News

The Vanguard Initiative is highlighted as an important driver for interregional co-investment in European value chains in an article in the latest edition of Panorama Magazine. The article, entitled “Transforming Regional Economies through Smart Specialisation”, provides a substantial case study of the Vanguard Initiative to demonstrate the opportunities related to interregional implementation of smart specialisation strategies.

The article highlights the role which the Vanguard Initiative pilots are playing in encouraging the development of  industry-led, interregional demonstration activities, as well as supporting the policy process which underpins this activity, through a 'common methodology' which exists across the pilots for upscaling regional activities. The pilot initiatives Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Related Applications in Harsh Environments and High Performance Production through 3D Printing feature in the article as specific case studies feature in the article as specific case studies.

The article also mentions that DG Regio and the Smart Specialisation Platform are planning to develop a toolbox based on the pilot common methodology of the Initiative to stimulate interregional implementation of smart specialisation. DG Regio is also supporting a planned event of the Vanguard Initiative regions through an industry-focused matchmaking event in February 2016. This will accelerate the development of projects for joint demonstration within the pilots.

The latest edition of Panorama is available here. The article “Transforming Regional Economies through Smart Specialisation” can be found on pages 24-29.

Panorama Magazine is a quarterly publication by the European Commission on Regional and Urban Policy.