Smart specialization strategies: european experience and prospects for ukraine

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of smart specialization, a key tool for regional development within the European Union. Its main principles, implementation mechanisms, and adaptation options for Ukraine are considered. A review of scientific sources and regulatory legal acts that define smart-specialization strategies in different countries is conducted. This concept’s main principles are focusing on regions’ unique competitive advantages, developing an innovation ecosystem, stimulating cooperation between business, scientific institutions, and government agencies, and strengthening interregional and international integration. The experience of implementing smart-specialization strategies in the EU countries, the UK, and other countries is studied. Specific regional initiatives are analyzed, particularly the West Pomeranian and Wielkopolska voivodeships in Poland, Flanders in Belgium, the Saint-Quentin agglomeration in France, Madrid in Spain, and the automotive sector in the UK. The main challenges, successes, and factors affecting the effectiveness of strategy implementation in these regions were identified. Special attention was paid to the possibilities of adapting international experience for Ukraine. Key prerequisites for the successful implementation of smart specialization in Ukrainian regions were identified, including a strong educational and scientific base, access to financing, active business participation, and effective state policy. Potential areas of specialization with development prospects in the recovery of the Ukrainian economy after the war were considered. Based on the results obtained, a conceptual model for implementing a smart specialization strategy for the regions of Ukraine was proposed. It includes an analysis of regional potential, the formation of management mechanisms, the development of a shared vision of development, the identification of priority areas, the integration of political measures, and a system for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness. Thus, the study made it possible to form comprehensive recommendations for implementing smart specialization strategies in Ukraine, focusing on successful international experience and the specifics of the national economy. Keywords: smart specialization, smart specialization, RIS3, innovation clusters, strategy, regional policy, entrepreneurial discovery, investments.