Tools for Smart Specialisation
The Online S3 Platform gives you access to free online tools and a comprehensive guide for creating, monitoring and updating your regional or national Smart Specialisation strategy.

Guide
Toolbox
Forum
RIS3 stands for Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation
Regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) are an ex-ante condition for ERDF EU funding.
What is RIS3?
RIS3, a regional/national research and innovation strategy for Smart Specialisation, is a relatively new policy concept developed by the European Union. It has been adopted as part of the EU cohesion policy and has become a precondition for receiving funding from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Hence, RIS3 strategy development has become an important activity for regional and national level authorities in the EU.
Smart Specialisation is about identifying a region’s key activities, areas or technological domains that given them a competitive advantage and about focusing efforts on those activities, areas and/or domains. In other words, R&D and innovation funding should not be spread thinly across a broad range of technology areas but should rather focus on carefully selected priority areas that give a region an inter-regional competitive advantage.
Online S3 Platform, a Horizon 2020 Project
Nonprofit and Open Access
The Online S3 Platform has been created as part of an EU-co-funded Research and Innovation project called ‘Online S3’. The outcomes of the project that are available on this website are open access and are provided on a nonprofit basis. This means that this platform with its tools and guidance materials are freely accessible to everyone.
