be the main set-up for collective discussion, learning and co-creation among all PRI Pilot participants. This first meeting of the Pilot Plenary will present the policy context around PRI, the PRI Playbook and a proposal for a PRI Pilot roadmap, outlining the organisation of pilot activities. It will be an interactive event and engage in a structured dialogue with participants about modes of engagement and co-creation.

Launch event of the CoR-JRC Pilot Action on Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) (17/05/2022)

The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions launch on the 17th of May the Pilot action on Partnerships for Regional Innovation. This initiative responds to the urgent call of the European Green Deal to address the unprecedented challenge posed by climate change and other societal challenges related to sustainability in ways that strengthen social and territorial cohesion.

PRI Playbook (11/05/2022)

The Partnerships are launched as a pilot project, in a spirit of co-creation of practitioners, stakeholders and experts. This Playbook is the initial support document for a pilot phase engaging Member States, regions and groups of regions who have volunteered to co-develop and test the approach, centered on a selection of practical policy tools. It will be launched on 17 May 2022.

Advisory Group on Higher Education for Smart Specialisation launched (18/03/2022)

On 11th February 2022 the JRC and DG EAC launched a new advisory group for the Higher Education for Smart Specialisation (HESS) project. The HESS project seeks to engage and support regions and stakeholders from higher education in regional development processes and regional innovation ecosystems to ensure places contribute to local and broader European growth and transformation. The HESS advisory group is made up of seven selected external experts from across the EU who work as academics or practitioners in the field of education and skills and territorial development, and includes the OECD and EURASHE as observers. The group aims to reflect on outcomes and provide direction to the HESS project, identifying relevant activities and broader policy implications. In the first meeting of the group, held virtually, JRC staff and contracted experts presented some of the work being carried out to date, specifically in relation to ERASMUS+ initiatives and European Structural and Investment Funds. The co-creation group will continue to meet at roughly six month intervals, with its second meeting foreseen at the end of June 2022.

S3 Peer-exchange workshop for EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Region (18/03/2022)

The Joint Research Centre has been working closely with countries beyond European Union borders to help develop and implement innovation strategies based on the principle of Smart Specialisation. Following this line, the JRC has organized an online S3 peer-exchange workshop, aimed at representatives from EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Regions, scheduled for 29-30 March 2022. The event sought to provide support, based on the experience of peer countries/regions and experts, for planning, designing and applying S3 strategies.