Based on the Call for expression of interest for new partnerships, applicants are invited to express their interest in joining together with other regions and quadruple helix actors to explore new interregional value chains. Regional authorities and/or quadruple helix actors (including innovative public sector organisations or cluster organisations) with a mandate from their regional authority can also get involved by expressing interest to form a new partnership together with other regions. The lead regions of a Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships should come from EU-27 Member States, however, partner regions of a Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships may come from other regions, outside EU-27 Member States (i.e. also from the Western Balkans).
Regional authorities and/or quadruple helix actors with a mandate from their regional authority can also get involved by expressing interest to form a new partnership together with other regions being interested in joining together with other regions and quadruple helix actors to explore new interregional value chains and as the smart specialisation priorities are not covered in an existing partnership.
Two cut-off dates for applications are applied each year, with the next cut-off date scheduled for 29 March 2024.
Additional resources of interest are:
- A guidance report for prospective applicants which aims to address questions about target audience. You can find it available on the webpage of the Call for expression of interest for download here.
- Frequently Asked Questions are available at the bottom of the main page of the S3 Thematic Platforms https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/communities-and-networks/s3-community-of-practice/thematic_platforms_en (see FAQ about the S3 Thematic Platforms and Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships (TSSPs)).
For the considerations to join a partnership, how to apply and further guidance, refer to the source page: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/communities-and-networks/s3-community-of-practice/call_partnerships_en