The role of sub-national efforts to support innovation is to both tailor strategies and instruments to the specific needs of the region and to fill any gaps in national policy based on the country-specific division of labour. Thus far, Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have made great strides over the last ten years to support innovation in their regions through a number of instruments including innovation advisory services, centres of excellence, major innovation sites and helping firms access the local science base, among other instruments. However, given the nature of funding for innovation at the national level and limited sub-national fiscal autonomy, sub-national action to support innovation is rather limited in international comparison, resulting in a challenging environment within which RDAs and local authorities need to operate.