This webinar will examine the role of smart specialisation in economic recovery strategies post-COVID19 at the local and regional level. Already this year, the European Commission’s Green Deal and New Industrial Strategy have given clear indications for a more sustainable greener and digital future economy. Following the economic consequences of COVID19, the European Commission has also proposed a Next Generation recovery instrument of 750 billion euros which includes a ‘Recovery and Resilience Facility’ to support investments and reforms ‘leading to lasting recovery and improve the economic and social resilience of Member States’.

However, neither the Green Deal, the Industrial Strategy nor the Recovery and Resilience Facility pay much, if any, attention to the role of regions and the three documents ignore the role of regional innovation ecosystems and place-based smart specialisation strategies. The documents also tend to concentrate on the ‘what’ while neglecting the importance of multilevel governance for the implementation of strategies on the ground. 

Hosted and moderated by ERRIN, a network of regions interested in research and innovation, the webinar builds on the reflections developed in the frame of ERRIN’s Smart Specialisation Working Group. They will be joined by the SEDEC Commission from the Committee of the Regions and their guests, Orkestra, the Basque Institute of Competitiveness, and the Friends of Smart Specialisation, an informal independent think tank promoting smart specialisation.