We are pleased to announce that the RSA Board have agreed funding for the Research Network on Smart Policies for Regional Innovation, Sustainability and Transitions (SPRINT). This network focuses on the smart specialisation strategy (S3) approach as an evolving method of designing place-based innovation policy. We build on three years of cooperation through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Policies for Smart Specialisation research network, as early career scholars with considerable research experience in the investigation of the implementation of S3 policies.
The aims of this RSA network is to build upon and expand their prior work seeking to reorientate academic interest toward the future of S3, considering recent shifts in European policy towards the New Innovation Agenda, Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) and the moves towards Open Discovery Processes. They will focus on the transition from S3 to sustainable S3 (‘S4’) considering how the new approach aligns with other territorial policies which aim to:
- Drive sustainable economic development through ‘green’ innovation
- Tackle regional inequality
- Foster regional resilience
The organisers say
“Through SPRINT, we seek to not only advance research on regional innovation but also pioneer the pathways for transformative transitions, ensuring that smart specialization becomes a pillar in Europe´s pursuit of equitable and sustainable economic progress.”
The RSA is looking forward to working with the network’s community and the organisers, Dima Nedelcheva Yankova, (Corvinus University, Hungary); Eduardo Hernández Rodríguez (Utrecht University, The Netherlands); Benjamin Cornejo Costas (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and Martina Pardy (LSE, UK).