On 25 and 26 April, the city of Espoo, Finland, was host to the EDUC commission external meeting and a conference "Pioneering Europe 2020 Smart Regions". The European Alliance group was represented by Mrs Linda Gillham (who on this occasion acted as the group's political coordinator), Mr Povilas Žagunis and Mr Mirosław Lech.

The conference and a series of study visits showed the impressive results the Espoo municipality has achieved at the crossroads of business, research and education through strategic investment in innovation and student entrepreneurship. Such approach helped create one of the finest examples of the so-called smart specialisation strategy, a new innovation policy concept designed to promote the efficient and effective use of public investment in research.

The next meeting of the EDUC commission is due to take place in July in Brussels.