Baltic Sea Region Smart Specialisation Ecosystem

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According to European Commission’s draft proposals for post-2020 Cohesion Policy, it is expected that the EU will commit to a stronger Smart Specialisation (S3) Policy agenda, through innovation-focused interregional collaborations and investments. However, the regions still have very different understanding of how to utilise S3 successfully. Much of the Smart Specialisation work has been focused within the region. A more strategic joint approach of the BSR regions towards S3 is needed to enable the implementation of post-2020 aims and to boost innovation and growth in the BSR macro-region in a way that strengthens S3 in the most prominent fields of the BSR. The Platform will be led by 3 pillars focusing on the following 3 areas: 1. Analysis, alignment and incubation of the key S3 projects across the BSR which demonstrate potential for interregional scale-up and/or advancing the value chain orientation of the BSR where each country/region should be able to identify relevant links and flows of goods, services and knowledge revealing possible patterns of integration with other regions. The Platform will add value by investing in selected S3 projects and identifying successful S3 approaches and practices for wide dissemination and impact. 2. Interregional learning regarding S3 implementation and capacity building function - the support required by the projects identified above will be channelled through this Pillar in order to facilitate joint understanding and capacities of the BSR regions and to generate a clear “action plan” to prepare for post-2020. This includes training, communication and outreach on efficient S3 implementation both at regional as well as interregional levels. Johan Miörners rapport. 3. Stakeholder involvement pillar - the 2014-2020 S3 policy agenda has placed increasing importance on the “Entrepreneurial Discovery Process” (EDP) and how the innovation ecosystem and its internal dynamic are critical enablers of improved innovation performance. The BSR has a significant opportunity to deliver this through greater investment of key innovation actors including those from science, research and academic communities, the BSR's SME base and targeted actors from the social sector. The S3 Platform will organise events that utilise e.g. the identified best practice challenge-based methods to involve stakeholders from the whole BSR in focused interregional cooperation. BSR S3 Ecosystem provides a much needed platform for creating a better understanding on the best practices and opportunities for smart specialization in the BSR. The Platform strives to target its activities to a wide range of BSR regions. The Platform will produce a collection of best practices and a manual for S3 regional and inter-regional implementation, a mapping of value chains within bioeconomy and digital economy, a joint S3 training programme including S3 challenge acceleration methods and a long-term dissemination strategy.

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