ABSTRACT
From this new viewpoint, in fact, the concept of S3 is rapidly becoming an important tool to revise and readdress European regional policies. For example, the flagship initiative, the ‘Innovation Union’, developed within the Europe 2020 Strategy, represents an important example of how the EU deems important the concept of smart growth and smart development. They should be implemented by means of policies stressing the differentiation between regions to maximize the use of scarce resources through the creation of the necessary synergies. In fact,
Regional Policy can unlock the growth potential of the EU by promoting innovation in all regions, while ensuring complementarity between EU, national and regional support for innovation, R&D, entrepreneurship and ICT. Indeed, Regional Policy is a key means of turning the priorities of the Innovation Union into practical action on the ground.
