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S3 Thematic Platforms and Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships

Starting in 2015, the European Commission has launched four dedicated S3 Thematic Platforms.

About

Starting in 2015, the European Commission has launched four dedicated S3 Thematic Platforms related to Agri-Food, Energy, Industrial Modernisation and since March 2022 a new platform on the Sustainable Blue Economy.

The S3 Thematic Platforms are joint initiatives between several Directorates- General of the European Commission under the lead of DG Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO) including Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), Energy (ENER), Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE), and Research and Innovation (RTD)). Since 2020 the management of the S3 Thematic Platforms has been transferred from the Joint Research Centre to the DG Regional and Urban Policy. The platforms provide the structure to support the creation of an interregional collaborative network of strategic Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships (TSSPs) and enable these partnerships to work together in shared smart specialisation areas.

Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships (TSSPs) bring together regions interested in initiating and exploring new value chains in specific priority areas based on a shared interest in their smart specialisation strategies. TSSPs target specific areas with high potential for technological, societal, and ecological return at regional and European level, underpinned by shared smart specialisation strategy priorities across committed regions, cluster organisations, businesses, and innovation actors as well as civil society. TSSPs are open to participation of regional authorities and/or quadruple helix actors with a mandate from their regional authority and have a smart specialisation strategy that has clear links to the topic.

TSSPs rely on regional commitment, through the participation of the regional authority, or other stakeholders from the quadruple helix with a mandate from the regional authority. Collaboration builds on a common interest and particular strength in the region with the ambition to look beyond regional borders for complementary expertise, new insights and explore opportunities for further advancement. Interregional collaboration can take the form of exchange of practices and experiences, alignment of policies, design of co-investment projects, among others. Regions involved in the TSSPs aim to strengthen core areas of expertise complementary to and in collaboration with other regions based on shared smart specialisation priorities. Outcomes of the TSSPs include the development of interregional investment projects, interregional collaboration projects, the alignment of smart specialisation strategies between various regions, among others.

S3 Thematic Platforms

Interested in joining/forming a new partnership?

Interested in joining other regions and quadruple helix actors in their exploration of new interregional value chains? Did you discover that your smart specialisation priorities are not covered in an existing partnership? We welcome you to apply to the Call for Expression of Interest for new partnerships. Regions with actors interested in building new partnerships, can reach out to the S3 CoP Secretariat via partnerships@s3-cop.eu for more information.

More details and the application form are found


Monitoring the activities of your partnership

Every six months, Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships are asked to fill out a short web-based monitoring template to share information on the progress and state of play of the partnership. More details can be found

FAQ about the S3 Thematic Platforms and Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships (TSSPs)


Contact

For questions and inquiries, please consult the S3 CoP Secretariat website and regularly updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The S3 CoP Secretariat can be reached for all other inquiries via contact@s3-cop.eu