Amidst rising geo­po­li­ti­cal chal­lenges and global com­pe­ti­ti­on, the President of the European Commission has called for a greater focus on Europe’s economic com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness. The recently published report by Mario Draghi “The future of European com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness” under­lines that in today’s global economy, com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness is built on a highly skilled workforce, as well as the creation and appli­ca­ti­on of new knowledge. In his report “More than a Market”, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has renewed a long-standing call for a fifth freedom in the European Single Market, allowing for greater cir­cula­ti­on of human capital and knowledge. Yet, European com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness should be promoted with a sus­tainable and inclusive approach. Increasing com­pe­ti­ti­ve­ness in all regions will make Europe much greater than the sum of its parts, and ensure that there are no ‘left behind places’ that breed populism and natio­na­lism.  

How can Higher Education Institutions con­tri­bu­te to this objective within regional inno­va­ti­on eco­sy­stems adapted to the local context, following the smart spe­cia­li­sa­ti­on approach? This is the guiding question for the 34th Annual Conference of EURASHE, the European Association for the Applied Sciences in Higher Education.