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Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) to maximise the innovation development of four strategic areas in the Italian region of Trento

Client Type
Regional & National Organisations
Client Name
Project Type
Technical Assistance
META Area
META Advisory

 The Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) is the tool adopted by Autonomous Province of Trento to identify objectives or priorities that lead to maximising the effects of research and innovation

It is an instrument adopted by the European Union and conceived within the reformed cohesion policy of the European Commission, to improve and strengthen the effectiveness of public policies in favour of research and innovation. S3 helps the provincial administration to focus investments on the interventions defined as priorities in order to achieve the greatest possible impact on the local economy and social context, thus, there is a wide stakeholder involvement. The adoption of the S3 strategy was an essential condition for the use of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The province of Trento approved a first strategy for 2014-2020 and, taking into account the results of the seven-year period, the evolution of technology and the provincial research system, it was updated until 2021-2027, as new challenges emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.

This structure is supported by Intellera Consulting and META Group, which are in charge of the S3 entrepreneurial discovery process in the province of Trentino. Through the collaboration of Intellera Consulting and META Group, development opportunities are compared in the following areas

  • Sustainability, Energy Resources, and Mountains – in line with Agenda 2030, the strategy hosts research centres and companies. Smart Building, renewable energies, sustainable mobility, or circular bioeconomy are some of the identified technological trends that S3 will follow and cover.
  • Information and Communication Technologies, and Digital Transformation – guiding with conviction the development of new systems, the province of Trentino will invest in topics such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, big data & open data, and technologies for tourism and sport
  • Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle – inspiring a healthy lifestyle, the strategy will concentrate on prevention & wellness, intelligent healthcare and medical devices, and technologies for food quality and safety.

  • Smart Industry – boost applications and services focusing on robotics, integrated systems & microsystems, and fast prototyping.


Smart Specialisation Strategy's objectives

  • Facilitate innovation supply and demand aggregation processes.
  • Provide input to develop and implement S3 towards system evolutions and local needs, sharing priorities, proposals, and analysis.
  • Encourage and promote the preparation of strategic projects in collaboration with enterprises, also with a view to participate in European and national research calls.
  • Boost the entrepreneurial discovery process, addressing research and innovation support more effectively with a demand-driven policy targeted at specific (present and future) needs.

With the S3 Smart Specialization Strategy 2021 - 2027, the Autonomous Province of Trentino relaunches its development path to improve the quality of life of people who have chosen to live, to work, to study, or visit the region.