An Observatory to foster innovation in the Mediterranean

The Smart Specialization Strategies Observatory was created in 2014, in the frame of the European project CITEK which aims at funding a Mediterranean network based on innovation. The goal of this Observatory is to examine the performance of Southern Europe regarding innovation.

The Observatory, consisting in an interactive map, fits into a Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3). This tool provides its users with an accurate overview of the regional strategies concerning research and innovation for a smart specialization. The collected data concern the Mediterranean area, including Portugal, Cyprus, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia and Greece.

Managed by the Recerca Parc (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), the Observatory values the assets and upcoming technologies by developing partnerships between firms, public bodies and academic institutions.

Users of the Smart Observatory are thus abled to sort regions according to various criteria such as technologies or mainly economic sectors. Through this tool, innovation actors can identify the territories that are developing innovative activities in the same sectors. It aims at strengthening the link between the different Mediterranean regions and creating new partnerships among them based on innovative projects. The map highlights the names of the reference agencies, responsible for the implementation of the RIS3 plan. The Observatory also presents the documents connected to regional strategy, as well as a list of all of the key sectors and technologies.

Country: 

European Union