Morisson de la Bassetiere, Arnault Marie MarcArnault Marie MarcMorisson de la BassetiereLiotard, IsabelleIsabelleLiotardRevest, ValérieValérieRevest2025-01-082025-01-082023https://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/202186Abstract: There is an emerging consensus that innovation policies must be geared towards solving societal challenges. The policy complexity of the third generation of innovation policy (TGIP), however, puts less-developed European regions at risk of being left behind from this novel policy paradigm due to lower institutional and governance capacities. Building on the concept of a small wins strategy that focuses on small-scale and bottom-up initiatives that are guided by a shared mission to address wicked problems, the article’s methodology uses expert interviews, examples of challenge prizes, and desk research to explore whether inducement prizes can potentially engage less-developed regions (LDRs) in TGIP to address place-based societal challenges through a small wins strategy. The article introduces the concept of a challenge-oriented regional prize (CORP) as a stepping-stone policy tool to engage LDRs in TGIP through a small wins strategy, namely regarding issues of directionality, legitimacy, responsibility, and strategic orientation. CORPs are, however, not a silver bullet policy tool for LDRs to engage in TGIPs due to their design and implementation constraints.en900 - History::910 - Geography & travel300 - Social sciences, sociology & anthropology300 - Social sciences, sociology & anthropology::330 - Economics700 - Arts::710 - Landscaping & area planningarticle10.48350/17871010.3390/su15043240