Interreg projekts BSR Smart-Up

Smart-up BSR addresses the challenges regions face in implementing their regional research and innovation policies. The results will enable partners and others in BSRto effectivelyrealize their policies in practice, eliminate obstacles and leverage their collective knowledge and expertise to achieve effective regional and transnational collaboration. In addition, results will scale to the Baltic Sea Region as a whole, creating a promising pan-BSRprocess for realizing RIS3 priorities.

The relevance of this project is more high due to the European Commission decisions and the Communication,COM(2017) 376, on 18 July2017.

The main challenges are:

- lack ofRIS3 experience of regional decision-makers,RDI stakeholders are not enough integrated with RIS3, and science &knowledge not optimallyused.

- Smart-up BSRwill use systematicallythe best regional and European know-howavailable, for in-depth learning, engagement and knowledge sharing (via innovation camps) to

- Foster bottom-up and needs-driven innovation with a series of innovation and peer learning processes;

- Capitalize on the expertise of EURIS3 experts (CoR&JRC) to co-create experimental concepts;

- Orchestrate innovation hubs for a smarter and more effective RIS3 implementation in the BSR; thus enhancing the capacityof regions to deal with challenges and effectivelyimplementRIS3 at all levels.

In addition of regional RIS3 strategies and roadmaps, Smart-up BSR project focuses on four thematic content areas and pioneering projects in BSRregions:

1. Active HealthyAgeing;

2. Smart city;

3.Climate change;

4.Circular and sharing economy

The project will experiment, prototype and pilot newsolutions, using diverse concepts and change management methodologies such as Innovation Camps, prototyping and a development path for orchestrating collaboration in Regional Innovation Ecosystems.

Main Smart-up BSRresults include:

• BSRRIS3 strategies and roadmaps updates byregions

• BSR macro regional collaboration and engagement via systemic transnational partnering process

• New instruments and platforms for engagement, value creation and innovation hub development using effective methodologies for realizing RIS3 priorities in practice

• BSR recommendation for macroregional policies development, implementation and engagement in EC

• Diverse ‘new professionals’ who can facilitate regional actors to work effectivelyto realize RIS3 innovation processes will be trained;

• Improved RIS3 stakeholder engagement,RIS3 realisation efficiency and RIS3 dissemination for wider use in partner regions.

Reflection papers on placed-based innovation ecosystems and evidence based policymaking operations in macoregions will be produced, focusing on RIS3’s role as an economic transformation process.

Outcomesfrom the projectwill have impact on three levels:

• The project partners and their regions;

• The BSRas a whole;

•Other macro-regions and the whole EU.