- Posted 08-Feb-2021
THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA: TOWARDS FULL RECOGNITION OF REGIONAL INNOVATION HUBS
The introduction of European Research Area (ERA) hubs could be a key tool in achieving the European Union's objectives concerning environmental, digital, social and economic cohesion, as the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) highlights
Cities and regions are keen to be fully involved in the governance and implementation of European research and innovation policies. In particular, the introduction of European Research Area (ERA) hubs could be a key tool in achieving the European Union's objectives concerning environmental, digital, social and economic cohesion, as the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) highlights in an opinion drafted by Christophe Clergeau, a member of Pays-de-la-Loire Regional Council.
In September 2020, the European Commission adopted a communication aiming to revitalise the European Research Area (ERA) by defining a new vision, clear objectives and specific actions. While some elements of the opinion give greater recognition to regional innovation ecosystems, the European Committee of the Regions notes with regret that ERA governance is still centred around the Commission and the Member States, and is too close a continuation of the Horizon Europe programme, instead of progressing towards a "European Education and Research Area".
The Committee therefore advocates taking a cross-cutting approach closely linked to regional policies, involving a wide range of stakeholders – academia, industry, the public sector at various levels, the general public and civil society – and also highlights the need to fully recognise the role of smart specialisations and their collective and entrepreneurial process as one of the cornerstones of European research and innovation performance.
The European Committee of the Regions hopes that at least 50 to 100 sites in Europe can be recognised as ERA hubs, including emerging ecosystems in more disadvantaged regions. They should be recognised as important points of support for achieving the European Union's objectives, and should be supported directly by the EU, including financially.
The rapporteur, Mr Clergeau, stresses that the network of ERA hubs could become an excellent framework to boost the emergence of collective research and innovation projects, combining several regional ecosystems and innovation hubs in a bottom-up approach. He also laments the fragmentation of the ERA, with major disparities between countries and regions, as highlighted by the most recent ERA progress report and the Regional Innovation Scoreboard .
Fearing that the COVID-19 crisis will result in a collapse in research and innovation investment in the most fragile and hardest-hit regions, the Committee calls for the Next Generation EU recovery plan and the new financial framework to provide greater support for higher education, research and innovation. The ReactEU programme and the Just Transition Fund should also be harnessed in line with the operational programmes adopted by the regions and their smart specialisation strategies.
Source: European Committee of the Regions (https://bit.ly/2OjigHB)