Lessons Learnt: Changes in the Methodology of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in Defining the Priorities of Hungarian Smart Specialisation Strategies

Abstract

This study shows how one of the fundamental methods of designing and implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3), the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP), was applied in the period of 2014–2020 and how, taking accrued experience into account, it has been adjusted in the new planning cycle in Hungarian practice. Based on Hungarian strategies and other policy documents, international and Hungarian literature, the study shows that although the involvement of relevant actors in strategic planning and prioritising was achieved in both cycles, the nature of the actors’ participation differed fundamentally in the two periods. We found that learning from the experience of planning the S3 for 2014–2020, the design of the 2021–2027 strategy required improving the focus of priorities, validating priorities and creating an institutional system capable of making EDP continuous during the cycle 2021–2027, in line with the European Commission’s expectations. We concluded that a well-functioning EDP methodology is an essential part of the substantive realisation of an S3 that can be dynamically shaped according to the challenges.

Creativity as a Key Constituent for Smart Specialization Strategies (S3), What Is in It for Peripheral Regions? Co-creating Sustainable and Resilient Tourism with Cultural and Creative Industries

“…[170][171]. Whereas the processual dimension refers to CCIs and, in particular, creativity, implying a process of discovery, S3 design and implementation is subject to entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) [135]. CCIs are social constructs entailing interactions and creating social and shared value, while S3 legitimacy is also based on successful, open and experimental interactions of quadruple helix actors, as discussed above.…”

Sourcing Sustainability Transition in Small and Medium-Sized Ports of the Baltic Sea Region: A Case of Sustainable Futuring with Living Labs

“…Similarly, the processual perspective supports an innovative discovery mindset, mainly through social interactions creating social value, and through open and experimental interactions of quadruple helices creating shared value in (eco)systems (quintuple perception). Overall, this contributes to entrepreneurial discovery of regional actors, like SMSPs [201][202][203], and makes the LL a future strategic action field [204].…”