Walloon Smart Specialisation Strategy

IDEA Consult was selected to accompany and support the regional authorities and players of the Walloon innovation ecosystem in their process of redefining the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). By the end of 2020 and in connection with the European and ERDF programmes, the new S3 will redefine the priorities, modes of intervention and governance of the entire innovation ecosystem. Three guiding principles will guide this mission:

• Accompaniment must guarantee a co-creation process that is broadly inclusive, interactive and iterative, with strong involvement of the ‘quadruple helix’;
• Accompaniment must take into account the existing elements and stumbling blocks of S3 but must be based first and foremost on the societal challenges facing Wallonia. RDI skills will have to be organised according to market demand, the relative strengths of Walloon industry and their ability to contribute to societal transitions;
• The support will make it possible to review and question the essential ingredients and the existing S3 approach and open minds to new things, all the while retaining the strong elements of the previous approaches and the Walloon regional ecosystem.