SWOT analysis

• Evaluate endowments in assets
• Assess potential innovation in a territory
• Appraise entrepreneurial basis and dynamics
• Identify international networks and value chains

S4: Position the SWOT analysis in the ecological and digital transitions of the energy, manufacturing, agri-food, housing, and mobility systems

Governance

• Established management structure
• Participation of stakeholders in quadruple helix Institutional and human resources capacity

S4: The part of the state goes beyond being a facilitator and catalyst to co-create system transformation. This demands management reforms and capacity building to work cross-domains, cross-departments, cross-sectors, and cross-disciplines.

Vision

• Shared vision on present and future innovation challenges
• Strategy in a medium-term

S4: Vision goes beyond the R&I system. Could be a societal vision: ‘Which is the future we want – here?’ or an industrial vision: ‘promising areas for the future’. The vision should be linked to the overall goal(s) set in time (medium-term) which is comprehensible, measurable, and ambitious.  But, always, realistic.

Prioritisation

• Reviewing of previous priorities
• Identify fields of competitive advantage
• Verify critical mass of budget to achieve each priority

S4: Defining whether priorities are aligned or in the same direction as the overall EU-level investments (and regulatory changes), then the potential of reaching critical mass and crowding-in of private investment and of EU funds.

Implementation

• Broad definition of innovation
• Balance between focused and horizontal actions
• Upgrading existing industry using of KETs and digital
• Experimentation within pilot actions
• Innovation ecosystems
• International collaboration search for value chains

S4: Innovation drives the implementation but mobilises in synergy with other policy areas and investments, such as infrastructure, skills, etc. With systemic innovation and industrial transitions, the scope broadens.

Portfolio projects are created by programs and focus on developing, testing, or deploying innovative solutions. User-driven innovation, economies of scope, and public procurement are all linked to place-based experimentation and testbeds for local or foreign innovations. The value chain positioning strategy is proactive in new value chains emerging from transitions, and it creates a local articulation of EU alliances.

S4: The local context for innovation is now also European. When local entrepreneurs identify barriers or resistance to sustainability innovation, this can be channelled into ‘Green Deals’ at the national and EU policy levels.

S4: The regional thematic network facilitates collaboration and mutual learning with other change actors, but the new network externalities emerge from the reorientation of the EU network of actors (European technological platforms, European partnerships, industrial alliances, EIT Knowledge and Innovation).

Monitor and evaluate

• Indicators with targets and baseline
• Mechanism for data collection and analysis
• Information used to update the strategy

S4: Monitoring and evaluation extend beyond the R&I system, with indicators and targets aligned with the granularity of the vision in the regional or urban strategy. A dynamism of continuous policy learning is introduced. Particular emphasis is placed onthe early detection of signs of trade-offs between sustainability/smartness/inclusiveness.