The LOTTI project operates within the framework of the Renewing and Competent Finland 2021-2027 / ERDF programme, which was approved by the EU Commission in May 2022. This programme is designed to bolster the vitality, employment, and overall well-being of Finnish regions. It emphasizes six key priority areas, including sustainable development, gender equality, non-discrimination, digital development, internationalization, climate change, and innovation.

Within the LOTTI project, we are concentrating on Priority 1 - Innovative Finland (ERDF). This priority area is crucial as it aims to enhance the research and innovation capabilities of regions and companies, particularly in the realms of business, working life, and the adoption of new technologies. By fostering these areas, LOTTI contributes to driving regional economic growth and resilience.

A key guiding framework for our work is the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). The renewed S3 spearheads in the Päijät-Häme Region, which include Sport, Food and Beverage, and Manufacturing, are central to our approach, with sustainability as a cross-cutting principle. While LOTTI maintains an inclusive perspective, our primary focus is on the Food and Beverage and Manufacturing sectors. These industries are recognized for their high development potential but are also navigating significant structural changes. LOTTI aims to support these sectors in adapting to the rapid technological and environmental changes, ensuring that the transition is inclusive and benefits all citizens.

The policy instrument guiding this effort involves local prioritization, aligning with each region's strategic policy outlines. In Päijät-Häme, this alignment is detailed in the Regional Strategy for 2022-2025. Therefore, the criteria for ERDF funding within the LOTTI project must reflect and support the themes and topics identified in this Strategy, ensuring that our initiatives are not only innovative but also regionally relevant and impactful.

The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) for the Northern and Western Region of Ireland is a high-level policy framework that supports the National Planning Framework and other national economic policies, to achieve its vision and objectives. It also plays a critical role in ensuring that Local Economic and Community Plans are consistent with national objectives. At the heart of the RSES is a recognition of the regional challenges, which has lagged behind other regions in terms of economic prosperity. Of note, it has been reclassified as a Transition Region for the 2021-2027 funding period. This underscores the need for targeted interventions to address weak enabling infrastructure and promote economic resilience.

The Strategy acknowledges the region's unique characteristics, with sectors that can benefit from a more specialised approach and increased diversification. By encouraging the transition of indigenous economic activities, it seeks to promote greater economic resilience and growth, particularly in smart sectors.

The LOTTI project is directly linked to regional opportunities identified in the RSES, focusing on:

• Place-making and place-based assets as fundamental components of sustainable growth. This includes leveraging the region's distinct cultural and industrial identity to drive economic development.
• Specialised sectors and clusters, with emphasis on developing and supporting industries with the highest potential for growth, particularly through smart specialisation. This approach ensures regional development is both strategic and tailored to specific needs and strengths of the region.

Involvement in the LOTTI project supports the goals of the RSES to foster economic transformation and regional development that is inclusive and sustainable to deliver a smarter, more competitive region, strengthening regional innovation systems in line with Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, including through funding calls based on RSES Policy Objectives. The RSES mid-term review will be an ideal time to introduce proposals based on project learning.

Additionally, the region was recently designated a ‘Regional Innovation Valley’ by the European Commission. This recognises the region’s innovation potential, aimed at enhancing collaboration and innovation ecosystems, focusing on smart specialisation. This aligns with the LOTTI approach with potential for additional learning and knowledge transfer, collaboration on innovation projects and reducing innovation gaps, in line with regional, national and EU priorities.

The 2021-2027 Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) in the Grand Est region is a multifaceted approach structured as a 3D-Matrix, which encompasses three key dimensions:

1. Industry, Health, and Bioeconomy
2. Industrial, Digital, and Energetic-Environmental-Social Transition
3. Social Innovation, Responsible Innovation, Relocation of Companies, and Development of Local Supply Chains (which are transversal to dimensions 1 and 2)

These dimensions guide the regional priorities and strategies that will be supported by the new ERDF programme (2021-2027), particularly under Objective 1.1, which focuses on innovation, SMEs, and digital transformation.

The LOTTI project is closely aligned with Dimension 2 of the S3, which emphasizes the transition across industrial, digital, and environmental domains. The implementation of this transition is coordinated by various Grand Est Transformation regional networks that bring together expertise in digital, green, and industrial innovation. These networks ensure that the region's transformation is coherent, sustainable, and inclusive, supporting the broader objectives of the S3.

An important component of this strategy is the Smart Industrial Park (SIP) project. Integrated as a transversal activity, SIP operates at the intersection of the industrial, digital, and environmental priorities. It aims to support the development of demonstrator projects that address the energy and industrial transitions within industrial parks. This initiative is part of the S3 Pilot Action "Regions in Industrial Transition"—a programme initiated and financed by the European Commission's DG REGIO.

Launched in 2019 and currently ongoing, the SIP project serves as a testbed for innovative solutions to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of industrial parks. The outcomes and lessons learned from this project will be crucial for the mid-term evaluation of the S3 and will inform the ongoing governance of the strategy in the Grand Est region.

By participating in these initiatives, the LOTTI project contributes to the broader goals of the S3, particularly in fostering innovation and resilience within industrial and digital transitions. This involvement not only supports regional development but also ensures that the Grand Est region remains competitive and sustainable in the face of global challenges.

Smart Puglia 2030 (S3), approved by the Regional Council in April 2022, serves as a key strategic framework for the 2021-2027 programming cycle of EU Funds, laying the groundwork for the Regional Operational Programme of Structural Funds. This strategy outlines the main elements of the region's approach to research and innovation (R&I) and introduces a new structure for regional innovation supply chains. It identifies the strengths, weaknesses, and development opportunities across these chains.

