Smart specialisation in the Western Balkans :Potential for knowledge-based economic cooperation

All Western Balkan economies launched their first respective Smart Specialisation strategy development processes by 2018, wishing to enhance their innovation policy frameworks with the evidence-based and participatory approach for revealing priority areas for policy intervention. Within these efforts, the economies had a complex task to thoroughly analyse their promising domains through economic, innovation and scientific mapping exercises. This report gives an overview of the regional competitiveness based on providing evidence on specialisation as well as emerging areas, highlighting their potential in detail. Although common patterns of economic specialisation are relatively rare, Western Balkan economies express a certain potential for science & technology collaborations. Smart Specialisation processes can enhance regional collaborations and contribute to bridging gaps between Science and Industry.