Territorial innovation and governance: An integrated RIS4 model for the transition of smart specialisation strategies towards sustainability
Keywords:
Regional Resilience, RIS4, Smart Specialisation, Sustainability, Territorial GovernanceAbstract
This article proposes an Integrated RIS4 Synthesis Model as a framework for the transition from Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) to regional innovation and sustainability (RIS4). The model brings together three theoretical pillars, the classical S3, the Purpose-Driven Smart Specialisation and the Challenge-Oriented Regional Innovation Systems to address the systemic disconnect between formal governance and transformative action, conceptualised as the “institutional black hole”. Through a heuristic analysis of the Region of Murcia and the cross-cutting tourism sector, the study demonstrates how the “innovation-exovation” dynamic and collaborative leadership can reorient regional assets towards the European Green Deal. The article concludes that the successful implementation of RIS4 requires overcoming administrative formalism through rigorous asset audits and inclusive, resilient, place-based governance.
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