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Innovation as the basis for regional development in EU candidate countries - a strategic approach

September 30, 2003

A series of events across central and eastern Europe will show how consensus-based strategic planning is already helping 20 candidate country regions to revitalise their economies through innovation. Substantial EU funding will soon be available to other regions that wish to follow the same path to competitiveness.

The purpose of the events:

·overview of European Commission policy to promote regional innovation
·introduction to the Europe-wide IRE network for innovating regions
·regional development in the host country
·case studies of previous Regional Innovation Strategy projects
·advice on how to take maximum advantage of available EU funding for regions
·the spring 2004 call for proposals for additional Regional Innovation Strategy projects in the candidate countries - how to prepare a proposal

Locations, dates and contacts:

Romania, Piatra Neamt, 17 October, macoveiu@adrnordest.ro

Poland,        Wroclaw, 20 October, beata.lubicka@pwr.wroc.pl

Malta, 4 November, rmuscat@kbic.com.mt

Czech Republic, Prague, 10 November, antosova@tc.cas.cz

Lithuania, Vilnius, 24 November, kava@ktl.mii.lt

Slovakia, Bratislava, 27 November, kissova@bicba.sk

Bulgaria, Sofia, 5 December, zoya.damianova@online.bg

Hungary, Budapest, 8-9 December, etcmi.uk@btclick.com   

Background:

The Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) methodology is a tried and tested approach to innovation policy-making at regional level. The step-by-step process involves a region.s enterprises, research institutes, business support agencies, local authorities and other innovation stakeholders in the development of a practical action plan addressing the real needs of its business community. More than 120 European regions have already carried out the RIS process.   

Since the end of 2001, the European Commission has funded 16 RIS projects in the Newly Associated Countries. The RIS-NAC projects are helping them to fast-track the development of their innovation systems.

Regions which have engaged in the RIS process benefit from membership of the Innovating Regions in Europe (IRE) network, which is jointly supported by the European Commission.s Directorates-General for Enterprise and Regional Policy. The network offers all European regions a platform for the exchange of experience and ideas, for collaboration and mutual support, and for the spread of good practice in designing and running innovation policies and support schemes. It facilitates thematic, sectoral and national groupings, enabling regions to address common concerns together, and provides both inspiration and proven practical tools for regions embarking on the process of developing their own regional innovation strategies.

How does a RIS-NAC project work?

In many Accession Countries, regions have only recently been established as political and administrative units. To benefit fully from the practical experience of existing IRE network members, each RIS-NAC project involves at least one western partner, which has already developed its own regional innovation strategy. The choice of partner may be based on geographical and cultural proximity, or on historical links, as in the case of projects linking Greek and Bulgarian regions, and Scandinavian and Baltic ones. Others establish partnerships between very different regions . in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, for example. One project involves a trans-border region spanning the Czech Republic and Poland, twinned with adjacent Saxony as its partner. The RIS SK project, covering the Slovakian regions of Nitra and Bratislava, is supported by partners from Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) and Lower Austria. The project's goal is to develop an action plan based on an analysis of the need for innovation and innovation support in two regions suffering from high rates of unemployment and emigration. The project is expected to contribute to the creation of new, high-quality jobs, and will establish a virtual university to train young graduates in the methods and benefits of innovation and creativity.

European Service Network (ESN)