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This paper explores the factors influencing regions' commitment to the EU's green energy transition during the 2021–2027 period, with a particular focus on the impact of prior commitments and fossil fuel dependence. Using multimodel regression analysis along with a null classification approach with large language models, we assess how regions' existing green energy initiatives, their dependence on fossil fuels, and specific energy targets shape their progress towards the EU Green Deal goals. The results confirm path dependency in regional energy policies, where regions with prior investments in decarbonization and energy infrastructure show greater commitment in the current period. Fossil-fuel-dependent regions, on the other hand, face structural barriers slowing their transition to green energy. In addition, the study highlights the selective prioritization of decarbonization and energy efficiency goals, while goals such as consumer empowerment and offshore wind energy remain undervalued. The findings underscore the need for a more comprehensive, sustainable approach to energy transition, particularly in regions with significant dependence on fossil fuels. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy implications for achieving a holistic and equitable energy transition across all EU regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents new empirical insights into European metropolitan regions, addressing a gap in the existing literature by examining the sectoral specialization and its impact on the productivity growth of metropolitan regions. The lack of evidence for European metropolitan regions contrasts with the empirical evidence for U.S. metropolitan regions, highlighting a significant research gap. By employing panel-regression analysis and leveraging unique regional data encompassing European metropolitan regions from 2000 to 2020, the authors unveil a multitude of significant findings. Key findings are that higher income countries (EU-15) tend to experience greater benefits from sectoral specialization in metropolitan regions compared to Eastern European regions (EU-NMS), suggesting that generalizing conclusions for EU-27 may be misleading. The study reveals a productivity gap resulting from sectoral specialization between metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions: Results suggest a higher concentration of specialized sectors in metropolitan regions. Policy implications are highlighted within the discussion on the framework of smart specialization in the context of metropolitan regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to propose a revision of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) as a key driver in the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) policy framework. To this end, the paper makes three major contributions. First, drawing on recent contributions that redefine entrepreneurship as a quasi-scientific process based on experimentation, we redefine the role and process of EDP within the S3 policy framework. Second, by referring to the concepts of the adjacent possible and speciation, we revise the scope of the discovery process, overcoming the traditional trade-off between technological relatedness and unrelatedness. Third, we address the implications of these changes in the context of the innovation gap between knowledge-intensive and lagging-behind regions in the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clusters can play an important role in helping regions to address transformative innovation policies in Europe focusing mainly on (i) sustainability (ii) smart specialization, promoting diversified specialization and (ii) reshoring/regionalization of value chains to secure economic sustainability and resilience. Clusters can be considered key change agents in aligning cluster policies with transformative policies and repositioning their role in the innovation policy landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate the nature of path dependency in specialization of countries in terms of international trade. • We isolate the related variety component in density and then estimate logit regressions that predict gains or losses of specialization. • The relative influence of unrelated variety on changes of specialization increases with the level of diversification of the country: only countries that are not already diversified are strongly influences of related variety. • The impact of the country effect in the impact of unrelated diversity in gains or keeps of specializations increases with diversity. • Existing capabilities breed new capabilities, i.e., diversification is a virtuous circle that is largely independent of relatedness, and that the source of path dependency in international specialization patterns lies much more in generic production capabilities rather than relatedness in product space. In this paper, we investigate the nature of path dependency in specialization of countries in terms of international trade. Our focus is on the product space density metric, which is employed in the literature on smart specialization and the product space. We find that although density is supposed to capture relatedness between a country's current specialization pattern and potential products that it may diversify into, density also contains a large component of what we call unrelated diversity, i.e., country- and product fixed effects. Together, these fixed effects capture 97 % of the variance of density. We isolate the related variety component in density and then estimate logit regressions that predict gains or losses of specialization. The relative influence of unrelated variety on changes of specialization increases with the level of diversification of the country: only countries that are not already diversified are strongly influences of related variety. We also show that the impact of the country effect in the impact of unrelated diversity in gains or keeps of specializations increases with diversity. This suggests that