RIS3 in macro-regional strategies: tools to design and monitor integrated territorial development paths

Building on the broad and diverse picture of strategic interventions on regions' research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3) and on macro-regional strategies, this paper outlines a comparative framework to analyse regions' RIS3 priorities (to outline the intended development path that regions aim at) and socioeconomic conditions (to describe the structural features, as they emerge from Eurostat data). The paper integrates results developed in two companion papers, by Pavone et al. (2018) and by Pagliacci et al. (2018), thus providing a multidimensional perspective on similarity across regions. Identifying which are the similarities is essential in a comparative analysis that aims to measure and monitor the impact of integrated investments on the development of the territory across sectors. Implications of the methodology proposed in the paper are discussed with suggestions for policy makers.