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´Scientific and industrial specialization in the EU regions´ offers an analytical overview of the specialization patterns in the different regions of the European Union in the framework of the ´smart specialization strategies´. The work aims to provide a logic contextualization of the perspective under which these strategies are being developed in the EU. We present an analysis of the pre-existing specialization trends for both scientific and industrial activities in order to evaluate whether these patterns are significant enough to be taken into account when developing the regional innovation strategies. We also present twelve brief case studies based on some of the largest European regions, in terms of absolute scientific and industrial production. We also include an assessment of thirty regional proposals towards the definition of ´smart specialization strategies´. Through the book´s contents, policy makers, academics and experts will get to have a complete overview of the state of the specialization patterns in the EU region, which is a key element towards the implementation of better and more efficient regional innovation policies in an integrated European way.

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Ricard Esparza Masana is a Doctor in Economics and Business Administration by the Technical University of Catalonia. He is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

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