What We Do

A place-based approach

The Vanguard Initiative leads by example, implementing a fresh approach to industrial transformation following an inclusive, interactive, and ongoing entrepreneurial discovery process built on the Regions RIS3/I3. Co-developed and co-led by the member regions themselves, the Vanguard Initiative Pilots provide a ‘place based-approach’, ensuring active participation of industry and related business organisations such as clusters, as well as research institutions, academia, and civil society – the quadruple helix.

Policy influencing

Thanks to its place-based approach, the Vanguard Initiative has a wide national, EU, and international outreach. Through the activities of its pilots, the Vanguard Initiative has proven to be a successful network, leading by example in interregional collaboration based on smart specialisation. For almost 10 years, Vanguard regions have been committed to supporting innovation and technology uptake at the EU level, and they are constantly reflecting on how to fund such activities as well as how to join forces to support their roll-out. This is closely connected to the work of the European Commission’s Thematic Smart Specialisation Platforms (S3P). The Vanguard Initiative is, in this perspective, advocating for stronger commitment to enable effective synergies between EU funding tools and instruments, with regional and national funding.

Our Principles

The partners in the Vanguard Initiative share the ambition to be a frontrunner in new European industrial growth initiatives and to lead by example. The implementation of the transition path in Europe towards a new industrial future requires a collaborative approach, leading to joint efforts and matching of resources. Therefore, the Vanguard Initiative proposes three measures to develop multi-level governance for new innovation and industrial growth initiatives:

Aligning strategic roadmaps;
Aligning strategic investments;
Upgrading regional clusters into world-class clusters