Partnerships for Regional Innovation: From Pilot to Practice

  • 30 May 2023 to 31 May 2023

  • Tällberg, Dalarna, Sweden

The two day event, organised by Dalarna Region, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and Committee of the Regions will take place in beautiful Tällberg. Participants will share the lessons learnt from the PRI Pilot Action and take stock of the achievements made together since its launch in May 2022. The Pilot Action exchanges have laid the foundation for further collaboration towards the green transition in many territories and have provided insights to the implementation of the New European Innovation Agenda.

Watch the sessions filmed during the live streaming from Day 2, May 31

Read more 

Programme

Day 1: Multi-level governance for innovation driven territorial transformation Day 2: Interregional cooperation to strengthen European value chains through regional innovation valleys

Day 1: Multi-level governance for innovation driven territorial transformation

  1. 13:00-14:00
    Working Lunch
  2. 14:00-14:05
    Welcome to Tällberg

    Birgitta Sacrédeus, County Councillor Region Dalarna

  3. 14.05-14:15
    Setting the scene
    • Elsmari Julin, Region Dalarna;
    • Katrien Van Haverbeke, Region Gävleborg;
    • Petter Arneback-Hjulström, Region Örebro;
    • Maria Linder, Region Västmanland
  4. 14:15-14:45
    The future of EU innovation landscape and the role of PRI
    • Lina Gálvez Muñoz, Member of the European Parliament;
    • Mikel Landabaso, Director for Fair and Sustainable Economy, Joint Research Centre, European Commission;
    • Markku Markkula, European Committee of the Regions, rapporteur on the New European Innovation Agenda
  5. 14.45-15:15
    The national level/agencies perspective on multilevel cooperation for innovation and regional development
    • Göran Andersson, Swedish Innovation Agency;
    • Sigrid Hedin, Ministry for rural affairs and infrastructure;
    • Annika Rosing, The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
  6. 15:15-15:40
    Coffee break
  7. 15:40-16:00
    Presentation of PRI Pilot

    Margherita Bacigalupo, PRI team leader, Joint Research Centre, European Commission.

  8. 16:00-16:30
    Lessons learned in the PRI Pilot Mid Sweden consortia? What is PRI in practice?
    • The regional perspective and the take aways from the PRI Pilot Action - Erik Asph Hennerdal, Region Västmanland, Moniqa Klefbom, Region Gävleborg.
    • Vinnova/Tillväxtverket/Energimyndigheten ”The synergy pilot” and its way to create synergies of multi-level governance and pilot actions - Madelen Nilsson
  9. 16:30-17:00
    Wrap up and conclusions
    • Anders Olsson, Region Värmland
    • Thomas Wobben, Director of Legislative Works, European Committee of the Regions
  10. 18:00-18:45
    Social activities

    Meeting point at Hotel Klockargården, Tällberg, Dalarna.

  11. 19:50-22:00
    Networking dinner

    On behalf of the host region Anna Thörn, County Director Region Dalarna

    Welcome speeches by:

    • Salla Saastamoinnen, Deputy Director-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission
    • Lina Gálvez Muñoz, Member of the European Parliament
    • Tanya Hristova, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions SEDEC Commission

Day 2: Interregional cooperation to strengthen European value chains through regional innovation valleys

  1. 09:00-10:00
    1st session: Partnerships for Regional Innovation as a building block of the New European Innovation Agenda

    Moderator: Mikel Landabaso, Director for Fair and Sustainable Economy, Joint Research Centre, European Commission;

    • Ebba Busch, Minister for Climate and Enterprise (Video message)
    • Lina Gálvez Muñoz, Member of the European Parliament
    • Tanya Hristova, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions SEDEC Commission on behalf of the PRI Pilot Action participants
    • Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General for Innovation at Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain
    • Birgitta Sacrédeus, Member of a Regional Assembly, Dalarna Regional Council
  2. 10:00-10:30
    Messages from the first day of event and continuation of PRI

    Moderator: Johan Stierna, Lead Scientist for Fair and Sustainable Economy, Joint Research Centre, European Commission.

    • Jonny Gahnshag, Director Strategic Innovation and Enterprise Dalarna, Sweden
    • Mikel Landabaso, Director for Fair and Sustainable Economy, Joint Research Centre, European Commission;
    • Thomas Wobben, Director of Legislative Works, European Committee of the Regions
  3. 10:30-11:00
    Coffee break/Press meeting
  4. 11:00-12:30
    2nd session: Regional innovation valleys with deep tech and net-zero

    Moderator: Pirita Lindholm, Director of the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN).

