SMART SPECIALIZATION WORKSHOP IN THE SOUTH-EAST PLANNING REGION

The Center for Development of the South-East Planning Region within the project Sustainable Inclusive Balanced Regional Development – II phase of implementation on 07.03.2022 in Hotel “Sirius” Strumica organized a workshop on Smart Specialization. The workshop aimed to unite the: local authorities, academia, business sector and civil society and to expand their knowledge in the field of Smart Specialization, as an approach to increase competitiveness, to acquaint them with the process of developing a Strategy for Smart Specialization at the national level and how to replicate it at the regional level. This workshop is a starting point from which a region will have the opportunity to use the potential of the National Smart Specialization Strategy and to create a pilot Regional Smart Specialization Strategy aimed at European Union Cohesion Funds in the future. The Smart Specialization Strategy is of great importance for mapping the competitive advantages of each region separately and thus will focus on public and private investments in economic areas and branches that create the highest productivity and added value in the planning and development of each planning region. This activity is financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Ministry of Local Self-Government.