Exploring the potential of thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships to contribute to SDGs

The European Union recognises the role of various forms of transnational and cross-organisational collaborative efforts in speeding up the transition towards a green, climate neutral and digital Europe, as well as making European industry more resilient and competitive. Various forms of collaboration and cooperation are increasingly considered and promoted as the answer to a range of challenges.The focus of this paper is on thematic smart specialisation (S3) partnerships included in The Partnerships for SDGs online platform, which is the United Nations' global registry of voluntary commitments and multi-stakeholder partnerships, facilitating global engagement of all stakeholders in support of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.By exploring thematic S3 partnerships as an example of such interregional collaborative arrangements, this paper explores the extent to which these activities are able to contribute to the attainment of the Global Goals. This research supports the view that in order to track regions' contribution to SDGs and assess its impact, European policymakers should continue building in ways to collect consistently information about the extent to which various policy local/regional/national initiatives contribute to specific goals.