“Smart specialisation is about identifying the unique characteristics and assets of each country and region, highlighting each region’s competitive advantages, and rallying regional stakeholders and resources around an excellence-driven and outward-looking vision of their future”.
The GSRI contributes in defining a national development strategy based on smart specialisation, driven by Research, Technology and Innovation (RIS3). The Smart Specialisation Strategy is drawn up and implemented both at the national and regional levels, through interaction between the two levels.

At national level, the methodology adopted consists in:

•    Identifying vigorous thematic areas or sectors expected to contribute in the country’s growth perspective. The sectors identified so far include:

1.     Agro-food
2.     Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
3.     Environment and Sustainable Development,
4.     Energy
5.     Health and Pharmaceuticals,
6.     Materials and Construction,
7.     Transport and Logistics,
8.     Culture, Tourism and Creative industries.

•    Specifying the above areas/sectors and identifying (in cooperation with the business sector and the research community) activities which, capitalizing on Research, Technology and Innovation, could bring about structural change (e.g. modernisation, differentiation, transition etc.) for the enterprises in each sector, and improve their competitiveness.
•    Highlighting the critical research areas/technologies (and the appropriate policy tools) that should be included in the national strategy for RTDI, taking into account the RIS3 strategies defined by different Regions.

At regional level, Greek regions and local communities are expected to identify, structure and make full use of their competitive advantages, to support innovation and to focus on investments, in order to achieve the intended transformation of local economies by involving relevant stakeholders in all stages.

This is the so-called entrepreunerial discovery process, a bottom-up approach, focusing on enterprises identifying new, innovative activities and the relevant technology needs.

Results of the consultation exercises in each region and the respective regional RIS3 strategies drawn up so far are «combined» into the national RIS3 strategy.