Smart Specialisation—Norwegian Adoptions

European regions have become a giant testbed for Research and Innovation strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3). Norwegian regions have reacted to this policy concept in different ways, some adopting RIS3, some exploring it without implementation, and others choosing not to engage. This article offers a framework for interpreting regional policy adoption and response. We use a regional adaptation of the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) approach to illuminate patterns that may affect the implementation of regional innovation policies throughout Europe. We ask: How can the variety of preparedness to and adoption of RIS3 in Norwegian regions be explained? We find patterns of responses from the case regions that corroborate our regional VoC typology. These responses show that regional policy institutions behave as part and parcel of the regional cultures in which they are embedded. Thus, their responses make sense economically, politically and socio-culturally. The framework developed contributes to the literature on regional policy formation and to our general understanding of the institutional preconditions for regional policy adoption and response.