ABSTRACT
In Finland, Smart Specialisation entered a saturated soil where regional planning was deeply rooted. Active regional development policies have been pursued since the 1950s; the present format dates back to the legislative reform of 1994 when programme-based regional development was started. The adoption of Smart Specialisation (S3) as an ex ante conditionality occurred at a point in time when the regular strategy processes were reaching their final stages or had been just finalised in regions. The perplexing newcomer raised the question whether one should treat S3 as integral part of the existing planning system, or whether one should launch a parallel procedure additionally. Regions opted for different solutions: a) some regions embedded S3 in the regional development plans prescribed by Finnish law; b) others prepared a separate Smart S3 document.
