Abstract
The entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) is an element of the Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) concept, which is the basis for activities carried out in European Union (EU) regions in the area of innovation policies. The process requires the creation of an institutional structure (cooperation network) that allows for coordinated and continuous cooperation between representatives of entities that create regional innovation systems. These include: authorities, scientific and research units, entrepreneurs and civil society. The purpose of this article is to present the role of scientific and research units in the cooperation network, as well as the possibility of using their innovation potential when conducting EDP. On the basis of market research in 10 regions, the authors identified practical examples of cooperation carried out in selected seven EU regions (partner regions participating in a project called Beyond EDP).