existing capabilities breed new capabilities, i.e., diversification is a virtuous circle that is largely independent of relatedness, and that the source of path dependency in international specialization patterns lies much more in generic production capabilities rather than relatedness in product space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The key feature of EU Smart Specialization is experimentalist governance, or the idea that policy principals only partially possess the necessary knowledge for policy design and implementation. Instead, discovering policy priorities, designing instruments, and detecting and correcting errors are the responsibilities of a wide range of innovation stakeholders. However, particularly in institutionally less developed countries and regions, there is often a clash between the requirements for experimental governance and the public policy demand for predominantly procedural accountability. Our central argument is that the experimentation dimension cannot be added to the conventional policy cycle without altering it. This results in a trade-off between experimentation and accountability, leading to four disconnected governance regimes: EDP, design, implementation, and M&E. This paper demonstrates this issue in the case of Croatia's S3. Using the concept of a dynamic policy cycle, we critically examine different solutions to experimentation and highlight their deficiencies. Our analysis and conclusions are highly relevant for countries and regions adopting experimental policy approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial regions of Ukraine, especially near-front territories (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions), suffered the greatest damage and losses as a result of the full-scale war. The needs for their recovery, according to the joint assessment of international institutions and the Ukrainian government, constitute half (50.46% or $207.2 billion USD) of the reconstruction needs for Ukraine. Considering the structural lag of the economy in industrial regions, dominated by sectors with weak innovation activity and low technological intensity, the continuation of pre-war development trajectories is absolutely unacceptable and non-competitive in the context of the Industry 4.0-5.0 which gains traction globally. In the conditions of a significant change in the profiles of industrial regions due to the war, there is an opportunity to revive their economy but on fundamentally new, innovative principles. Smart specialization can be utilized for this purpose, aiming at the structural transformation of the economy and the development of new competitive advantages for regions and countries. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of conducting a critical analysis and rethinking the implementation directions of smart specialization in the industrial regions of Ukraine. This is due to the varying degrees of consideration of its fundamental principles in the regional development strategies for 2021-2027 and the need for the structural transformation of their economies to overcome the consequences of the war for the local population. The purpose of the article is to identify key problems in the field of organizational and economic support for the implementation of the smart specialization approach in the industrial regions of Ukraine and to determine ways to solve them, taking into account purely Ukrainian challenges and EU experience. The role of organizational and economic support for the implementation of the smart specialization approach in national conditions has been substantiated. The scientific understanding of the main organizational and economic problems and shortcomings of the implementation of the smart specialization approach in the industrial regions of Ukraine has been deepened. It is highlighted that freezing these problems and the absence of appropriate actions to address them will prevent structural and innovation transformations in the economies of regions based on the principles of sustainable development, thereby excluding the possibility of overcoming their structural backwardness. Proposals on ways to solve existing organizational and economic problems are substantiated, taking into account purely Ukrainian challenges, and the knowledge obtained in the EU member states during the implementation of this approach over the last ten years. The practical implementation of these proposals will make it possible to adjust the smart-oriented goals and sectoral focuses of regional development strategies, to direct them to the transformation of the economy of industrial regions through the support of sectors and industries that have the potential to develop new competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the factors influencing regions’ commitment to the EU’s green energy transition during the 2021–2027 period, with a particular focus on the impact of prior commitments and fossil fuel dependence. Using multimodel regression analysis along with a null classification approach with large language models, we assess how regions’ existing green energy initiatives, their dependence on fossil fuels, and specific energy targets shape their progress towards the EU Green Deal goals. The results confirm path dependency in regional energy policies, where regions with prior investments in decarbonization and energy infrastructure show greater commitment in the current period. Fossil-fuel-dependent regions, on the other hand, face structural barriers slowing their transition to green energy. In addition, the study highlights the selective prioritization of decarbonization and energy efficiency goals, while goals such as consumer empowerment and offshore wind energy remain undervalued. The findings underscore the need for a more comprehensive, sustainable approach to energy transition, particularly in regions with significant dependence on fossil fuels. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy implications for achieving a holistic and equitable energy transition across all EU regions.

