Smart Specialisation Working Group

Representatives of Brussels-based offices leading the work of the Smart Specialisation Working Group.

Smart Specialisation

The Smart Specialisation Working Group aims to monitor and contribute to key policy developments related to S3 by enhancing dialogue with relevant EU institutions and stakeholders. The goal is to strengthen the regional perspective in the wider smart specialisation agenda and facilitate the interregional cooperation. The WG actively engages in the debate around shaping the cohesion policy post-2027 and the future of S3. It also follows different interregional collaboration instruments for innovation, their state of play and upcoming opportunities.

ERRIN Contact

Last Working Group Meetings

Previous Related ERRIN Working Group Meetings

Smart Specialisation WG meeting: S3 and PRI – the way ahead

Smart Specialisation WG meeting: S3 and PRI – the way ahead

Ewa Chomicz

The year 2024 marks the opening of a new chapter for the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) as a JRC-CoR initiative building on S3 to support innovation for place-based transformations. In

Strengthening skills governance in regional innovation ecosystems:  lessons learnt and remaining challenges

Strengthening skills governance in regional innovation ecosystems: lessons learnt and remaining challenges

Astrid Hannes

As the activities of the EU Year of Skills came to an end in April 2024, the Science and Education for Society Working Group is organising a Working Group meeting to reflect on the lessons learnt

Policy & Smart Specialisation WGs meeting: Widening in FP10 and impact on cohesion policy post-2027

Policy & Smart Specialisation WGs meeting: Widening in FP10 and impact on cohesion policy post-2027

Ewa Chomicz

The topic of widening gathers high attention in the discussions around the next European Framework Programme for R&I, raising questions with the potential to influence not only the Widening sub-

WG Related Events

WG Related Events

Policy WG meeting: Kick-starting 2024: Towards R&I and cohesion policies post-2027

The Policy Working Group will kick off 2024 with a meeting offering the latest insights about the work at the EU level towards future R&I and cohesion policies post-2027, as some of ERRIN's priority focus areas for the coming years. The event will take place in person at the ERRIN premises on 30 January from 14:00-15:30, followed by networking coffee until 16:00.

Smart Soils: Smart Specialisation meets EU Soil Mission

ERRIN's member Junta de Extremadura (FUNDECYT-PCTEX) is co-organising on 24 January 2024 a thematic NatiOOns webinar focusing on Smart Soils that will zoom into how Smart Specialisation meets the EU Soil Mission. It explicitly addresses two objectives of the EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe: reduce the EU global footprint on soils and improve soil literacy in society.

Smart Specialisation meets EU Soil Mission/ NATI00NS Project

The NATI00NS, a Soil Mission Project, is hosting the event: Smart Specialisation meets EU Soil Mission, which will take place online on 24 January 2024 at 10:00 CET. It will feature a Europe-wide discussion about the relationship, at a regional level, between the Smart Specialisation Research and Innovation Strategies (RIS3) and the Soil Mission (SM), creating a debate that, for sure, will enrich both working areas. 

Join the RIPEET Lab: sharing key learnings on stakeholders’ engagement methods

The RIPEET Lab is the closing chapter of the project peer-learning programme where RIPEET's mirrors and pilot territories will exchange good practices. The event will involve RIPEET partners and external stakeholders, focusing on key learnings to replicate stakeholder engagement methods in other contexts and expressing interest in future collaboration opportunities on upcoming calls.

ERRIN end-of-year Reception

We warmly invite you to the ERRIN end-of-year Reception to take stock and celebrate the network’s accomplishments in 2023. The reception will take place on 7 December at 18:00 at the ERRIN premises, Rue du Luxembourg 3, 1000 Brussels.

S3 Forum

The Smart Specialisation (S3) Forum 2023 is the second in a series of events that the European Commission’s DG REGIO, with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the S3 Community of Practice Secretariat, is organising for S3 stakeholders from across EU regions. This bottom-up region-centric event will take place on 28 November 2023 in Barcelona. Register until 13 November 2023.

WG Documents

WG Documents

ERRIN Year in review 2022

The ERRIN Year in review 2022 is out! Read the report to see the numerous activities ERRIN and its members have been involved in throughout the year.

WG Related Content

WG Related Content

ERRIN selected to join the European Commission's I3 Expert Group

ERRIN has been selected to join the European Commission's expert group on Interregional Innovation Investment - the I3 Expert Group.

Call for applications for the membership of the Commission Expert Group on Interregional Innovation Investments (I3)

The Commission has published a call for applications for the membership of the Commission Expert Group on Interregional Innovation Investments (I3).

Now available: ERRIN priorities 2021 and Working Groups annual plans

Every year ERRIN defines workstreams to guide its work throughout the coming 12 months, closely linking to its core missions and indicating the crucial interests towards the EU R&I agenda. 

European Parliament approves €672.5 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility

The European Parliament has approved the Recovery and Resiliency Facility, which aims to ensure that European economies recover from the pandemic while preparing for a sustainable and digital future.

2021 kicks off with new R&I opportunities and the 20th anniversary of ERRIN

2021 marks a start of the new EU financial period that comes with new programmes, instruments and actions. Taking full advantage of those new opportunities for regions and regional innovation ecosystems is one of our key priorities this year.

Share a message to celebrate 20 years of ERRIN

The year 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of ERRIN! As we prepare to celebrate this milestone moment for the network we invite members, partners and friends of ERRIN to share a celebration message about the occasion. 

Latest Updates

  • By Anonymous

SEDEC - Stakeholders' consultation on "Regional Innovation Scoreboard and its impact in regional place-based policies"

The European Committee of the Regions is drafting an opinion on "Regional Innovation Scoreboard and its impact on regional place-based policies". In view of this, ERRIN members are invited to provide input and discuss the issues at hand during a stakeholder consultation.

  • By Pieter Faber

Northern Netherlands in Transition Working Conference

The decision by the Dutch government to stop extracting natural gas from the Groningen gas
field
will have major economic implications for the Northern Netherlands. To tackle these
challenges, the four largest Northern cities have started a trajectory with the

  • By Agnieszka Wieczorek Jetha

Smart Regions Conference 3.0: Transformation through Smart specialisation

On 14-15 November in Brussels a third edition of Smart Regions conference will take place. During the event the achievements of the current financial period 2014-20 and key directions for smart specialisation as a tool for an effective economic transformation in 2021-27 will be presented by the European Commission, Member States and regions.

There will be three focus topics:

  • By Anonymous

Digital Europe and Future Role of DIHs/S3

We are honoured to invite you to the conference Digital Europe and Future Role of DIHs/S3 organized by the Smart-Space project funded through Interreg Alpine Space Programme.

The conference will:

  • By Anonymous

Smart Specialisation Partnerships and European Partnerships – Synergies and complementarities

Creating concrete synergies, collaboration, and coordination, between Smart Specialisation Partnerships based on regional innovation strategies and European Partnerships is one of the issues ERRIN raised in the input to the Horizon Europe str

  • By Anonymous

Smart Specialisation WG Meeting: Reviewing the RIS3

The next Smart Specialisation WG meeting on "Reviewing the RIS3 – Challenges and concrete proposals for improving inter-regional collaboration and synergies", will take place on 24th October between 9:15-12:00 at the Basque Country's Delegation in Brussels, located on Rue des Deux Églises 27, 1000 Brussels.