ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book demonstrates that the concept of smart specialisation strategy is primarily a generic tool for innovation policy and structural change; in other words, it is not restricted to any particular level of geographic and/or administrative organisation. The regional level seems particularly pertinent since the exacting requirements for information and coordination imposed by the design of this strategy seem more easily fulfilled at this level, providing that regional agencies have the necessary capacities and skills available. In many regions, the aims of the strategy and its operational content have been clearly understood and the main actors have thus adhered to it with enthusiasm. The concept of smart specialisation strategy engenders creativity, imagination and the formulation of a collective vision that must be translated into regional strategy, which must in turn respect certain conditions in order to avoid distortions and stimulate decentralised discovery, experimentation and innovation processes.
