Challenge
The importance of the global economy and innovation networks calls for a regional innovation policy that goes beyond regional and national borders. Cooperation in S3 involves sharing knowledge, pursuing collaboration and exploiting synergies with S3 initiatives in other countries and regions.
Response
Forms of transnational collaboration that align R&I goals and priorities into a joint cross-border smart specialisation strategy are a major example of inter-regional cooperation. In this way, regional authorities would expect to (i) make better use of the different funding frameworks, in particular regional operational programmes and cross-border cooperation funding, (ii) to be more competitive in R&I excellence frameworks such as Horizon 2020 or the Era-net.
The joint strategic process between Galicia (ES) and Norte (PT) began in 2014 with the creation of the cross-border Work Group (Technical Secretariat) made up of representatives from the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and the Northern Portuguese Regional Coordination and Development Commission. They set up the governance for the development of a joint strategy and carried out an analysis which identified the main areas for collaboration between the two entities. At the end of this strategic exercise, a shared vision for the future was reached that includes alignment of R&I goals and the proposal of joint priorities, actions for support, as well as an evaluation system with indicators to follow up implementation. The joint S3 aims at reaching greater levels of critical mass based on innovation synergies and complementarities at the value chain level, given the increasing combination of knowledge and production capabilities needed in innovative processes.
More information
See the joint cross-border smart specialisation strategy document (in English)
Keywords
Transnational cooperation, vision, priorities, value chains