International S3 Conference

The first day of the International Smart Specialisation Conference took place with high-level participation in Ankara on 27 May 2025, with the attendance of H.E. Mehmet Fatih KACIR, Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye.

The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Ahmet ŞİMŞEK, Director General of Development Agencies at the Ministry of Industry and Technology. The conference then continued with speeches by H.E. Ambassador Thomas Hans OSSOWSKI, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, and H.E. Ambassador Mehmet Kemal BOZAY, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye. The strategic role of Smart Specialisation in development policy was highlighted throughout the session.

The panel titled “Smart Specialisation in the Global Context: Future Directions” was moderated by Dr Xabier GOENAGA, Former Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Member of the CEDIS3 Advisory Board.

The panel featured the contributions of Mr. Mustafa IŞIK, Deputy Director General, Directorate General of Development Agencies, Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye; Dr Francesco MOLICA, Director, European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA); Dr James WILSON, Research Director, Orkestra Basque Institute of Competitiveness; and Dr Manuel Palazuelos, Team Leader, Joint Research Centre, European Commission.

The keynote speeches of the conference addressed the theoretical foundations of smart specialization and its practical implementations in Türkiye. 

Professor Dr Dominique FORAY from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), Professor Dr Orhan AYDIN, President of Istanbul Technical University and Deputy Chair of the Presidential Council for Science, Technology and Innovation Policies, Professor Dr Hasan MANDAL, and President of Middle East Technical University, Professor Dr Ahmet YOZGATLIGİL, delivered powerful messages on the theoretical background and national applications of smart specialisation.
In the panel moderated by Professor Dr Can Umut ÇİNER from Ankara University, CEDIS3 Key Expert Dr Nida Kamil ÖZBOLAT, Head of EU Services at Prognos AG Dr Jan-Philipp KRAMER, Director of the Ulysseus Smart Cities Innovation Hub Dr Marina RANGA, and Regional Expert for the TR61 Region Professor Dr Murat Ali DULUPÇU shared their experiences in Türkiye’s innovation policies.
In the panel moderated by Mr. Prof Dr Barış ALPASLAN, Committee of Experts on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals at the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO, Mr. Bruno BUTTENBENDER, Innovation and Sustainability Consultant, Mr. Volkan GÜLER, Secretary General of the Western Mediterranean Development Agency, Mr. Paolo ROSSO, Advisor to the Emilia-Romagna Regional Authority, and Mr. Dr Nikola RADOVANOVIC, Western Balkans Expert at CEDIS3, discussed interregional cooperation and innovation networks.