Strengthening innovation in Europe’s regions: Strategies for resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth

Further information:

This Communication and its accompanying Staff Working Document (SWD) take the smart specialisation approach a step further and address the following main challenges:

+ Boosting the innovation and competitiveness potential of European regions;
+ Increasding interregional cooperation;
+ Strengthening the focus on less developed and industrial transition regions;
+ Improving and building on joint work across EU policy and programmes supporting innovation.

In this context, a range of pilot actions are put forward, which aim to facilitate developing experience and a broader way of looking at the economic development and growth of European regions. The ultimate goal is to enable all Europe's regions to build on smart specialisation to fully unlock their potential for technological change, digitisation, decarbonisation and industrial modernisation.

Background information:

In the Reflection Paper on Harnessing Globalisation, the Commission highlighted the opportunities and challenges facing the European Union's citizens and regions. A need was detected for anticipation and management as regards the modernisation of existing economic and societal structures.

The EU is seen as having an essential role to play in supporting all regions and Member States to activate their potential for innovation, competitiveness and sustainable jobs and growth. This is at the core of the various initiatives previously undertaken in different policy aspects. The Commission has also called on national and regional authorities to develop smart specialisation strategies for research and innovation. Subsequently, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the Committee of the Regions have highlighted the need to further build on this approach to raise the innovation potential of all regions.

The European Commission published on 18 July 2018 a Communication aiming at strengthening and encouraging innovation in the European Union's different regions.

Following a call for interest launched in September 2017, eight interregional partnerships were selected in December. In March 2018, the Commission selected 7 additional regions for tailored assistance under the Commission pilot action on industrial transition.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: SWD(2017)264: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the communication http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2017:264:FIN

ESO: Background information: Commission publishes Communication on smart specialisation to encourage regional innovation http://www.europeansources.info/showDoc?ID=1225895

European Commission: Challenges ahead: boosting innovation-led growth in EU regions [Factsheet] http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-17-1994_en.htm

European Commission: Press Release, 07.12.17: Commission gives new support for EU regions working together on high-tech projects http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-5108_en.htm

European Commission: Press Release, 07.03.18: More Commission support for industrial regions to build resilient and competitive economies http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-1506_en.htm

European Commission: Press Release, 18.07.17: Commission acts to help regions build resilient economies in the era of globalisation http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-1995_en.htm

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