The report published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing, Baden-Württemberg, presents the results and impact of the state competition “Regional Competitiveness through Innovation and Sustainability - RegioWIN” in one of the most economically powerful states in Germany, as well as the RegioWIN process and what it has brought about in the Baden-Württemberg regions thanks to nearly 65 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). All areas in Baden-Württemberg had access to financing through the ERDF for future-oriented projects important in regional policy involving innovation and the energy transition, and these projects formed a consistent element of a regional development concept.

The competition served a dual function:

- on the one hand, it was and is a central programmatic element of the ERDF strategy of the State of Baden-Württemberg for the funding period of 2014 - 2020, - on the other hand, the competition played an important role in the context of the dialogue-oriented regional structural and economic policy in the continual and sustainable development of the areas and industrial sites in Baden-Württemberg for boosting the competitiveness of the state,

"The ERDF funding period of 2014 - 2020 provided the groundwork for finding methods and tools addressing and including all regions in the state in the interest of “sustainable urban and regional development”. In this context, it was especially important to the state to anchor its strategic approach to site development systematically in terms of “securing competitiveness” by expanding the innovativeness in the regions. This method was at the same time to break down the concept of “Smart Specialisation” promulgated by the European Commission during this funding period from the state level to the regional level."

Please find here the report for a thourough reading.