10 years of cooperation on the Thematic Smart Specialisation Platforms.Could macro-regional strategies foster S3-related interregional cooperation?

The article analyses the extent to which the specific policy measures introduced in the 2021-2027 programming period have had an impact on the problems associated with interregional cooperation around smart specialisation priorities on the Thematic Smart Specialisation Platforms (TSSPs). The improvements are considerable, but some weaknesses persist. Lagging regions are more engaged on the platforms and quadruple helix stakeholders, including businesses and business support organisations, are currently involved in partnerships. However, lagging regions are still in minority on the platforms and many of them remain outside. Partnerships do not manage to use the funding available from EU level instruments and from Cohesion Policy in complementarity. The Interreg programmes are an exception. The interregional cooperation linked to smart specialisation should be further improved. Macro-regional strategies could not only offer a space for the alignment of regional research and innovation policies and support S3-related interregional collaboration but could also benefit from these.