Smart Vojvodina – Smart Specialization and Regional Development
The project proposes a comprehensive approach focusing on developing and implementing regional development policies based on smart specialization. These proposals will enhance the understanding of regional development policies and smart specialization in Vojvodina, taking into account the region’s specific challenges and opportunities.
Through this project, the European Movement in Serbia continues its ongoing work, building upon the previous project “Smart Regions of Serbia” within the same program, maintaining continuity in contributing to regional development through smart specialization. This time, the focus is on the Vojvodina region due to its specific challenges and potential. With a significant share of GDP and unique regional characteristics, Vojvodina can provide key insights and a model for developing smart specialization strategies that can be applied to other regions. Analyzing Vojvodina will contribute to identifying best practices for the efficient use of cohesion funds and adjusting policies to reduce disparities and promote regional development.
The general objective of the project is to increase the contribution of civil society to regional development through the reform process. The project aims to encourage greater engagement of civil society in reforms to enable the economic and value convergence of Serbia with the EU. This will improve the support mechanisms for these processes, and in a broader context, the goal is to enhance the advocacy of the EU integration process in Serbia based on expert analysis, research, and recommendations.
The specific objectives of the project are essential for achieving the general goal of increasing the contribution of civil society to regional development through the reform process. The first specific goal, improving conditions for regional development in Serbia through smart specialization, is of crucial importance as it enables a systematic analysis of examples of regional development and smart specialization policies, with a particular focus on Vojvodina. The second specific goal, enhancing intersectoral cooperation for more efficient development and implementation of smart specialization policies and balanced regional development, emphasizes the importance of coordination among different actors in the process of developing and implementing smart specialization policies. Intersectoral cooperation helps better understand the specific challenges faced by less developed regions. When different actors—such as civil society representatives, government institutions, the private sector, and academia—work together, they can identify and address key issues in a more efficient and relevant manner. This enables policies to be tailored to the needs of local communities, resulting in better outcomes and a higher likelihood of success.
By organizing meetings and events, the project will enable better coordination among key stakeholders, encouraging joint initiatives to improve public policies and regional development strategies, thereby supporting the decision-making process within Chapter 22.
Project Activities:
- Preparation, research, and analysis of regional development policies in the context of smart specialization, focusing on creating an analysis of the current state and recommendations for improving the smart specialization model and policy coordination in Vojvodina.
- Coordination and organization of consultations with S4 representatives, aimed at presenting key insights from the draft ‘Analysis of the Strategic Framework and Practices for Implementing Smart Specialization and the Development Status of Vojvodina with Proposals for Improvement’, to collect recommendations for the final version of the documents, as well as conducting consultations with relevant institutions.
- Conducting a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of regional development through smart specialization, including organizing a public event, and creating and distributing final documents in digital format that demonstrate the advantages of efficient regional development policies.
Project Duration: October 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025
The work of the European Movement in Serbia is supported by Sweden through the Belgrade Open School’s program “Civil Society for the Improvement of Serbia’s EU Accession – Europe ASAP.”
