S3 Conference 2025: registration open until 14 April 2025

Registrations for the S3 Conference 2025 are open until 14 April 2025.

The European Commission, with the support of the S3 CoP Secretariat, is organising the highly anticipated S3 Conference which will be held in Brussels, Belgium at Maison du Bois, on 18 June 2025 from 09:30 to 17:30 CET.

The Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) Conference 2025 is the fourth in a series of events that the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), with the support of the S3 Community of Practice Secretariat, is organising for S3 stakeholders from across regions in EU Member States.

The S3 Conference is one of the main events of the S3 Community of Practice, DG REGIO’s major source of support for S3 implementation.

Join S3 practitioners, experts, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to engage in this network, to discuss the development of the Smart Specialisation policy concept and its role in promoting the economic transformation of territories and the broader EU policy objectives.

The four pillars

Together with speakers from the European Commission, academia, managing authorities and S3 implementing bodies, the S3 Conference will be presented around four main pillars:

• Latest developments on the policy concept and progress on S3 implementation
• S3 Community of Practice: Overview of three years of activities
• S3 and interregional collaboration: Opportunities and examples
• Outlook related to policy developments and the S3 Community of Practice.

The first pillar will provide reflections on relevant developments related to smart specialisation, including links to strategic policy initiatives. It will also offer an overview of S3 implementation for the 2021-2027 period, with insights drawn from the assessment of Smart Specialisation Strategies across EU countries and regions.

The second pillar will recap the first three years of activities of the S3 Community of Practice, highlighting the range of activities offered, key results and lessons learned, and the main takeaways to guide future efforts.

In the third pillar, the discussions will address S3 and interregional collaboration, exploring opportunities for interregional collaboration through dedicated instruments and support facilities. It will also present experiences from S3 Thematic Platforms and other interregional projects through a dedicated networking slot.

Finally, the fourth pillar will offer reflections on the outlook for smart specialisation policy and the S3CoP.

Parallel activities

The day before and the day after the S3 Conference, there will be a set of parallel activities, namely:

• 17 June 2025 Steering Committee of the S3 Thematic Platforms - meetings to exchange and share experiences among thematic Smart Specialisation partnerships (TSSPs)
• 19 June 2025 Working Group Meetings - to exchange experiences and good practices on innovation diffusion, industrial transition, and interregional cooperation

Physical participation (with live streaming of entire event)

The event is planned as a physical event to be organised in Brussels, Belgium at the Maison du Bois. All sessions will be organised with a live recording and will be broadcast for an online audience.

More information?

More information will follow soon, including a detailed agenda and a link for registration for the S3 Conference.

(from the European Commission’s website)