Join us in Brussels on 23-24 June 2026, at Autoworld, for the
5th Annual Conference of the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice.
The S3 community is large and there is a limited number of places at the event, mostly on 24 June. You will be contacted after submitting your application to register.
23 June 2026: S3 CoP Annual Meeting
Morning - 09.00-13.00
- Welcome and Keynote
- Setting the scene: Why Smart Specialisation matters in the evolving EU policy context
- Panel discussion: Competitiveness, strategic sovereignty and the role of Smart Specialisation
- Panel discussion: S3 Delivery – operationalising S3 across governance, policy mixes, directionality and interregional cooperation
- Regional S3 Pitches: Designing future-ready Smart Specialisation
Afternoon – 14.30-17.00
- Parallel sessions:
- Integrated approach to innovation and industrial policies using multi-level governance
- Delivery and Performance: Operationalising S3 into reforms, investments, milestones and targets
- Interregional cooperation and directionality towards EU value chains
- Wrap-up and closing
24 June 2026: Annual Meeting of the S3 Thematic Platforms and Partnerships & Meeting of the S3 Learning Communities
08.30-12.30
Annual Meeting of S3 Thematic Platforms and Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships
- Kick-off & framing: From policy to partnerships
- Interactive Partnership Fora
- Lab results
- Wrap-up & closing remarks
08.30-12.30
Meeting of the S3 Learning Communities
- Intro: Recap of the kick-off webinar of the S3 Learning Communities
- Parallel workshops:
- S3 & Competitiveness
- S3 Governance & Performance
- S3 Internationalisation and Interregional Cooperation
- S3 Directionality
- Reporting to S3 Learning Communities plenary and workshop conclusions