Insights & Collaboration
The Vanguard Initiative fosters industrial innovation by connecting European regions through collaborative platforms and knowledge-sharing initiatives. This section highlights our main activities in building partnerships, sharing insights, and enabling cross-regional collaboration to accelerate technology development and market uptake.
Through dedicated platforms, we help regions, research institutes, clusters, and businesses learn from each other, develop new projects, and coordinate innovation strategies across Europe.
Vanguard Initiative’s Innovation Areas
The S3 Community of Practice (S3CoP) serves as the central hub for knowledge and information on Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). Since 2013, the Vanguard Initiative has led interregional, industry-driven cooperation, contributing to DG REGIO’s S3CoP together with partners like Technopolis Group, IDEA Consult, EFIS, and the University of Brighton.
The S3CoP provides:
A dedicated website for sharing news, good practices, and calls for new partnerships.
Working Groups on Innovation Diffusion, Industrial Transformation, and Interregional Cooperation.
An Expert Group bringing together researchers and practitioners to explore the evolving S3 concept.
Targeted expert support for regions and coordination of thematic platforms and partnerships.
Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI)
Through the Pilot Action on Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI), the Vanguard Initiative collaborates with 38 other applicants to explore new approaches to place-based innovation policy.
PRI supports the creation of innovation partnerships aligned with Europe’s green and digital transition, helping regions coordinate policies and tackle the innovation divide. The initiative is anchored in EU frameworks, supporting the European Green Deal, Horizon Europe, Cohesion Policy, and NextGenerationEU.
Interregional
Innovation
Investment
Interregional Innovation Investment Strand (I3)
The i3 instrument is part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and supports interregional innovation projects in their commercialisation and scale-up phases.
The Vanguard Initiative:
- Co-created the i3 instrument and participates in its Expert Group.
- Facilitates Strand 1, offering financial and advisory support for established interregional partnerships.
- Supports Strand 2a, enhancing value chains and innovation capabilities in less-developed regions.
- Through i3, we help projects overcome regulatory and financial barriers and enable participation in global value chains.
Regional Innovation Valleys (RIV)
The RIV programme is a flagship initiative under the New European Innovation Agenda, designed to boost innovation across the EU, especially in regions with lower innovation capabilities.
RIVs:
- Capitalise on regional expertise based on smart specialisation strategies.
- Align with EU priorities, including Horizon Europe and the i3 instrument.
- Mobilise €122 million through calls for proposals to strengthen European innovation ecosystems.
- The programme fosters cohesion and supports regions in tackling societal challenges through innovation.
EU Project Mapping
The Tablo Vanguard DEMO 2022 provides an interactive map of EU-funded innovation projects involving Vanguard Initiative regions.
This tool allows users to:
- Select a region and view its collaborations with other Vanguard regions.
- See active projects and the partners involved.
- Understand the broader landscape of interregional innovation efforts across Europe.
Get Involved
Interested in learning more about our work or joining the Vanguard Initiative?
Discover how your region can become part of a growing movement that is shaping Europe’s industrial future.