Innovating for a better world: examining regional policies in response to societal challenges

Innovation and technological advancements have always enabled individuals, companies, and regions to address societal challenges more effectively. Regional innovation policies have consistently supported and accelerated these advancements, playing an increasingly important role in promoting sustainable and responsible innovation in a changing world. Over the past decades, the Regional Innovation Policies Conferences have been significant events for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. These conferences have provided a platform to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of existing policies and to explore new ideas and potential improvements. This special issue summarizes key contributions from the 16th edition of the conference, focusing on the role that regional innovation policies can play in addressing future challenges. It places particular emphasis on radical and sustainable innovation, and discuss the way European regions and clusters can remain innovative and competitive in the face of global rivalry.