From 24 to 26 March 2026, the interregional meeting of partners within the SYNERGY project was held in Rotterdam, bringing together project partners and regional stakeholders with the aim of improving cooperation in the fields of research, innovation, and the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3).

The meeting was organised by the City of Rotterdam and the Managing Authority of the Kansen voor West programme. During the three-day programme, participants had the opportunity to take part in working sessions, peer learning activities, and study visits to projects funded by EU programmes.

The first day of the meeting was held at the CIC Rotterdam innovation centre, located in the well-known Groot Handelsgebouw building, one of the symbols of Rotterdam’s post-war reconstruction and today an important hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. The second day of the programme was organised at the Floating Pavilion at the RDM Campus in the Port of Rotterdam, a venue that represents an example of sustainable and climate-adaptive architecture and innovative industrial solutions. The third day was dedicated to study visits to projects funded through EU programmes, with the aim of exchanging experiences and good practices in the implementation of development and innovation projects at the regional level.

During the meeting, we had the opportunity to hear examples of good practices related to governance systems for financing innovation and research, while the Regional Agency presented the Urban Development Governance Model, which includes the Urban Area Development Council of the City of Kragujevac and the Project Coordination Unit, as an example of an integrated approach to planning and implementing development projects.

In addition to two representatives of the Regional Agency as a project partner, the meeting was also attended by the CEO of MIND Group, Darko Đorić. As one of the key actors in the innovation ecosystem of Šumadija and Pomoravlje, the participation of MIND Group is highly significant, and such events are extremely important for knowledge and experience exchange.

The interregional meeting in Rotterdam represents an important step in the further implementation of the SYNERGY project, particularly in the areas of improving governance systems, connecting different funding sources for research and innovation, and strengthening regional innovation ecosystems.