A report on Smart Specialisation Strategies and SET plan implementation actions describes how countries and regions are successfully putting into practice the principles of Smart Specialisation, drawing lessons for TRACER partner regions. Smart Specialisation suggests that the most effective way to deliver innovation, and ultimately regional or national economic development, is to concentrate public and private interventions and resources on a limited number of priorities, based on national/regional strengths. The approach draws on EU experimentation with regional innovation strategies since the early 1990s. As TRACER focuses specifically on the experiences of coal intensive regions, this report also examines the design, implementation and monitoring of Smart Specialisation strategies in more depth in three European regions which have a history in coal mining - South Limburg (the Netherlands), Asturias (Spain) and North-Rhine Westphalia (Germany).

You can look also at the Fact Sheets for more best-practice examples.