In response to Boschma's concern that the implications of relatedness- and unrelatedness-based diversification strategies lack empirical evidence at disaggregated levels and in the context of the Global South, this study generates a unique dataset at the city level and explores how these smart specialization strategies (S3) may explain digital industry innovations within a specific regional innovation system, i.e., the Yangtze River Delta, China. The findings reveal that both relatedness density and knowledge complexity play a positive role in explaining digital industry innovations. However, the relationship between relatedness and knowledge complexity and its interactive effects on innovation performance are less straightforward. In our study, we found that efficient cooperation between relatedness and complexity can only be achieved if the level of government intervention is moderate. Therefore, the discussion of S3 focuses on more than the dichotomous argument between relatedness and unrelatedness. Many socio-economic factors also impact the effectiveness of these theoretical components within different innovation systems, which are largely overlooked by present studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to present the course of the research and development process, from the creation of the concept of a new method of using therapeutic sulfide water and determining a new direction of treatment, through the various stages of research and commercial implementation of the health tourism product. Method. The study was carried out using the comparative method, on 150 people, the research hypotheses were formulated and verified. Findings: The results of the study formed the basis for a therapeutic program implemented on the market. Research and conclusions limitations. Limitations in research and inference stemmed from project implementation guidelines, time constraints, and EU funding regulations. Practical implications. The results of the research were implemented in market as SDR - Sulfide Reduction Diet Originality. The results of the research have been patented as two inventions and a trademark. The article focuses on aspects of creating a health tourism product, the cooperation of the scientific community, business environment institutions and entrepreneurs. The process of identifying needs and creating a health tourism product corresponding to current market trends. The issues are presented in the context of marketing activities, branding and promotion of healthy lifestyles. Type of paper. This publication is part of the research and development project N o. RPSW.01.02.00-26-0014/18 titled: 'Research and development work on the use of sulfide water in weight reduction therapy'1 implemented under the Regional Operational Program of the Świętokrzyskie Province for 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund and was conducted at Hotel BRISTOL* ART & Medical SPA in Busko-Zdrój. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this paper is a review of previous research on smart specialization as a concept which is one of the strategies for sustainable development of regions. Innovations are considered as one of the key drivers of growth. Recognition of innovation which was central point of strategy ‘Europe 2020’ where ‘smart specialization’ needs to make possible for the regions and countries pursue those industries in which they hold a comparative advantage and which have basis for further innovations. The main purpose of this paper is defining smart specialization and its role on the regional development. Analysis and comparison of the scientific literature and applications of smart specialization were used as methods for this paper. The main findings of this paper show that the basis of smart specialization are innovation, knowledge and research which are pillars of smart, sustainable development. Smart specialization means identifying the unique characteristics and potential of each country and region, with the aim of achieving competitive advantages and excellence. It also includes strengthening regional innovation systems, increasing knowledge exchange and spillover the benefits of innovation throughout the regional economy. By comparison method of the scientific literature this paper will contribute to the development of theoretical background of smart specialization as a strategic concept formed by a group of European Union experts with the aim of reducing the gap in competitiveness between the European Union and the United States, which arises from the lower economic and technological specialization of European countries, especially at the regional level. Also it will promote smart specialization as a concept that can contribute to strengthening regional innovation policy and regional development.

Tangible cultural heritage is a strategic resource for the development of rural and urban settlements. Cooperation with stakeholders from EU countries and regions within the Danube macro-region, such as cultural heritage institutions and competent authorities, allows to agree on the preparation and adaptation of compatible digital innovation strategies in local initiative groups in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as on impact mapping through a set of pan-European socio-economic indicators. Objectives of the study: to analyse the available European best practices and methodology for adaptation in the integration of the regions of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in the interregional innovation partnership on the smart specialisation "Cultural and Creative Regional Ecosystems" (CCRE-S3) [1]. The overall horizontal objective of the integration into the platform should be to add value to the common characteristics of the cultural and creative sector and to create a permanent discovery mechanism that will carry out activities to identify strategic investments and the use of innovation transfer tools. Previous works: previous concept, research and experience are described in the articles [2] and [3]. Approach: European benchmarking, comparative analysis, bibliographic research. Outcome: recommendations aimed at stimulating new ideas and opportunities related to cultural and creative experiences for local communities and residents by involving several groups of professions that use, apply and implement new technologies in the cultural and creative industries sector. The European Programmes provide resources to support their implementation. In this way, the Danube Strategy participating States [4], by supporting partnerships between the cultural heritage sector and other sectors such as higher education and vocational education and training, creative industries and sustainable cultural tourism, will be able to stimulate innovation for new services and applications in their regions.

