The Interregional Association ‘Virtual and Smart Cultural Tourism’ (VSCT) has taken a step in favor of the development and digital modernization in Europe and has been integrated into the S3 program (Smart Specialisation Strategies) of the European Commission.
The Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3), created in 2010, are an EC proposal to promote European growth through research and innovation. Their aim is to achieve a sustainable and intelligent economic transformation in the different regions and encourage them to discover their potential and competitive advantages.
Thus, the territories that use the S3 will discover new opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovative initiatives that will help them to increase their competitiveness. All this in order to achieve a more sustainable, intelligent and inclusive Europe.
It should be noted that the EC requires the S3 program for all countries that want to benefit from ERDF funds, earmarked for research and innovation for the period 2021-2027.
Smart specialization has made a real difference in the way European territories have developed their innovation strategies and has contributed to cooperation between them.
A union for the future
Thus, the VSCT Association has joined this program of the European Commission to contribute to this growth. This group was founded in 2021 with the aim of researching and developing innovations in the field of digital technologies for digital cultural heritage and cultural tourism.
In this way, the VSCT seeks to implement effective solutions in the field of digitization for the creation of new tools with which, for example, to promote destinations and build immersive next-generation experiences through virtual worlds.
The partnership is a cooperation of regions including Thuringia (Germany), Galicia (Spain), Saxony (Germany), Lower Austria, Cyprus, Paris (France), Greater Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Basilicata (Italy).
Joining the S3 program is a preliminary step towards the possible creation of an interregional legal entity based in the SOE Euroregion (Galicia, Portugal, Cantabria, Castilla y León and Asturias).
