Technopolis Group’s Post

On 11-12 December, the S3CoP Consortium, led by Technopolis Group, had the privilege of organising the second edition of the S3Conference in Rimini, Italy. 🇮🇹   With the support of the Comune di Rimini and the Regione Emilia-Romagna, the event brought together 470 participants from across the EU regions, clusters, S3 experts, and associations, emphasising the importance of collaboration to advance smart specialisation strategies.   After a comprehensive introduction by Elisabetta Marinelli on the work of the S3CoP Secretariat in the morning, the conference featured an engaging programme, from diverse parallel sessions on funding synergies, S3 governance and industrial transition to interactive networking activities.   These discussions delved into pressing issues for the Regional Innovation Valleys initiative, addressing challenges such as circularity 🔄, digital transformation 🌐, health innovation 💡, food security 🌾, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels 🌱.   Agis Evrigenis closed the conference with forward-looking remarks for the S3 community, followed by Director General of the Emilia Romagna Region Morena Diazzi and DG REGIO Acting Deputy Director General Nicola De Michelis.    On the second day, the working groups convened to discuss industrial transition, innovation diffusion, and interregional collaboration, as well as the S3 partnerships, tackling the importance of finding common ground and expertise to succeed in thematic areas such as agri-food 🌽, energy ⚡, industrial modernisation 🏭, and the sustainable blue economy 🌊.   The S3 conference emphasised the importance of adapting Smart Specialisation Strategies to a constantly evolving policy landscape and the need to align EU priorities with regional realities.   It further stressed S3's key role in representing a transformative approach for regional development, focussing on the European Union's overall vision of a more equitable and sustainable future.   We are grateful for being part of these conversations and support efforts towards a green and innovative future!   #S3Conference #S3CoP #SmartCities #SmartSpecialisation #EURegions #UrbanDevelopment #GreenTransition #IndustrialTransition   Laura Galante, Elena Ontiveros, Ieva Stanislovaityte, Santiago Donat, Nikos Maroulis