REID carried out a 15-month action-research project with the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade to explore how Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) can be adapted to better address societal challenges and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a mission-oriented approach.

The project examined how challenge-led missions can provide strategic direction to S3 by aligning policy instruments, projects and stakeholders around clearly defined societal objectives. The work focused on key dimensions of mission-oriented S3, including the framing of missions, the design of mission-aligned policy mixes, practical approaches to implementation, and the adaptation of monitoring and evaluation systems.

Drawing on international evidence and intensive engagement with Czech S3 stakeholders, the study proposed a mission-oriented roadmapping framework to improve the coherence, directionality and impact of policies mobilised through S3. The findings offer practical guidance for policymakers seeking to use innovation policy as a tool to address sustainability challenges and advance the SDGs.

As part of the assignment, REID Consulting delivered a series of learning and capitalisation workshops, conducted comparative analysis of S3 and challenge-led policies across EU countries, developed proposals for enhanced monitoring and evaluation frameworks — including environmental and societal indicators — and drafted the final report and technical advisory notes to support implementation in the Czech Republic.

The final report was published by the European Commission JRC in 2023.

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Photo by Martin Krchnacek on Unsplash

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