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| Smart Specialisation Platform | |
|---|---|
| Name | Smart Specialisation Platform |
| Formation | 2010 |
| Type | Policy initiative |
| Headquarters | Brussels |
| Region served | European Union |
| Parent organisation | European Commission |
Smart Specialisation Platform
The Smart Specialisation Platform is an EU-backed policy instrument that supports regional innovation strategies by coordinating European Commission, European Regional Development Fund, European Structural and Investment Funds, European Innovation Partnership, European Council, European Parliament, and Committee of the Regions activities. It connects actors such as European Investment Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and national agencies including Agence Nationale de la Recherche, KfW, BPI France, Innovate UK, and Fomento de Álava. The Platform mobilises networks like Entrepreneurship 2020, European Research Area, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Covenant of Mayors, and URBACT to foster regional specialization and structural reform.
The Platform provides tools, policy advice, and peer learning for regions, linking European Committee of the Regions, European Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Council of the European Union, European Court of Auditors, European Anti-Fraud Office, and Eurostat with regional authorities such as Catalonia, Bavaria, Lombardy, Île-de-France, and Scotland. It integrates expertise from research institutions like University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, University of Oxford, University of Bologna, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and innovation agencies including Vinnova, Tekes, Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, Finnvera, and Sitra. The Platform complements initiatives by European Institute of Innovation and Technology, European Research Council, Joint Research Centre, European Space Agency, and European Chemicals Agency.
Launched in the wake of strategic policy documents such as the Europe 2020 strategy, the Platform evolved through milestones involving Lisbon Strategy, Bologna Process, Cohesion Policy 2014–2020, Cohesion Policy 2021–2027, and communications from the European Commission President. Early pilots referenced work by Mariana Mazzucato, Ricardo Hausmann, Philip Cooke, Lorenzo Fioramonti, and institutions like OECD Territorial Development Policy Committee and Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Key events included conferences at European Week of Regions and Cities, consultations with Stakeholder Platform on Research and Innovation, and collaborations with Smart Cities Mission, Digital Innovation Hubs, Interreg, and COSME stakeholders.
The Platform’s objectives align with priorities set by European Council conclusions, European Semester, Small Business Act for Europe, Lisbon Treaty, and Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union — promoting regional competitive advantage, comparative advantage, and economic transformation. Principles cited invoke authors and frameworks from Paul Krugman, Albert O. Hirschman, W. Arthur Lewis, Joseph Schumpeter, and Michael Porter, and operational guidance from OECD, World Bank, and European Investment Bank. It emphasises priorities such as smart specialisation, entrepreneurial discovery, cluster development, technology transfer, and value-chain integration drawn from Cluster Mapping Project, European Cluster Observatory, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and Innovation Union.
Governance involves coordination between the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, DG Research and Innovation, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and agencies like European Innovation Council, European Investment Fund, Innovation Fund, and EUROPOL for compliance issues. Advisory bodies include representatives from European Council of Small Businesses, European Trade Union Confederation, BusinessEurope, Eurocities, Covenant of Mayors, and academia drawn from London School of Economics, Harvard University, Sciences Po, Universität Mannheim, and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Implementation partners comprise national managing authorities such as Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain), Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (Italy), and regional development agencies like IDAE, ISEL, FCT.
Methodology utilises tools and methods promoted by OECD Innovation Strategy, European Innovation Scoreboard, Regional Innovation Scoreboard, Smart Specialisation Platform Toolbox, Entrepreneurial Discovery Process, Cluster Mapping, SWOT analysis, RIS3 strategies, and policy mix assessment. Implementation involves policy instruments such as ERDF operational programmes, ESF+, InvestEU, European Green Deal, Just Transition Fund, NextGenerationEU, RRF, and partnerships with European Investment Bank and European Structural and Investment Funds Committee. Capacity building leverages workshops by Joint Research Centre, trainings from European Cluster Collaboration Platform, and pilot projects supported by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe calls.
Evaluation draws on metrics and assessments from European Court of Auditors, Eurostat regional statistics, OECD Territorial Reviews, European Commission Staff Working Documents, and studies by Bruegel, Centre for European Policy Studies, Fondazione ENI Enrico Mattei, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, and Centre for Cities. Reported impacts include shifts in regional specialisations in Basque Country, Wales, Piedmont, Upper Austria, and Flanders with links to increased investment from Tesla, Siemens, Bosch, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce. Monitoring indicators reference patents recorded in European Patent Office, R&D expenditure recorded by Eurostat, and startup activity measured by Crunchbase and Dealroom.co.
Critiques surfaced from analysts at European Policy Centre, Friends of the Earth Europe, Transport & Environment, Transparency International EU, Greenpeace, and scholars like Dani Rodrik and Ha-Joon Chang concerning issues of path dependency, capture by incumbents, regional disparities, administrative capacity, and coherence with European Green Deal and Paris Agreement. Challenges identified include coordination with Common Agricultural Policy, tensions with World Trade Organization rules, alignment with Schengen Area mobility, and integration of migrant innovators from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees frameworks. Peer reviewers urged stronger links to programmes run by European Defence Agency, European Research Area Policy Committee, European Chemicals Agency, European Medicines Agency, and national innovation strategies.