    Setting the scene:

    • "PRI and Interregional Cooperation: experience and challenges in a new era of innovation collaboration", Alison Hunter and Effie Amanatidou, PRI External Experts.

     

    Panel discussion:

    • Catherine Wendt, Head of Unit for Smart and Sustainable Growth, Directorate-General for Regional & Urban Policy, European Commission
    • Patrick Brenier, Director-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
    • Jake Benford, Senior Project Manager, Europe Programme, Bertelsmann Stiftung
    • Lena Miranda, IASP Vice President and CEO of Linköping Science Park
  5. 12:30-13:30
    Lunch break
  6. 13:30-14:45
    3rd session: Green transition and new value chains in the making – the future of the automotive sector

    Moderator: Wiktor Szydarowski, Director of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, ESPON

    Panel discussion:

    • Lars Bern, Senior Project Manager for Mobility, Lindholmen Science Park
    • TBCFinn Fägerquist, Strategy and Business Development Volvo CE
    • Alireza Nami, Research Director, Hitachi Energy
    • Luis Goñi Navarro, Regional Strategy Director, Navarre Regional development Agency
    • Paul Bogatir, Manager, Hydraulic cluster
    • Maria Swartling, Manager, Sustainable Steel Region
  7. Regional Innovation Valleys area meetings
    14:45-15:30

    Meetings are coordinated by interested regions

  8. 15:30-15:45
    Coffee break
  9. 15:45-16:45
    4th session: Enabling Regional innovation valleys through PRI

    Moderator: Coen de Graaf, Advisor/ Project leader International Innovation – Brabant and Vanguard Initiative

    • Feedback from meetups by regions on Regional Innovation Valleys
  10. 16:45–17:00
    Closing of the event
    • Markku Markkula, European Committee of the Regions, Vice-President and Committee of the Regions rapporteur on New European Innovation Agenda.
    • Salla Saastamoinnen, Deputy Director-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission
    • Birgitta Sacrédeus, County Councillor Region Dalarna

Practical Information

When
30 May 2023 to 31 May 2023
Where

Tällberg, Dalarna, Sweden

Registration Information
  • Registration is closed.

Description

The event will encourage participants to bring PRI collaboration to the next level by meeting other participants, discussing topics of interest and possibilities of close interregional collaboration. The event will be an excellent opportunity for gathering information on Regional Innovation Valleys for deep tech and net zero industries, for community building and for establishing partnerships. In particular, we would like to encourage each and every region to take the lead in a topic of their interest and mobilise the territories they would like to partner with to join the event.

Target audience

Regional and national authorities.

Objectives

In May 2022, the European Commissioner for research and innovation, Mariya Gabriel, the European Commissioner for Regional policy, Elisa Ferreira, and the President of the Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, launched Partnerships for Regional Innovation (PRI) as a pilot action. In total, 74 territories across the EU signed up to an inclusive learning and co-creation process. This final event of the PRI pilot action in the region of Dalarna, under the Swedish presidency, takes stock of what we have learned and launches the direction for the future expansion of the pilot action.

The Partnerships for Regional Innovation will help us to strengthen regional innovation systems for the green and digital transition and will help us deliver on the New European Innovation Agenda establishing 100 Regional Innovation Valleys across Europe. The PRI Pilot participants agree that inter-territorial innovation cooperation offers new avenues to address common challenges in areas such as low carbon technologies, food security, circularity, health or climate resilience. The high-level event in Dalarna will showcase concrete cooperation opportunities for Regional Innovation Valleys. PRI territories and private business leaders will also outline the new value chains in net-zero industries, such as clean mobility, low carbon energy, circular economy and climate resilience.

The Partnerships for Regional Innovation act as a bridge between smart specialisation and other EU policies to promote innovation-driven territorial transformation. Synergies of policy and funding are at the core of the PRI approach. Countries, regions and cities participating to the PRI initiative are exploring synergies across governments, mobilising regulations, education policy, tax policy and public procurement to accelerate their green transitions. At this high-level event, the territories participating in the PRI pilot will present good practices, discuss and learn from each other, co-shape the revised PRI playbook and methodology and engage with other interested territories to establish new partnerships.

Building on the positive feedback from many PRI territories, the event in Dalarna is also an occasion to look ahead and launch the next phase of Partnerships for Regional Innovation. Under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the political co-lead of the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission, the Partnerships for Regional Innovation will move into concrete action, supporting territories across the EU in reaping the opportunities of the green and digital economy. In the high-level event in Dalarna, PRI territories will set the direction for the concrete implementation of the PRI approach and define concrete challenges where they would need support.  The PRI pilot action has proven to be a success. Now is the time to go from pilot to practice.

background