Monitoring Mechanisms for Smart Specialisation Strategies

In the context of innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3), monitoring mechanisms perform three fundamental functions: (1) inform about what the strategy achieved and whether implementation is on track and making it available to decision makers; (2) clarify the logic of intervention of the strategy and make it comprehensible to the broader public; (3) support the constructive involvement and participation of stakeholders through transparent communication and promote trust building. RIS3 monitoring focuses on tracking the developments related to policy interventions within each specific priority areas identified in the strategy. The monitoring mechanism should be able to capture and follow the relevant expected changes that are foreseen in each RIS3 priority by means of an appropriate choice of result indicators; it should also capture and follow the policy output that ought to make expected changes happen. Regions and countries with extensive experience in monitoring innovation strategies and territorial development policies in general should build on existing monitoring structures; those with limited experience in this field should begin to develop their own internal capacities and experience starting with simple indicator systems, following the practical guidelines of this brief.