EU Instruments for RTD and Innovation: the Structural Funds - - - - - - - - - Synergies with FP7 and CIP - - - - - - - - -

1
EU Instruments for RTD and Innovation the
Structural Funds- - - - - - - - - Synergies
with FP7 and CIP- - - - - - - - -

• presented by Pierre GODIN (DG REGIO/C1)
• at the AER Committee C "Regional Policy",
• Exeter, Devon, 20 October 2005
• - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
• prepared and presented by Christine MASON (DG
  REGIO/C1)
• at the OPEN DAYS 2005, Brussels, 11 October 2005
• - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2
Key Issues

• Do the Structural Funds, the RTD Framework
  Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation
  Programme complement one another? How?
• What do links between EU policies mean for
  Structural Fund programmes? How can SF
  authorities take account of complementarities?
  What are the benefits?

3
Why and how do instruments differ?

• Policy objective (Treaty)
• Level of desired impact European v. regional
• Scope of intervention specific v. comprehensive
• Governance centralised v. decentralised
• Conclusion need to take account of different
  policy rationales and delivery mechanisms

4
Background 2000-2006

• Funds main source of EU funding for Lisbon
  Strategy
• ERDF 9.7 billion in RTDI
• SF support for strategies as well as funding -
  130 innovative action programmes
• Current synergies accident or design?
• Steps to increase coherence
• between cohesion policy and Lisbon
• between Community policies

5
Cohesion Guidelines 2007-2013

• Increase and improve investment in RTD
• strengthen co-operation through regional and
  trans-regional clusters of excellence
• support RTD in SMEs
• regional cross-border and transnational
  initiatives
• strengthen RD capacity building
• Facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship
• more efficient and accessible innovation supply
  (poles of excellence, clusters round large firms)
• business support services
• eco-innovation
• entrepreneurship (new and expanding firms,
  spin-offs)

6
Policy synergies with FP7

• Broad aims
• build up capacity in all regions, to increase
  competitiveness and enable participation in FP7
• support priority areas of EU research policy
• Specific complementarities
• - complementary investment (e.g. major European
  research infrastructures, research potential in
  convergence regions, emerging and existing
  centres of excellence, researchers' training and
  conditions)
• realising 'Regions of Knowledge' creating
  networks and implementing research strategies

7
Policy synergies with CIP

• Same priorities, different approaches
• Mutual support
• regional innovation strategies
• technology transfer
• clusters/incubators/poles of excellence
• Need for co-ordination
• financial instruments
• inter-regional co-operation/networking
• eco-innovation

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How will it work in practice?

• Examples-
• strategy ? implementation cycle
• raising research and innovation capacity
• research infrastructures centres of
  excellence/thematic priorities human capital
• encouraging trans-national collaboration
• financial engineering (e.g. risk capital funds)
• eco-innovation
• commercial use of technological knowledge
• Co-ordination excluding double funding raising
  awareness of policy makers and programme
  managers opening networks, supporting exchange
  of experience

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Issues for Structural Fund authorities

• Preparation
• make use of existing tools (methods, data and
  networks)
• analysis what is region's profile and potential?
  
• Strategy and programming
• defining priorities
• joined-up policies
• Objective-setting, monitoring and evaluation
• what are realistic goals?
• choosing indicators
• maintaining commitment
• learning lessons
• Partnerships
• with research community (public and private),
  entrepreneurs, technology transfer specialists
• with research and innovation policy makers in own
  administration
• with networks outside region and MS

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Further Information

• EU sites
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/
• enterprise/enterprise_policy/cip/index_en.htm
• regional_policy/funds/2007/index_en.htm
• www.cordis.lu/fp7
• contact
• christine.mason_at_cec.eu.int