The policy maker's goal at the macro level is to promote knowledge-based activities in different regions of the country and the balanced development of the provinces. The current study focuses on the concept of intelligent specialization with the aim of supporting knowledge-based companies and developing their activities. Based on this approach, innovative activities in the provinces should be focused on competitive advantages, potential capacities and value chains in the region. Therefore, this research emphasizes on supporting knowledge-based companies in accordance with the conditions of the region and with the aim of directing activities in the priority areas of the region. Focusing on Hormozgan province, this study has investigated the priority areas and advantages of the region through the study of official provincial documents, including Hormozgan province's plan document and the province's strategic problem-solving document. Then, through interviews with 21 activists in the field, it identified the challenges faced by knowledge-based companies. Thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data and by coding the concepts extracted from the interviews and policy texts, the meaningful pattern of the themes was determined based on the collected data. In the first step of the research, the priority and attractive areas of the province were determined. Then, the field of activity of knowledge-based companies was investigated and based on the attractiveness-capability matrix, areas of activity with high attractiveness, high ability, and high attractiveness, low ability were identified. The results showed that the development of knowledge-based activities in the region requires that things like facilitating the licensing of active companies in priority areas, helping to complete the supply chain in the relevant area, justifying actors to support companies in emphasized areas and using the knowledge of other provinces in relevant areas should be followed up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge-based companies are a representative for innovative activities in the region, and its uneven distribution is considered one of the factors of the innovation gap between regions. This research examines the uneven development of knowledge-based companies in the provinces of the country, specifically the three provinces of East Azerbaijan, South Khorasan and Hormozgan. In this regard, the functions that are necessary for the formation and growth of knowledge-based activities in the region, i.e. commercialization, research and development, innovation based on high-level technology, and the training of specialized human resources, were focused on, and the background factors affecting the growth of knowledge-based companies that represent the identified functions was investigated with a quantitative approach. Some of these factors include the share of the province in the number of academic staff, the number of articles, the number of research and development workshops, the added value of the industry sector and professional scientific and technical activities, the added value of the information and communication sector. In the next stage, focusing on the concept of smart specialization, the specialization of the activities of knowledge-based companies was pursued, and based on the conceptual framework of the regional innovation system, the alignment of the actions of the actors of the two sub-systems of knowledge creation and knowledge utilization, as well as the government, was investigated. The data was collected through the library study of official statistics and documents and referring to the website of knowledge-based companies. Finally, based on the findings, suggestions such as defining the human resource exchange mechanism, creating inter-provincial networks, facilitating commercialization, etc. have been presented. For the specialization of knowledge-based activities based on the conditions of the region, targeted and directed support of knowledge-based companies and adjustment in the evaluation method of knowledge-based companies have been emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key vector in the development of modern post-industrial society, which is formed under the influence of informatization and computerization processes, is the intellectualization of all spheres of social life. This results from the dominance of intellectual activity, which takes precedence over the production of material goods and services. Consequently, there is a steady trend toward the intellectualization of production factors. This article explores the relevance and the need for the intellectualization of production and implementation of smart-specialization in the regions of Ukraine during post-war recovery as the only path toward realizing the country's sustainable development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart specialization is not an imposed strategy, but a necessary adaptation of national and regional policies in modern times. It is the conditions of constantly decreasing resources and the adaptation of local economies to a new world order that requires an analysis of the education system, which should lead to justified change. The research period is 2014 - 2020 and the base year is 2014, the beginning of the measures in the direction of development of the Smart Specialization of the Regions in Bulgaria. Analyzed economic indicators are population, level of education, number of schools in the education system, and employment by economic activities. The study covers two levels - national and regional, to specify the need for followup. Performed economic analyzes demonstrate the specialization of the regions in the field of education. The conclusions that follow from the present study show the effect of smart specialization on the education system in the country, as well as the direction for future changes in educational structures.

