“Smart specialisation means that policies for a specific region focus on that area’s strengths and comparative advantages. SMART-watch seeks to ensure that smart specialisation is part of central Europe’s regional innovation strategies (RIS). The project does this by establishing a system for monitoring RISs: As each region gathers data in different structures, SMART-watch will develop a common methodology and benchmarking tools to improve the situation.”
In central Europe regional innovation strategies (RIS) and the real needs of end users for smart specialisation (SmartS) are too often not well aligned. As each region gathers relevant data in different structures, the SMART-watch project will develop a common methodology and benchmarking tools to improve the situation. More concretely, the project will develop a model for regional branch observatories equipped with a set of monitoring and benchmarking tools, available to all RIS stakeholders and intelligent markets’ actors.
As the project will coincide with the mid-term evaluation of RIS, partners will elaborate policy recommendations for EU institutions, based on international pilot projects and research results. A newly created network of Regional Branch Observatories will enable national and EU authorities to monitor RIS implementation across the EU. Technology areas that are prioritised in SmartS in partner regions cover health, life science, ICT, future services, sustainable production technics and Industry4.0.
On 28-29 June 2017, all project partners gathered at the premises of the Lead Partner – Upper Silesian Agency for Entrepreneurship and Development Ltd. (GAPR) located in Gliwice, Poland, next to Katowice. During two-days-event, the partners set the calendar and working procedures for the next months. The next meeting is planned in November-December 2017 in Lubelskie, Poland.