A region can describe an ambition to innovate without showing which capabilities already exist. A more useful starting point is the connection between research, local businesses and the skills people need.
Matching capabilities and needs
The Commission’s smart specialisation material links research and innovation strengths with business needs and skills. The approach is outlined in the Commission presentation on smart specialisation.
Make the partnership concrete
Imagine a fictional region with a technical college and small manufacturing firms. A shared workshop could test whether a training idea meets a real production need. Naming the partners alone would not demonstrate that the test had succeeded.
A strategy, an operating partnership and a verified result represent different stages. Reporting should make clear which stage has been reached and what evidence supports it.
