Smart specialisation strategies (RIS 3 or S3) are about enabling regions to turn their needs, strengths and competitive advantages into marketable goods and services. S3 aim to prioritise public research and innovation investments through a bottom up approach for the economic transformation of regions, building on regional competitive advantages and facilitating market opportunities in new inter-regional and European value chains.
Smart specialisation help regions to anticipate, plan and accompany their process of economic modernisation. The S3 approach is characterised by the identification of strategic areas for intervention based both on the analysis of the strengths and potential of the economy and on an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) with wide stakeholder involvement. It embraces a broad view of innovation supported by effective monitoring mechanisms.

Smart Specialisation Strategies set priorities at national and regional level to build competitive advantage by developing and matching research and innovation own strengths with business needs, to address emerging opportunities and market developments in a coherent manner, while avoiding duplication and fragmentation of efforts. They are also a backbone of national or regional research and innovation strategic policy frameworks in Europe. Since 2011, the Smart Specialisation Platform (S3 Platform) acts as a facilitator for regions and countries in the uptake and incorporation of the smart specialisation concept and methodology in their research and innovation strategies. The community is continuously growing. (Source: EC-JRC).

Smart Specialisation has already been in focus of the WBC-RTI.info newsletter in 2016 and 2018.  You can find the related articles here and here.  Please find a selection of new information items concerning RIS3 in the file attached