Workshop V – The role of Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development: EU policies in the Mediterranean region

Module 2- EU Smart Specialization Strategy, Cultural Heritage and Innovation in the Mediterranean Region (3h)

Trainers: Sónia Bombico (University of Évora – CIDEHUS)

Hours: 2.30pm to 5.30pm

Module description:

Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) are an EU innovation policy approach that encourages regions to focus investment and research on areas where they have unique strengths and competitive advantages. Introduced in the early 2000s by economists such as Dominique Foray, the concept was formally adopted by the European Commission in 2010 as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy. It subsequently became a requirement for regions to access cohesion funds for innovation between 2014 and 2020.

S3 encourages regions to move beyond traditional sector-based strategies and instead identify niche areas of competitive advantage through a bottom-up, participatory process. At the heart of this approach lies the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP), a dynamic mechanism involving stakeholders from across the public, private, academic, and civil society sectors. This ensures that S3 strategies are both evidence-based and locally grounded.

Since 2010, the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the S3 Community of Practice have supported regions in designing and implementing their Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3), offering guidance, peer learning opportunities, and analytical tools.

This workshop provides an introduction to the conceptual foundations, methodological frameworks, and practical implementation of S3, drawing on key findings from recent systematic literature reviews.

The role of higher education institutions in shaping smart specialisation is also addressed, highlighting their contributions through research, entrepreneurship, regional development, and human capital formation.

Finally, participants will explore how cultural heritage has been integrated into Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) across different regional contexts in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Learning objectives:

• To understand the concept of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3)
• To recognise the methodologies for the development and implementation of S3
• To become familiar with the S3 Community of Practice of the European Commission
• To gain insight into the findings of systematic literature reviews related to Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3)
• To explore how cultural heritage has been integrated into Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) across different regional contexts in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Workshop Format: Online training. An expository session, followed by individual research and a final debate.

Equipment required: Laptop or other device that allows online search and selection of information.