Cluster proposals for the Interregional Innovation Investment Initiative

Submitted by Veronika Muller on 02 November 2020

Summary of the European Alliance Against Coronavirus Webinar on 9 October 2020

In this webinar, the European Alliance Against Coronavirus invited he European Association of Development Agencies EURADA to discuss the new Interregional Innovation Investment Initiative proposed by the European Commission. EURADA published a position paper on the initiative.  

Director Esteban Pelayo highlighted the important opportunities that are coming with the EU recovery funds, and that regional economic practitioners should share their visions to design the programmes. The new I3 builds on previous initiatives, especially the smart specialisation strategies, Interreg, and the INNOSUP-1 programme. Now European networks are coming together for statements on I3.

Project officer Andrea Carini explained the outline of the new I3 initiative. It aims to help actors involved in smart specialisation strategies (S3) to cluster together, scale up and bring innovation to the European market. This new instrument should be implemented under the structural fund (ERDF). It consists of two strands – one for matured partnerships and one for developing regions. Applicants, who will receive grants as the funding type, can be public authorities and for strand 2 as well research bodies and quadruple helix partnerships.

Project Officer Christopher McInnes presented EURADA’s position paper. The initiative should be private company centric and centrally managed, with an easy implementation for beneficiaries. Less developed regions should be particularly supported, and there should be a balanced funding through strands 1 and 2. The activation of synergies is of high importance.

The discussion made clear that the role of clusters should be to engage the private companies. Clusters not only have the capacity to build critical mass, but also to adapt and extent links to wherever needed to create excellent projects.

A recording of the session is available here.

This is the presentation shown during the meeting:

9Oct_10 - EURADA I3 Position Paper presentation at European Clusters Alliance.pdf

Find information and recordings of previous meetings on the Role of Clusters in Accelerating the European Recovery (since September 2020) here. For European Alliance Against Coronavirus webinar summaries of March - July 2020, please follow this link.

Finally, please find information on the upcoming agenda here.

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