EStIF 1 | 2017
Editorial: Smart Specialisation
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Smart Specialisation: From Catchy Slogan to
Tangible Reality for Place-based Regional
Economic Transformation
This Special Issue discusses Smart Specialisation as a new and necessary dimension of ESIF
programmes. The 2014-2020 Common Provisions Regulation has made the design of Smart
Specialisation Strategies (S3s) a requirement for ESIF programmes, and the European Commission has engaged with Member States and Regions to help them develop these, including
by establishing a Smart Specialisation Platform, in 2011, to deliver advice and support. As a
result, something that a few years ago could appear to be a slogan has now become a tangible
reality. As Peroulakis in this issue reminds us, there are now over 120 S3s across the EU and
they mobilise an estimated c. € 250 billion during 2014-2020.
Notwithstanding the support available, the design process has not been easy, and there
have been delays with the launch of the Strategies. Although often built on previous experiences of cluster and innovation policies, designing and implementing the S3s requires the active involvement of a wider range of actors than are traditionally mobilised in policy design,
and the adoption of a different mentality by the public actor: a mentality that transcends administrative boundaries and that sees the public actor think of itself as a facilitator and enabler.
As the Strategies’ implementation is now underway, this is an opportune time for this Special Issue to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the design process, and on challenges
that may arise during implementation, complementing the literature that has been produced
in recent years. In the first article, Dimitrios Kyriakou reminds us that Smart Specialisation
is above all a tool for place-based regional economic transformation and about the possible pitfalls that could hamper successful implementation: the temptation of top-down interpretations; the collective action problems that may arise from the collaborative method required
by the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP); the risk of barriers to new entrants and incumbent capture, and others. At the same time, the author also brings attention to the strengths
of the approach, to the important successes already achieved, and to the potential of Smart
Specialisation as a policy framework applicable to other policy domains.
The article by Georgios Peroulakis to follow takes stock of the state of play with the approval and implementation of the S3s across the EU, the achievements expected by 2020, and
the lessons learnt so far and how these should feed into the next stages of implementation.
The author also emphasises the important contribution that Smart Specialisation Strategies
make to wider EU priorities (beyond cohesion), by supporting the Digital Single Market, the
Energy Union and the Internal Market, and the expectation that, by strengthening the European industrial base and the less-developed Member States and regions, the Strategies will
contribute substantially to re-attract investment in Europe.
The third article, by Laura Polverari, explores the way in which Smart Specialisation has
been integrated in the ESIF Operational Programmes of the IQ-Net Network. It discusses the
ways the EDP has been carried out, how the approach is integrated in the implementation of
programmes and the lessons learnt so far. The article shows that the Smart Specialisation approach, albeit not novel in all cases, is considered by ESIF practitioners to have contributed to
better prioritisation and more joined-up policy-making. However, effective implementation
Editorial: Smart Specialisation
EStIF 1 | 2017
will require continued stakeholder engagement and, above all, continued political endorsement to sustain cross-sectoral working and private sector accountability.
Silvano Bertini, Karolina Lipińska and Monika Radziszewska take us through the process
of designing and implementing Smart Specialisation Strategies in two regions that have been
at the forefront of this approach: Emilia Romagna, in Italy, and Pomorskie, in Poland. Bertini
shows how Smart Specialisation has been utilised in a strong manufacturing region to regenerate the roots of competitiveness by pursuing a parallel track of: consolidation of existing
core clusters, through introduction of Key Enabling Technologies; and encouragement of new,
highly innovative industrial systems, able to generate new qualified employment. Initial signals show that the strategy is starting to yield the desired dividends. Lipińska and Radziszewska illustrate how the local government in Pomorskie has utilised a bottom-up approach to developing the S3, leveraging on the already existing regional key clusters strategy and related
networks. The authors describe the innovative, bottom-up process through which the smart
specialisation areas were selected, and the way in which numerous and diverse actors were actively involved in the processes of proposal submission and selection. Again, signs of the positive changes induced by this process are already visible.
Maud Pelletier discusses the way the Smart Specialisation approach has been applied in
France at the regional level, amidst territorial governance reforms and highly differentiated
innovation ecosystems, showing that the process of designing the S3s gave regions the opportunity to pin down their specific characteristics, assets and positioning, enabling them to mobilise the local innovation ecosystems through shared strategies. The author also distils lessons
for post-2020, including the importance of integrating European, national and regional policies and funding sources in a single framework; the importance of flexibility when translating smart specialisation locally; and the need for strong inter-territorial cooperation.
The seventh article is offered by Nikos Vogiatzis, Jorge A. Sanchez and Vassilios Makios.
They illustrate the activities of Corallia in managing an ERDF-supported cluster development
programme in 2000-2006 and 2007-2013, and the important role played by Corallia in fostering the development of knowledge-intensive and exports-oriented technology segments in areas where Greece has the capacity to build sustainable innovation ecosystems. The authors reflect on the need for constant training and versatility in order to adapt cluster policies to pursue the evolving objectives of industrial, SME and R&I policies, and on the skills required to
offer the right policy mix, facilitate cross-clustering, and identify innovation opportunities at
the interface between different sectors.
Mark Boden then discusses the actions and key outcomes of a support activity carried out
by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in the Greek Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in the context of a pilot project funded by the European Parliament to support
the region with the design and implementation of its S3. The author explains that, by focusing on the engagement of stakeholders across the region, the work realised sought to catalyse
the EDP in the region, and to develop ideas and partnerships for research and innovation
projects. This work led to the development of a ‘tool box’ for the effective implementation of
S3, which is currently being refined and developed further for application in other less favoured
regions across the EU.
Last but not least, Peter Wostner reflects on Smart Specialisation both conceptually and in
relation to its application in Slovenia. The author argues that investment is a necessary but
not sufficient condition for competitiveness and that it is structural transformation that is at
the heart of advancement. However, achieving structural transformation requires changing
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Editorial: Smart Specialisation
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the way stakeholders operate and bold political choices, commitment and leadership, something that is particularly difficult to achieve in institutionally weaker and less stable environments. Against this background, the author argues that the main contribution of the Slovenian S3 stems from the institution of ‘Strategic Research and Innovation Partnerships’, which
are transforming the way actors operate and interact with each other, creating value networks,
and determining a shift in the perception of government, from source of financing to facilitator of change.
This Special Issue stems from the 41st meeting of the IQ-Net Network, held in Athens in November 2016. The articles in this issue, except one solicited contribution, originate from this
meeting. We would like to thank all participants for their active engagement; the Greek Ministry of Economy and Development, National Coordination Authority, and the Management
and Organisation Unit for their impeccable hospitality; the financial contribution of the IQNet Network; the referees; and, above all, all authors for their insights and the time taken to
put their experiences and reflections on paper.
All the articles share a common thread: acknowledgement that implementing Smart Specialisation is not easy, but that this approach presents potential as a means for sustained placebased economic transformation. Fulfilling this potential, however, will require continued commitment by all involved, and a reflexive, inclusive process of on-going learning and adaptation. We hope that EStIF readers will find this collection useful in this light.
Rona Michie and Laura Polverari
Editor-in-Chief and Guest Editor