A policy of structural change in regions has been initiated by the European Commission through the innovation policy. Smart specialization has emerged as a key concept raising some theoretical and methodological issues. In this paper, statistical analysis of networks is used to characterize evolutionary trends in the techno-industrial potential of a region and to study its consequences in terms of public innovation policy. The statistical analysis of networks characterizes the structure of interactions between agents and can be used to follow the development of these connections and dissemination of technologies. The data used are those of publicly funded technological innovation projects submitted in the Franche-Comté region from 2007 to 2012.JEL Codes: O38, O25