Regional strategies, such as smart specialization strategies, can set the course for future diversification. Despite its importance, surprisingly little is known about how the underlying policy-making process affects the direction of regional strategies, i.e. the priority areas that regions aim to promote. As a consequence, the underlying reasons why certain regions have difficulties in developing adequate future-oriented strategies remain concealed. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework to unpack the policy-making process of regional strategy development and link it to the policy outcomes. The conceptual elaborations highlight that only by considering the features of this policy-making process, distributed across various actors with heterogenous interests and capabilities, can we explain why regions favour the promotion of certain types of path development over others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responsible research and innovation (RRI) has recently emerged as a policy framework to align technological innovation with broader social values. It helps regions focus on their strengths and boost their innovation, growth, and prosperity through partnerships between business, public entities, and knowledge institutions. However, the study of RRI dynamics including whether and how attitudes, drivers, and behaviours at the individual, organizational, and network levels affect the impact of RRI, is in its infancy. Based on a survey of societal actors from three regional innovation ecosystems in Norway, Austria, and Spain, we examine the role of RRI in responsible regional planning. Our study advances our knowledge about regional innovation policies by providing evidence of how different stakeholders and policymakers engage in RRI when designing responsible regional planning. We identify the extent to which they incorporate RRI activities into their work practices, the extent to which their organizations and network support their practices and outcomes, and the effects they have observed. Our study also considers the factors that promote or impede RRI activities. The results are particularly relevant for policy makers interested in strengthening regional innovation policies and boosting regional growth via RRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU Commission launched an innovation strategy called Smart Specialization in 2012. Smart Specialization is a framework for developing policies unleashing place-based economic potential. Evaluations, however, have shown that appropriate innovation policy decisions are difficult. There is an innovation policy potential that must first be unleashed. This article shows how the application of a method – connectivity analysis – developed through a Baltic Sea Region project 'LARS – Learning Among Regions on Smart Specialization,' can be used to support Smart Specialization. The method includes transnational comparisons and targeted policy recommendations for public sector institutions operating within various institutional frameworks and different clusters. It consists of instruments (gaps and factors) measuring collaboration through interviews of 141 quadruple-helix stakeholders across eight Baltic Sea regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines two atypical sparsely populated regions and their experience implementing a strategy of forest-based bioeconomy through smart specialization. Smart specialization is increasingly promoted as an opportunity for green transformations. Indeed, its recent evolution from S3 to S4 is an effort to address environmental sustainability challenges alongside regional development. In this paper, we argue that one of smart specialization's early stages, the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP), can help establish a basis for the green transformation of traditional industries located in sparsely populated areas. The EDP is a participatory process that gathers diverse actors interested in developing a common economic sector, mostly through innovation. We explain how multi-actor participation facilitate understanding innovation as a problem-solving process requiring the input of actors outside (but including) the firms. As the cases show, this can unlock the potential of place-based multi-actor interventions to identify and mobilize pre-existing conditions and resources that, when combined with a common agenda, can influence green path renewal. In our cases, those pre-existing conditions are a culture of collaboration, knowledge, infrastructure and access to natural resources. The common agenda is to transform the regional economy into a forest-based bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regions of meagre technology and market activities, traditional innovation metrics (patents and trademarks filed at international offices) may provide limited insight of the mechanisms of regional diversification and therefore policies, including smart specialization. We argue that in such regions, innovation activity, of lower value, can become the seed needed to grow to innovation of international calibre. We provide support by examining both domestic and international patent and trademark activity for Greece's NUTS 3 regions during 2000–2016. We further implement the principle of relatedness and show that regions with related technology (market) capabilities are more likely to exhibit new technology (market) specializations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis that regional innovativeness is positively correlated with the two main building variables of smart specialization: relatedness density (a region’s potential to develop new technologies compatible with existing capabilities) and knowledge complexity (a region’s potential to develop unique and hard-to-imitate technologies).Methodology: Analysis are made over a panel regression model, using data from OECD-REGPAT database for the years 1978–2017 covering Türkiye’s NUTS-3 regions. The dependent variable is innovativeness, and the independent variables are the average relatedness density and knowledge complexity indices for each region. Per capita income, number of universities, number of technoparks, Turkish Patent Institute, Türkiye-EU Customs Union agreement, and lagged value of the dependent variable are the control variables.Findings: The results confirm that innovativeness and a region’s potential to develop new technologies that are compatible with existing technological portfolios (relatedness density) are correlated, while the variable that measures a region’s potential to develop unique technologies (knowledge complexity) is not statistically significant.Originality: The originality of this work is that we demonstrate relatedness to be one of the building blocks of smart specialization as correlated with regional innovativeness; complexity, the other building block, is not correlated.

