Conceived under the Cohesion Policy of the European Commission, the Smart Specialisation approach helps regions to target their support to research and innovation on carefully defined “priority areas” that reflect the strengths and assets of the regions. This includes in particular financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Smart Specialisation Strategies support knowledge-based regional development, and strengthens the integration of regional economies into European value chains.

The S3 Conference is the launch event for the S3 Community of Practice, DG REGIO’s major source of support for S3 implementation. This is a very timely moment, as the operationalisation of the EU Cohesion Policy for the 2021-2027 period is still in the early stages and the emphasis now will be on putting smart specialisation strategies into practice and delivering the necessary investments.

The S3 Conference will offer participants the chance to engage in interactive sessions showcasing the role of S3 in fostering innovation and driving local economic development in alignment with EU priorities.

Towards that objective, the S3 Conference will put a spotlight on:

• the support provided by the new S3 CoP, such as working groups, expert groups, targeted support activities as well as event and online tools;
• a policy debate on win-win opportunities for local economic development and EU priorities from experts and regional practitioners;
• interesting complementary initiatives that foster interregional cooperation and innovation investments such as the I3 Instrument and the European Innovation Ecosystems. Furthermore, DG REGIO ongoing work with the OECD shows how foreign direct investment can support local SMEs ecosystems. 

For more information about the programme, registration, draft agenda etc. please refer to the source page of this event announcement: https://s3-conference.regio-events.eu/