Strengthening Interregional Innovation: The Renewed S3 Community of Practice Framework (2025–2028)

Collaboration and synergies between European regions remain at the heart of effective Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) implementation and the use of ERDF funding to drive innovation, competitiveness and industrial development. Through the Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships, regions can strengthen their research and innovation capacities while advancing industrial development in strategic domains. The S3 Community of Practice (S3 CoP) reinforces this collaborative ecosystem. It functions as a content- and analysis-driven platform that generates evidence, insights and strategic intelligence from the implementation of S3 across Europe.

Since late 2025, a new consortium has been entrusted with running the S3 CoP until 2028. Led by Prognos, in partnership with Ecorys, GAC, t33, EURADA, ECA, Tipik, iO Digital and EBAN, the consortium supports regions in both implementing and advancing their smart specialisation strategies during the current programming period, while also preparing the transition towards the post-2027 policy framework. The S3 CoP offers analytical and policy support, capacity-building and peer-learning opportunities, and serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration and the development of interregional partnerships.

This renewed S3 CoP framework further aims to strengthen sustainable linkages between S3 Partnerships and broader European initiatives and programmes with a strong interregional dimension. While maintaining its fundamentally bottom-up approach, the framework promotes closer coordination with the European Commission's Directorates-General to ensure stronger policy alignment and greater strategic coherence. At the same time, increased cross-partnership cooperation is encouraged to reduce duplication of efforts and stimulate joint interregional actions.

Each Partnership benefits from dedicated support services under the S3 CoP, including the involvement of Partnership Brokers. These Brokers act as proactive, personalised points of contact, serving as intermediaries between the Partnerships, the European Commission and the S3 CoP Secretariat. Their role is both strategic and operational: they build and maintain close relationships with Partnerships, stimulate their development and dynamism, and facilitate the visibility and valorisation of their activities. On the one hand, they channel strategic guidance, policy updates, funding opportunities and key information from the Commission and the S3 CoP Secretariat to the Partnerships. On the other, they support the promotion and recognition of Partnership achievements, ensuring that regional efforts gain visibility at European level.

Through this strengthened framework, the S3 CoP continues to support interregional cooperation and helps regions implement more coordinated and effective innovation strategies.