Cover photo: Kick off  meeting TraCS3 14 Sept 2018

Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) priority areas are subject of continuous change, in line with the socio-economic dynamics of a region. That is why, periodically, regions have to challenge the main players of their innovation eco-system in the attempt to find the most suitable formula for the valorisation of the local potential.

Such a readjustment is currently in course in Romania, where a wide public consultation has been launched in March 2020. Initially planned as a series of quadruple helix entrepreneurial discovery focus-groups, the consultation had to be moved online, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of the economic panic and the inherent difficulties caused by the passage to the mediated interaction, the consultation moved on, resulting in a new configuration of regional smart specialisation priorities.

This was the subject of the TraCS3 Stakeholder Group meeting held on May 29, when representatives of North-East RDA, of three universities and of one of the main consulting companies of the region have debated the relevance and the impact of the new RIS3 priorities on the local innovation infrastructure.

The public debate on this consultation is open until June 4th, more inputs being expected from the local stakeholders in the coming period.