On 11 March 2026, the WIDEX project co-organised the stakeholder workshop “From S3 Benchmarking to Cluster-Led Action” in Seville (Spain), in collaboration with the IRM-HUB project. The event took place within the framework of the S3P Mining Regions General Assembly and the Interregional Exchange of Experiences promoted by the Interreg EMRIE project.
The workshop brought together representatives from regional authorities, Smart Specialisation (S3) practitioners, cluster organisations, and value chain actors active in raw materials-intensive regions. It served as a stakeholder workshop with the S3P Mining Regions platform, aimed at bridging analytical insights and operational cooperation.
The joint WIDEX–IRM-HUB session was designed to connect S3 benchmarking and SWOT analysis with cluster-led action development, ensuring a transition from regional diagnostics to concrete interregional collaboration opportunities. While IRM-HUB presented its evidence-based approach to assessing policy mix, investment instruments and innovation performance, WIDEX focused on structuring these insights into actionable clustering concepts.
The agenda combined framing presentations with interactive working groups . Discussions focused on:
- Alignment of S3 priorities and investment strategies across regions
- Identification of gaps and complementarities along raw materials value chains
- Development of preliminary cluster-led action concepts involving multiple regions
Two parallel working groups addressed:
- Policy and S3 investment alignment (IRM-HUB)
- Sustainability and stakeholder clustering synergies (WIDEX)
The session enabled participants to validate regional priorities, compare profiles, and identify areas for cooperation, reinforcing the role of clusters as facilitators of interregional innovation. It also contributed to reducing duplication of stakeholder consultations by providing a shared “analysis-to-action” interface.
The outcomes of this stakeholder workshop will feed into the next steps of WIDEX, supporting the design of interregional clustering actions and strengthening cooperation across Europe’s raw materials ecosystems.
