Open Innovation offers a transformative approach for enhancing industrial competitiveness through knowledge exchange and stakeholder collaboration. While its value is widely acknowledged, regional implementation remains fragmented, particularly in the manufacturing sector. This paper presents a structured framework for developing a regional Crowd Innovation Strategy, based on research activities conducted within the InterregCE SYNERGY project, aimed at supporting manufacturing companies in Central Europe. Combining a cross-regional survey and comparative policy analysis across six countries, the study evaluates the adoption of three key crowd-based mechanisms: crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, and infrastructure sharing in the fields of additive manufacturing, micro- and nanotechnologies, and Industry 4.0. Findings reveal significant disparities in institutional support, regulatory frameworks, and societal engagement across regions. Crowdfunding is the most recognized mechanism, while crowdsourcing-based product development and infrastructure sharing remain underutilized despite their perceived potential. Based on these insights, the paper proposes a model Crowd Innovation Strategy tailored to the needs of manufacturing SMEs, emphasizing digital platforms, cross-regional collaboration, and policy alignment with Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). By integrating theoretical perspectives with empirical findings, the proposed strategy advances the operationalization of Open Innovation at the regional level and offers a replicable model for embedding collaborative innovation practices within local ecosystems, thereby enhancing manufacturing innovation capacity and supporting sustainable economic growth across Central Europe.