Activation of Business and Society for Regional Benchmarking

Success in the implementation of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy requires the involvement of all stakeholders, the authorities, business, science, and society. Regrettably, the level of commitment on the part of business and society—especially in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe—to the implementation of these objectives is at a relatively low level and requires the formulation of proposals for actions aimed at their activation at the stage of formulation of strategic objectives, their implementation and the achievement of the effects of the adopted objectives. The process of the formulation of the Regional Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization (RIS3) for 2014–2020 has been completed. And, as is apparent from the analysis of RIS3 documents and supporting documents for the Polish regions, the strategies are the result of cooperation among key stakeholders of the regional scene. However, as shown by the indicators, e.g.: the level of participation in public consultations (low frequency), and observations of participation in research and expert groups (high frequency of refusal to participate in research), this cooperation was of a rather passive and incidental nature (especially on the part of business and society). Given that for the next few years the regions will implement, monitor and modify the objectives of RIS3, there is a need to undertake actions in order to activate these social groups and develop mechanisms to support the continuity and regularity of cooperation.