Thinking Smart project is funded by EACEA (the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) through the Erasmus + prorgramme, Key Action 3 Forward-Looking Cooperation Projects, co-operation projects proposed and managed by a partnership of key stakeholders in view of identifying, testing, developing, assessing new innovative approaches in the fields of education, training and youth, that have the potential of becoming mainstreamed and giving input for improving educational and youth policies.

The partnership is composed by Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Newcastle University (NCL), Polytechnic University of Milan (POLIMI), Lodz University (ULO), Santander Group (SGroup), Steinbeis Foundation (SIG) and Portuguese Society of Innovation (SPI).

The Thinking Smart project established an innovative objective – reinforce the involvement of HEIs in the Smart Specialization Strategies for the regional development. To comply with the project’s objective, the partnership will undertake the following activities:

• Create an online database to identify successful and innovative ways in which universities have contributed to Smart Specialization and integrated Smart Specialization in their strategic direction;
• Take part in a collaborative process and identify gaps and challenges regarding the role of the HEIs for regional growth;
• Develop a toolkit to support future users (HEIs) in improving their contribution to Smart Specialization;
• Engage policy-makers at regional, national and international levels through the organization of seminars where it will be presented the results of the project;
• Create a support network (Smart Thinking Network) composed by the project partners, experts and other actors (including HEIs and policy-makers) that facilitate continuous best-practice exchange and allows the critical discussion of new measures in order that HEIs contribute to smart specialization and social and economic impact.