The Local Stakeholder Group created within the InnovaSPA project, met for the first time on 31st of October 2018, in Tîrgu Mureș, Centru Region, Romania.

Organized by the Regional Development Agency Centru, the meeting was hosted by the Center for Advanced Medical and Pharmaceutical Research of the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Tîrgu Mureș and gathered over 30 participants, representatives of the member organization of the LSG, as well as representatives of other organizations relevant for thermalism sector and for the policy instrument tackled at regional level.  

The discussions and the presentations held during the first part of the meeting focused on the activities of the project, role of the LSG members, the best practice models in the fields of preventative health and thermalism identified at regional level, the SWOT analysis on the 5 themes identified within the InnovaSPA project and the Policy Instrument tackled at regional level “Priority Axis 1 of the Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020”.  

In order to identify the challenges, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to "preventative health and thermalism"  the second part of the meeting took place in focus group. The focus group discussion offered to the participants the opportunity to share important aspects related to the 5 themes and to contribute to the design of the SWOT analysis, and was strongly connected with the “preventative and recovery medicine” thematic area of the Regional Smart Specialization Strategy of Centru Region.  

The meeting represented a good opportunity for the stakeholders members to learn about the project, to find out more about how they will be involved within the project activities and to discuss policies that support innovation in the field of health prevention and thermalism.