The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) that was launched by the European Union in 2009 as its first macro-regional strategy. The objective of Policy Area Innovation (PA-INNO) within the EUSBSR, is to promote a globally competitive position within research and innovation for growth in the Baltic Sea Region. Following the inclusion of Priority area "SME" and part of the Priority area "Internal Market" as well as the horizontal action "Promo" into Policy Area Innovation (PA-INNO), it was necessary to promote and operationalise the EUSBSR strategy for Policy Area Innovation. The result is this Strategy Guide. The aim of the Strategy Guide is to provide policymakers and innovation actors with guidance and inspiration for how best to utilise the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region so as to effectively achieve EU and joint national goals.

This multi-annual strategy guide was developed over the course of a year by a task force consisting of the Baltic Development Forum (BDF), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia, the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation (DASTI), Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland and the Nordic Council of Ministers. It was done in close dialogue with all the member states throughout the Baltic Sea Region. For an elaboration on the development of strategy guide and the central sources of input please see the two working papers titled:

1) Clustering and SME-development

2) Transnational Digital Collaboration in the Baltic Sea Region (Including an annex on national profiles on digital policy for the Baltic Sea Region states).