On 23 and 24 June, FEMAC participated in the S3 Community of Practice Annual Conference 2026, held in Brussels and organised by the European Commission.
Now in its fifth edition, the conference brought together representatives from European institutions, regional governments, clusters and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders to discuss the future of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3).
This year's edition focused on the role of S3 strategies in strengthening Europe's competitiveness, fostering a more integrated industrial policy and improving coordination between regions. Throughout the conference, participants also explored topics such as S3 governance, effective implementation, new investment instruments, interregional cooperation and the development of European value chains.
During the first day, participants attended keynote speeches, panel discussions and thematic sessions addressing the future of European competitiveness policies and the implementation of S3 strategies. Among them, the session "Delivery and Performance: Operationalising S3 into reforms, investments, milestones and targets" focused on sharing experiences on how to translate regional strategies into concrete actions and measurable results.
The second day was devoted to the annual meeting of the S3 Thematic Platforms and Partnerships, featuring dedicated forums on industry, agri-food and the sustainable blue economy, as well as the new S3 Learning Communities, designed to promote knowledge exchange between European regions on competitiveness, internationalisation, governance and interregional cooperation.
During its stay in Brussels, FEMAC also took part in a working meeting of the ERIAFF (European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food and Forestry) network, held at the headquarters of Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI). The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange initiatives between European regions and further strengthen collaboration on innovation in the agriculture, food and forestry sectors.
During the conference, FEMAC was also accompanied by a delegation from the Department of Economy and Finance of the Government of Catalonia, led by the Director General for Economic Activity, Víctor Soria Corral.
Through its participation, FEMAC continues to strengthen its presence in the main European forums where policies shaping the future of competitiveness, industry and regional development are discussed, bringing new knowledge and opportunities to the cluster's member companies.
