ABSTRACT
This paper discusses to what extent Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) are applicable in sparsely populated areas (SPA) departing from the S3 concept’s theoretical background and the experiences of S3 implementation in five European SPA. It was found that S3 has induced a transition in how innovation is addressed, for example, through a more decentralized support system and more proactive approaches to natural resource management unlocking new market opportunities for bio-based innovations. Finally, the research noted a drive to find new governance mechanisms (multi-actor, multi-sectoral and multilevel), in order to sustain human capital development, the most critical resource in the SPA.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank Julien Grunfelder (Nordregio) for creating the map of the case study regions for this paper. They also there are grateful to Arturo da Rosa Pires (University of Aveiro) for useful comments that improved the manuscript.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. The views expressed by Jens Sörvik and Martina Pertoldi may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission.
ORCID
Alexandre Dubois http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2650-7187