The S3 Community of Practice (S3 CoP) has launched a new phase under the renewed consortium, following its kick-off meeting with the newly appointed S3 CoP Broker for Traceability & Big Data, Giedrius Bagušinskas. This first exchange marked the beginning of what promises to be a productive collaboration aimed at strengthening the Partnership’s governance, strategic focus, and interregional impact.

The meeting served to present the renewed S3 CoP structure, understand expectations on both sides, and define the immediate next steps. It also provided clarity on what the new framework means for thematic partnerships and how the Broker will guide the next stage of development.

During the session, it was introduced the new S3 CoP service architecture was introduced and how the Broker’s role is designed to act as a catalyst for better coordination, clearer strategic direction, and enhanced communication between the Partnership, the European Commission, and the wider S3 ecosystem. Broker’s key functions include:

• Supporting the engagement of the S3 partnerships, strengthening their collaboration and governance structures, and ensuring a smooth flow of information between the S3 CoP team, the European Commission services and the partnerships.
• Supporting the partnerships in identifying their needs and priorities, including the services they may benefit from.
• Facilitating collaboration and matchmaking, including identifying potential partners, synergies and complementarities.
• Contributing to the monitoring of partnership activities, including gathering information on achievements, challenges, needs and opportunities.

These functions will be central as the Partnership navigates its next steps, especially in a moment focused on the activity of the Working Groups and member engagement.

The kick-off meeting addressed several strategic elements:

• Review of Partnership history, achievements and challenges.
• Discussion of governance and communication practices.

The Partnership shared its traditional focus on governance, interregional alignment, and regional ecosystems, and emphasized the need to boost momentum within the Working Groups and align the European Commission objectives for Thematic Partnerships. 

The meeting closed with a shared commitment to work closely in the coming months and to build a more structured, impactful and visible Traceability & Big Data Partnership.

About the broker assigned to Traceability & Big Data

Giedrius Bagušinskas is a Lithuanian business executive with more than 30 years of experience in sales management, business process development, export promotion, and collaborative leadership in the agri-food sector. As CEO of the Lithuanian Food Exporters Association (LitMEA), he drives international market expansion and industry cooperation for Lithuania’s food exporters. He is also the founder and director of the SMART Food Cluster, where he leads innovation initiatives, EU-funded projects, and cross-border partnerships. In addition, he has served as president and board member of the Lithuanian Cluster Network, contributing significantly to the development and visibility of Lithuania’s cluster ecosystem at both national and European levels. His leadership has been instrumental in building sector networks, connecting companies with global markets, and fostering innovation and co-creation across the agri-food industry.

About the newly S3 CoP

A new consortium has been contracted to run the S3 Community of Practice (S3 CoP) since late 2025 until 2028. The consortium will support regions in implementing and further developing their smart specialisation strategies during the current programming period, while also contributing to the transition towards the post-2027 policy and funding framework. The S3 CoP provides analytical and policy support, capacity-building and peer-learning opportunities, and a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and interregional partnership development. The team is led by Prognos, partnering with Ecorys, GAC, t33, EURADA, ECA, Tipik, iO Digital, and EBAN

All existing communication channels remain active. For enquiries, please contact the Secretariat at contact@s3-cop.eu, the events team at events@s3-cop.eu, the partnerships team at partnerships@s3-cop.eu, or the capacity-building team at capacity@s3-cop.eu.