Explanatory models of regional innovation performance in Europe: policy implications for regions

Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization (RIS3) was integrated as a key piece of the cohesion policy for the European Union (EU) for 2014–2020. During the recent years, more than 120 RIS3 have been developed, being a large-scale EU experience aimed to develop innovation-driven economic transformations at national and regional levels. The objective of this article is to explore the models that best explain innovative employment and the emergence of new markets in Europe’s regions. For that purpose, the latest dataset of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2019 was used, and regressions performed to identify the main factors behind the impact of regional innovation. The results unveil the ‘double edge role’ that some variables have on regional innovation, indicating the difficulties of managing different trade-offs and of a standalone innovation policy strategy. Policy measures are discussed to best manage these critical compromises and increase the impact of RIS3.