Smart Specialisation Community of Practice
The Smart Specialisation Community of Practice (S3 CoP) has been launched by DG REGIO to support the EU Cohesion Policy for the 2021-2027 programming period. It is the new central node on guidance, networking, support, and peer-learning on S3, covering its conceptual development and its implementation.
Smart Specialisation is considered essential to deliver the Policy Objective 1 of the European Development Fund, therefore the Commission is increasingly supporting Member States to improve their governance for regional and national S3s ensuring that strategies are put in place and engage the territory.
The S3 Community of Practice will assist regional authorities and stakeholders involved in Smart Specialisation across the EU through different forms of support and peer learning opportunities.
Building on a ten-year experience on S3, the community will provide practitioners with strategic services by understanding their needs and co-designing solutions on any relevant S3 aspect.
The main key services are:
- Targeted expert support to regions and Member States for the development and implementation of S3
- Working groups to exchange experience and good practices on the new criteria of the S3 enabling condition
- Support S3 to thematic platforms and partnerships
- Organisation of events for the S3 stakeholders
- Analytical studies and policy briefs on the S3 concept
- An expert group, composed of practitioners and academics, to support the development of the S3 concept and provide insights on implementation.
In this context, a call for expression of interest to join the S3 CoP pool of experts is open. You can look at the call and check your eligibility. For more information, see the Commission page on the S3 CoP.
The first S3 Conference took place on Thursday 30 March 2023, the next one is scheduled for November 2023.
Several Interreg Europe projects focus on the way S3 are designed, implemented and monitored. Rich knowledge is already available in the Good Practice database.
Further detailed sources of inspiration and practices on the topic are available in the Policy brief on Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). The Policy Learning Platform peer review service is also a great tool to access tailored support when facing a challenge on S3 implementation. Check it out!