Smart specialization is not an imposed strategy, but a necessary adaptation of national and regional policies in modern times. It is the conditions of constantly decreasing resources and the adaptation of local economies to a new world order that requires an analysis of the education system, which should lead to justified change. The research period is 2014 - 2020 and the base year is 2014, the beginning of the measures in the direction of development of the Smart Specialization of the Regions in Bulgaria. Analyzed economic indicators are population, level of education, number of schools in the education system, and employment by economic activities. The study covers two levels - national and regional, to specify the need for followup. Performed economic analyzes demonstrate the specialization of the regions in the field of education. The conclusions that follow from the present study show the effect of smart specialization on the education system in the country, as well as the direction for future changes in educational structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to explore the influence of innovation hubs (IHs) on innovation-based regional development. Methodology: This study applied a qualitative approach using a multiple case study method to collect data through 10 semi-structured interviews. A detailed analysis of the data collected was conducted using the content analysis method. Findings: The study shows that IHs can influence both economic and social development. An IH can attract knowledge and expertise as well as investors to the region through its activities and geographical location. The hubs support start-ups, entrepreneurs and smart specialization at the same time as they also enable sustainable development by creating social value. Regions can exchange resources through cross-collaboration via IHs. Research Implications: This study has important theoretical managerial and societal implications. It adds comprehensive knowledge to the existing theory on IHs and regional development by highlighting the influence of IHs on regional development. The study shows both economic and social influence in detail and points out a previously undiscussed concept in the context of the correlation between IHs and regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to Boschma’s concern that the implications of relatedness- and unrelatedness-based diversification strategies lack empirical evidence at disaggregated levels and in the context of the Global South, this study generates a unique dataset at the city level and explores how these smart specialization strategies (S3) may explain digital industry innovations within a specific regional innovation system, i.e., the Yangtze River Delta, China. The findings reveal that both relatedness density and knowledge complexity play a positive role in explaining digital industry innovations. However, the relationship between relatedness and knowledge complexity and its interactive effects on innovation performance are less straightforward. In our study, we found that efficient cooperation between relatedness and complexity can only be achieved if the level of government intervention is moderate. Therefore, the discussion of S3 focuses on more than the dichotomous argument between relatedness and unrelatedness. Many socio-economic factors also impact the effectiveness of these theoretical components within different innovation systems, which are largely overlooked by present studies.

