Legal Framework

The National Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2027 (NSSS) has adopted a new architecture (compared to that of the 2014-2020 period) consisting of a national-scale strategy with regional specialisations (see section 4.3 of the NSSS as published in Government Gazette ΦΕΚ 943/10.3.2021). It is directly linked to approximately €2 billion in funding (from the Competitiveness Programme, the Regional Programmes, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the Just Transition Programme) for the direct support of Research, Technology and Innovation during the 2021-2027 period. In addition, it is expected to influence over €3 billion earmarked for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at national and regional level.

The eight priority sectors defined in the National Strategy for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) text, based on criteria also defined in the same text, are the following:  
(1) Materials – Manufacturing and Industry,  
(2) Tourism – Culture – Creative Industries,  
(3) Agri-food Chain,  
(4) Environment – Circular Economy,  
(5) Life Sciences – Health and Pharmaceuticals,  
(6) Transport – Supply Chain,  
(7) Sustainable Energy and  
(8) Digital Technologies.  

In the Annex of the ESPA 2021-2027 (pp. 33307-8), the secondary (and in some cases tertiary) NACE codes (KAD) that are initially related to the eight priority sectors have been identified. 

At a regional level, strategic supervision rests with the Regional Council for Research and Innovation (RCRI), which operates in accordance with current legislation (Law 4386/2016, Article 8, Government Gazette 83/A/2016) and acts as an advisory body supporting development actions for smart specialisation. The role of the RCRI is to provide opinions to the competent regional bodies regarding the alignment of regional priorities with national ones at all stages (planning, monitoring, evaluation). 
For the supervision of the regional smart specialisation strategy, the RIS3 provides for the existence of a Competent Regional Body. The role of this specific body is, inter alia, the coordination and monitoring of the regional dimension of the RIS3, entrepreneurial discovery at the regional level, and the alignment of the regional dimension with the RIS3 through cooperation with MONESEE.  
In Thessaly, the Department of Enterprise Development, Innovation & Investor Information of the Directorate of Developmental Planning of the Region of Thessaly has been designated as the competent regional body (Government Gazette 2078/B/2024). 
At the beginning of 2024, seven Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) were established by the RIS3 Committee which, following the same approach as that used during the 2014-2020 period, prepared baseline documents that subsequently served as inputs for the first cycle of the entrepreneurial discovery process. The first cycle of the EDP defined the 7 priority sectors and the 23 regional areas of interest for Thessaly as shown in the Diagram, and seven policy tools for their implementation.