to provide input to the Council conclusions, EIC proceedings and other fora and events regarding local and regional needs and potential re. implementation of the agenda;
to stress the importance of the PRI, ERA hubs and other comparable initiatives for the purpose of synergies between EU funds and programmes with a view to addressing the challenges of the green and digital transition vel sim societal challenges;
to clarify themissing enabling factors at the level of EU policy for succesful local and regional implementation of the agenda;
call for concrete actions to avoid the faith of the previous 12 EU communications on innovation over the past decades that did not change the pattern of innovation in the following fields:
• Stronger focus on supporting the local/regional innovation eco-system;
• Effective synergies between different EU policies and programs to support the eco-systems and to close the innovation divide;
• Developing an effective policy agenda for innovation for the next 15 years that will also be the basis for the next generation of EU programs and policies;
• Consolidation of the multitude of existing support actions for innovation based on partnership and multi-level governance.
call on the European Commission and the EU member states to intensify the work on the concept of the ERA hubs and its future roll out as part of the ERA Action plan, with due consideration of the local and regional aspects and involvement of the CoR in the process;
ask the interregional investment instrument of the European Commission to create links with the Partnerships for Regional Innovation;
The Council conclusions on the European Innovation Agenda (adopted on 2 December 2022) stress the importance of interconnected innovation ecosystems in delivering the EU strategic objectives. The Conclusions specifically invite the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Committee of the Regions, to coordinate the initiative on creating up to 100 regional deep tech valleys with the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) initiative and provide funding opportunities under Horizon Europe, the ERDF and other relevant Union programmes.
Regarding the section 'CONNECT'' under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2024 (adopted by the European Commission on 6 December 2022), support will be available for interconnected innovation ecosystems, including such networks as the Partnerships for Regional Innovation and the European Research Area Hubs, among others. Promotion of joint programmes among innovation system actors includes, where appropriate, links with Partnerships for Regional Innovation, on which the CoR has been running pilot action together with regions and the JRC since 2021.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- proposes that the European Commission adds to the New European Innovation Agenda without delay complementary measures focusing on societal, social and energy issues and integrates these measures to accelerate societal transformations towards sustainable growth;
- stresses that the target needs to be clear, realistic, challenging and measurable to double the impact and halve the throughput time;
- points out that policy measures must include clear targets for closing two innovation divides: in several innovation policy areas, Europe lags far behind the global leaders – the US and Asia – and within the EU, in many regions the crucial importance of innovativeness is not taken thoroughly enough, the best-performing regions are up to nine times more innovative than the lowest-performing ones;
- highlights that the Innovation Agenda needs to be a critical signal for the whole EU to take impactful concrete actions – both immediate and long-term – to address the innovation divides and promote local and regional place-based innovation ecosystems;
- proposes that the regional innovation valleys, together with leading higher education institutes should become essential catalysts for societal and industrial change and should enable regions with similar areas of specialisation to collaborate and take forward joint innovation projects;
- highlights the fundamental challenge of the European deep tech innovation agenda, which has inadequate incentives, experiences, and resources to engage stakeholders in a systemic transition;
- stresses that multiplying European scaleup business development requires political leaders on all levels to commit to financing RDI much more than so far and, with that help, extend new growth platforms and influential place-based open innovation ecosystems throughout Europe;
- underlines that the Innovation Agenda will be successful only if fragmentation is avoided and the measures are effectively implemented. Europe will become the global leader in science, the industrial base, vibrant start-up ecosystems, conditions for innovation, and the talent base – and this will create favourable conditions for the European Green Deal and the UN SDGs.