The smart specialization concept was implemented in the EU in 2014, stating that regions have to specify specialization areas for development of innovations. Economic specialization reveals a comparative advantage in that field. However, there are different arguments linking specialization to...

A region can internationalise in various ways. The question is what type of internationalisation at regional level can be regarded as "smart" and what role should be played in it by foreign owned entities (FOEs)? The paper aims at identifying the role played by FOEs in NUTS-2 smart...