The strategy is built on three key principles, which correspond to the Priority Areas of Innovation:

1. Sustainable Manufacturing
2. Human and Environmental Health
3. Digital, Creative, and Inclusive Communities

Within this framework, Smart Puglia 2030 defines the main policy levers needed to enhance the competitiveness of these supply chains, focusing on areas such as skills development, networking, investment attraction, R&D&I, internationalization, and governance. Industrial transition is a transversal theme across all sectors, serving as a critical dimension for analyzing which industries require restructuring, whether in product types, technologies, workforce skills, or adaptation to new regulatory and environmental standards.

The strategy further outlines policy priorities and objectives in three macro-areas:

• Strengthening Innovation Capacities
• Enhancing Competences
• Improving Governance and Networking

In alignment with these priorities, the LOTTI project sets a specific emphasis on the dimension of industrial transition and the importance of territorial roots. This focus is crucial for ensuring that strategic value chains in Puglia remains resilient and competitive, particularly as it adapts to the challenges of technological innovation and environmental sustainability.

Through its alignment with Smart Puglia 2030, the LOTTI project contributes to the region's broader goals of fostering innovation, improving competitiveness, and ensuring that the benefits of economic development are widely shared across communities.

The European Funds for Silesia 2021-2027 is a comprehensive multi-fund programme that integrates resources from the ERDF, ESF+, and JTF to advance the goals outlined in the Development Strategy of the Silesian Voivodeship "Silesia 2030". This strategy, with a vision for a Green Silesian and the Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) for the Silesian Voivodeship 2030, forms the backbone of regional development initiatives.

The programme is structured around seven key priorities:

1. Intelligent Silesia
2. Ecological Silesia
3. Mobile Silesia
4. Better Connected Silesia
5. Social Silesia ESF+
6. Silesia for Inhabitants
7. Silesia Closer to Citizens

Additionally, it includes a Territorial Just Transition Plan to ensure that the region's transition towards a greener economy is fair and inclusive. The total allocation for these initiatives amounts to approximately €4.86 billion.

Within the LOTTI project, the focus is on the following specific priorities and objectives:

• Priority I – Intelligent Silesia:
  This priority supports areas defined as smart specialisations in the Regional Innovation Strategy for the Silesian Voivodeship 2030, including emerging specialisations identified through the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP).

  • Specific Objective III: Enhancing the growth and competitiveness of SMEs, particularly by fostering innovation and adaptation within the region’s key industries.
  • Specific Objective IV: Developing skills for smart specialisation, ensuring that the regional workforce is equipped with the necessary competencies to thrive in the evolving economic landscape.

• Priority V – Social Silesia ESF+:
  This priority is crucial for supporting enterprises undergoing restructuring, adaptation, and modernization processes. It also focuses on lifelong learning to equip workers with new skills and competencies tailored to the region's current needs.

  • Specific Objective D: Supporting the adaptation of workers and enterprises to change, particularly in sectors facing significant transformation.
  • Specific Objective G: Promoting lifelong learning to ensure continuous skill development and adaptability among the workforce.

The LOTTI project aligns with these objectives by emphasizing sustainable manufacturing and industrial transition within Silesia. This focus not only contributes to the region’s smart specialisation goals but also supports broader efforts to enhance regional competitiveness and resilience in the face of economic and environmental challenges.

The Cantabria Operational Programme 2021-2027, currently in preparation for submission to the EU Commission, includes a focus on Priority 5.B: Territorial Integration, specifically addressing Specific Objective (i): Rural-Urban Dynamisation. This priority is central to the LOTTI project, which aligns with the broader PO5: Europe Closer to Citizens initiative. A significant aspect of this priority is the Besaya’s Basin Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) Strategy.

An Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) is a management tool that supports a set of integrated actions within a specific geographical area to respond effectively to its unique challenges. As outlined in Regulation (EU) No 2021/1060, ITIs allow for a territorial approach to be applied in the design and implementation of public policies. This approach enables the combination of funding from various thematic objectives and operational programmes supported by different structural funds.

The Besaya’s Basin ITI Strategy is structured around five strategic lines, each with specific actions designed to drive the region’s development:

1. Industrial Transition: Supporting the region’s shift towards sustainable and innovative industrial practices.
2. Environmental Resource: Focusing on the sustainable management of natural resources in the Besaya Basin.
3. People: Enhancing social inclusion and well-being in the region.
4. Smart Besaya: Promoting digital transformation and smart technologies.
5. Culture and Heritage: Preserving and promoting the cultural and historical assets of the Besaya Basin.

This ITI strategy not only addresses the territorial challenges specific to Besaya’s Basin but also proposes a series of projects that serve as a driving force for the territory's development. It involves the collaborative efforts of public administrations, citizens, businesses, academia, and other stakeholders, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach.

Furthermore, the Besaya’s Basin ITI is aligned with other regional strategies, such as the Cantabria Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) 2021-2027, which is directly linked to ERDF Priority Objective 1 (PO1). This alignment ensures that the ITI strategy is coherent with broader regional development goals, particularly in fostering innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability in the region.

The LOTTI project’s focus within this framework is particularly on sustainable industrial transition and the smart development of the Besaya Basin. By aligning with these strategic objectives, LOTTI contributes to the broader goals of the Cantabria Operational Programme, helping to ensure that the region’s development is both inclusive and forward-looking.