What We Do

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.