This document outlines guidelines for filling the gap between research knowledge and real-life practice as defined by the EU Committee of the Regions. The guidelines call for 1) pioneering regions to implement EU2020 goals and invent the future, 2) lifelong learning and ICT use for entrepreneurship and innovation, 3) collaboration between public, private, and third sectors in regional innovation ecosystems, 4) mobilizing public-private partnerships and citizen participation through open innovation and living labs, 5) speeding up change through scalability and implementation, 6) experimentation and rapid prototyping at the local and regional level, and 7) increased synergy between Horizon 2020 and regional strategies based on smart specialization.