Value proposition

A 'place-based'​ European network leading by example to boost regional innovation ecosystems

The Vanguard Initiative is a leading European network of almost 40 regional authorities, using their EU smart specialisation strategies to build synergies and complementarities to boost new growth and industrial renewal in selected priority areas through bottom-up entrepreneurial innovation.

The VI regions collaborate in pilot projects and large-scale demonstration cases to develop flawless regional innovation ecosystems, boost world-class clusters and cluster networks, and support innovative SMEs.