Four years have now passed since smart specialisation officially entered European policy. This approach to territorial development through the promotion of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth represents a unique opportunity in contemporary policy for territorial development; for the first time, national and regional authorities across an area of more than five hundred million inhabitants are implementing a common set of policy principles and methodologies.

This conference offers a comprehensive picture of the smart specialisation policy experience, including an evaluation of its early results, and highlights recent developments both conceptually and empirically. Particular attention will be given to implementation challenges and ways to address them, as well as to methodologies for impact assessment. In addition, the conference will explore how smart specialisation engages with global value chains and production networks, and how firms, regions and cities can benefit from relationships across the borders.

The concept of smart specialisation has now expanded in geographical scope beyond just Europe. The theory and practice of smart specialisation are being constantly developed and it is enriched by these processes. These developments will be discussed.

We welcome contributions from all areas of regional analysis that carry analytical weight but also, which have operational applicability. The conference offers to a limited number of participants from academia, institutions and territorial authorities, a unique opportunity to discuss and define the scope and main avenues for future research and policy analysis, and to address the challenges confronting policymakers and practitioners. As well as academic submissions, papers by practitioners or co-authored by academics and practitioners are welcome. In addition, we welcome complete session proposals on a specific area/ issue including the list of 3-4 speakers and their papers.