The examination of "smart" growth in various economic and societal development areas and contexts has spread around the globe, in both scientific and policy discourse, with a recent focus on transformations concerning "smart" green growth, "smart" regional development, and green transformation, including "smart" villages. However, until recently, much confusion has existed regarding different understandings of "smartness" for different communities in different contexts. The main aims of this research are to emphasize the proliferation of perceptions of the term "smart" in different contexts of growth and development paradigms and policy agendas and to illustrate the theoretical findings with a case study concerning Lithuanian perceptions of "smart" development of rural areas. We applied a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods in this study. The research results and the suggested policy recommendations propose that, currently, "smartness" is perceived more broadly than as a simple application of the word "smart"; i.e., it involves intelligent digital equipment or mechanisms in a particular setting. In the context of economic and political processes—at all levels, supranational, regional, and local—"smart" growth includes "green" growth, increasingly emphasizing the ambition to create holistic intelligent [eco]systems to provide better services—i.e., "smarter" and "greener" services—to the quality of life for human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the study is to model the prospects for sustainable development of the region due to smart specialization in the system of ensuring innovative security. The methodology includes a diverse number of techniques that contributed to the achievement of the desired result. In particular, general theoretical methods of analysis, the method of comparing the key characteristics of the studied regions, the method of correlation and regression analysis were used. As a result of the study, the density of the influence of various factors (characteristics of the functioning of the educational and scientific components, indicators of the innovative activity of the business environment of the region) on the dynamics of changes over time in the performance indicators of a particular region was studied. According to the authors, this study can become a guide for regional authorities in developing an implementation plan and relevant roadmaps for the implementation of practical strategies for sustainable development of the region. The study has limitations and they relate to the inability to cover an indicative number of regions. Each region is individual and requires a separate approach. The practical value of the calculations carried out lies in the disclosure of those components and characteristics of the educational, scientific, and industrial activities of the region, the direction of efforts and resources for the activation of which will allow the region to get a guaranteed positive result through the growth of the gross regional product and the available income of the region due to an indicative increase in innovation security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart specialization is one of the key modern economic policies implemented in the European Union. Its essence is to ensure innovative development depending on a specific region's existing conditions and features. Smart specialization is aimed at ensuring the regional development of the countries that are part of the European Union and those countries that have a cooperation agreement with it. This tool involves taking into account the peculiarities and capabilities of each region and identifying competitive advantages, which helps to unlock economic potential and more effectively develop innovations at the regional level. Smart specialization aims to: identify the most promising investment areas through a thorough analysis of existing opportunities, assets, competencies, and competitive advantages of the region; more efficient spending of state resources by concentrating on the main industries of a certain region; elimination of duplication of measures that may lead to waste of public resources; implementation of mechanisms that ensure strategic development based on multilateral interaction. The purpose of the study is to determine directions for improving the strategizing of smart specialization in the regions of Ukraine from the standpoint of Schumpeterianism, institutionalism, and developmentalism. The theoretical provisions of ensuring the smart specialization of Ukraine's regional development process in practice face several problems that can be systematized and solved from the positions of different schools of economic theory at the regional and national levels. From the standpoint of the Schumpeterian school of economic theory, the priority direction for improving the smart specialization strategy of the regions of Ukraine is to combine innovation policy with regional smart specialization strategies, as well as the creation of innovative infrastructure to support smart specialization. From the standpoint of the institutional school of economic theory, the priority direction for improving the strategizing of smart specialization in the regions of Ukraine is the systematic alignment of institutions with the goals of smart specialization, the harmonization of the regulatory and legal framework for ensuring innovative activity and strategizing regional development, as well as the elimination of institutional deficiencies in the formulation of strategic documents at the state and at the regional level, which prevent the application of the principles of smart specialization. From the standpoint of the developmental school of economic theory, the priority direction for improving the strategy of smart specialization in Ukraine's regions is improving economic policy at the national level in the area of stimulating high-tech exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper aims to review the evidence demonstrating the role of universities in the knowledge diffusion function for Smart Specialisation strategies. It is not new if many experts question whether Smart Specialisation will apply equally in all regions, plus the reason that the study of the role of universities in Smart Specialisation still needs much attention. Through this evidence-based literature review, I have identified three main points that support the role of universities for Smart Specialisation in less developed regions of Europe, including resources in regional innovation systems, public sector investment support for RandD, and strong bonds of the Triple Helix actors.

The inability of the European Union (EU) to grow has raised questions regarding the effectiveness of competitiveness and growth policies. To increase efficacy, the EU has determined that regions must undergo an exercise in smart specialization and devise a strategy for the same. However, particularly in follower regions facing severe locked-in problems and structural bottlenecks, the application of smart specialization may require adjustments and a more dynamic vision, especially with regard to the follower regions. Furthermore, many operational issues arise in the programming and policy-devising stages. This article aims to contribute to this debate by proposing a framework to guide the selection of priorities and by applying the proposed framework to the Portuguese North region.

