Globalisation and liberalisation continually impose the climate of anxiety on national economies, through a kind of service to innovativeness. This innovativeness should not only be seen through a technological dimension, but it also relates to the total innovative approach in the new economy. However, this time the solution should be sought in the reawakening of regional policy and its instruments. Supporting institutions (Triple Helix) are of strategic interest in promoting the smart specialization policy. Development requires education, a whole set of technical skills, institutions, networks and capacities which enable effective usage of the existing knowledge and need to be a part of new knowledge creation. For regions which are lagging behind in development, acquisition of the existing knowledge could be more useful than similar investments into R&D. Spillover could manifest itself in several dimensions: university spillover, Triple Helix, FDI and alike. This paper attempts to answer whether internal reorganisation of key regional actors’ roles in five counties of Slavonia in forming a new cooperation level (Triple Helix) is possible in order to create innovative surroundings where the existing regions could turn into learning regions.