The aim of the paper is to present the lessons learnt from the "SPIN" regional public project.

The project was implemented in the region of Lesser Poland. The objective of the project was to increase the intensity of knowledge transfer from universities to enterprises. The goal was achieved by establishing four Centres for Knowledge Transfer at major universities. Each of them was dedicated to a specific domain of knowledge - regional smart specialization - biotechnology, translational medicine, smart grids and energy-saving buildings.

The paper discusses the implementation and effects of the project. The most important conclusions stemming from the project concern the fact that the context of the implementation needs to be taken into account during the project as well as the importance of leadership.

More attention should also be devoted to the motivation and skills of those involved in the implementation.