http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/10157/a180cb45-b272-455b-9211-3e351a6626d3

This Smart Specialisation Strategy Policy Brief analyses the potential role of universities in the development and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies. These strategies are a central part of the new EU Cohesion Policy framework, designed to ensure effective spending of the large amount of EU funds that will be available for research and innovation.

Universites are often crucial institutions in regional innovation systems, especially in those with an absence of a dynamic, research led private sector, and there is rich history of academic and policy analysis in this area. However, with the new smart specialisation agenda, which differs in emphasis and design from previous regional innovation policies, universities have a potentially pivotal role to play in its delivery. This Policy Brief makes concrete suggestions on how universities can be integrated into Smart Specialisation Strategies to deliver their desired economic and social outcomes.