In order to allow the Vanguard Initiative to advance its work within the field of smart specialisation, a Belgian non-profit association (ASBL), has been registered. The formalisation of the network serves the Vanguard Initiative by opening opportunities for additional funding as well as enabling further administrative resources in the future.

During the Smart Regions conference in Helsinki, June 1-2, the Vanguard Initiative was well represented both in the panel discussions and debates and also in the parallel sessions. In the closing panel discussion on collaboration in smart specialisation areas across EU borders, the Vanguard Initiative Interreg Europe project S34Growth was presented as a good example on interregional smart specialisation collaboration.

In January 17-19 2017 the Vanguard-regions Basque Country, Catalonia, Lombardy, Skåne, South Netherlands and Tampere travelled to Porto for an intensive working programme within the framework of the S34Growth project and the project activity On-Site-Deep-Dive (OSDD).

On November 7-8, Brussels was home to several High Level meetings organized by the Vanguard Initiative (VI). These High Level Meetings aimed to strenghten the commitment of VI to a stronger and successful interregional cooperation, to contribute to the revitalisation of Europe’s industry and to deliver results having concrete impact on sustainable growth and job creation.