Workshop on “Regional Innovation: drivers, opportunities and challenges”

The European Commission is organizing a workshop to address disparities in innovation performance across EU regions. The event will focus on the role of regional strengths in the EU innovation ecosystem, as identified by the Smart Specialisation strategy. The workshop will feature initiatives like the Regional Innovation Valleys and the European Digital Innovation Hubs, which aim to enhance regional collaboration and tackle EU challenges such as reducing fossil fuel dependence, boosting food security, advancing digital transformation, improving healthcare, and achieving circularity.

The Regional Innovation Valleys initiative connects regions to enhance R&I investment and policies, while the European Digital Innovation Hubs provide digital tools to improve business competitiveness. The Regional Innovation Scoreboard offers a comparative assessment of innovation performance across 239 European regions, highlighting a geographical divide in capabilities. A study of 17 regional cases emphasizes the importance of stakeholder collaboration in fostering innovation.

The workshop will take place online on Friday, 25 October 2024, from 10:00 to 16:00 (CEST).