The article addresses a study of methodological challenges concerning smart specialization of the regions of Ukraine. Within the terms of the preparation of the article, the theoretical and methodological foundations of smart specialization are examined, the discussion provisions of its methodology are distinguished, and its empirical evaluation is provided. Smart specialization is the direction of research in the field of regional economy, the attention of which is on entrepreneurial initiative and synergy of efforts of business and authorities. This approach focuses on practical entrepreneurial efforts without reference to macroeconomic policy. According to the results of the study, it is defined that, though a positive perception of smart specialization prevails amid domestic scholars, the discussed approach to regional development contains a number of methodological challenges, among which is worth noting the unreasonable use of the chosen methodology for calculating indicators to determine innovative activities and preserve the extant specialization of the regions of Ukraine, which remains raw material mainly. According to the results of the empirical analysis of the relationship between the share of regions in the structure of the cost of sold products of key sectors of the economy (industry, agriculture, retail trade) and disposable income per capita – one of the major indicators of socio-economic development – a lack of a strong positive correlation between the region’s specialization in agriculture and the level of income of the population is identified. Instead, a strong positive correlation is present between the volume of industrial products and retail trade in terms of sold articles and the level of disposable income. It is concluded that too much expectations from the impact of agricultural development on the economy of both the country as a whole and individual regions are unreasonable: the intersectoral synergistic effect of agricultural development is inferior to the effect of industrial development, especially when the raw material nature of domestic agricultural production be taken into account. Attention is focused on the discussion nature of the ratio of «sectoral vs. regional development»: the methodology for developing a regional development strategy proposed by European experts requires detailed consideration, extensive debate and careful use in the development of a regional development strategy in Ukraine.

The smart specialization approach has guided regional innovation policies in Europe for roughly a decade. However, the policy practice under the approach has met considerable criticism which suggests the existence of significant gaps between the conceptual level and the level of policy implementation. To explain and understand the reasons for these gaps, this article proposes an institutionalist perspective rooted in neo-institutional sociology. In particular, the article draws on concepts such as ceremony, myth, and isomorphism and argues that such an institutionalist perspective can provide one of several fields of further research on the political economy of regional innovation policy. Pursuing such research is particularly relevant to inform policymaking in the coming years, given the current tendency to re-orient smart specialization towards challenge orientation, directionality, normativity, and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extent and importance of the Smart Specialization strategies, achieved in a short cohesion policy period from 2014 to 2020, the evidence on the assessment of their actual effect on the economic development and the mobilization via the Smart Specialization implementation of the regions is still pending. In light of green transformation, accelerated by the European Green Deal, the heart of Smart Specialization strategies of EU regions is to avoid fragmentation and to reach a complementary in reaching the joint EU ambition of climate neutrality by 2050. This article aims to demonstrate how to identify the region-specific (place-based and bottom–up) pathways for green transformation and align them with the European Green Deal-focused Smart Specialization strategies in regions, using moderated co-creation in DPSIR analysis and policy modeling. The findings of this article are based on the moderated experimental experience from the two interconnected projects in the area, i.e., "LARS" and "GRETA", implemented in the Baltic Sea Region (October 2017 to September 2021). The research proposes how moderated learning and knowledge transfer between matured innovators and young innovators embodies the identification of place-based pathways and help develop political course recommendations for green transformation, thus solving the homogeneity issues of the Smart Specialization strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experts always seek for improving the development and management of multidimensional urban systems, including those of sustainability, smartness, and resiliency. These dimensions are the main keywords in related research to model and predict better development in urban and regional areas; there are overlapped concepts, common attributes, and parallel processes in existing indices designed for each of those keywords, which might not be an ideal option for the status quo. Therefore, there is a need to find a balance between these concepts/indices and identify an integrated development strategy that addresses smart, resilient, and sustainable development demands. For this purpose, first of all, attributes and themes used to develop the development indices are collected from the recent literature. Secondly, a semantic text mining technique is used to discover commonly used attributes among the collected ones. Thirdly, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to investigate the correlation between the selected attributes to reduce or merge similar attributes. Fourthly, after collecting data and normalizing calculated scores for each LGA, a k-means clustering method is used to identify LGAs with similar development behaviour. And finally, the developed index is implemented in Victoria, Australia as a case study that includes 79 regional and urban local government areas. Evaluation of the results (comparing the results with two existing studies) indicated the success of the proposed index in bringing smartness, resiliency and sustainability indices under a united and comprehensive development index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]