Community Research and Development Information Service - CORDIS

CORDIS: Community Research and Development Information Service

Regional Research & Innovation Service

Resource Centre — Information Sources and Networks

With the link increasingly being made between regional and innovation policy, there are many resources and networks specifically targeted at local and regional actors.
Provided below is a non-exhaustive list of information sources and networks concerning different aspects of regional research and innovation:

Practical Information and support on CORDIS

Regional, research and innovation policies

  • ERAWATCH
    The CORDIS ERAWATCH service provides information on national research policies, structures, programmes and organisations. The aim of this service is to support policy making in the research field in Europe, by facilitating a better knowledge and understanding of national research systems, policies and the environments in which they operate.
  • Innovation Policy in Europe
    As part of the European Innovation Portal on CORDIS, this section provides an overview of innovation policy and progress at the European, national and regional levels.
  • Trend Chart Country pages
    The "European TrendChart on Innovation" is the European Commission's benchmarking instrument for innovation policy, including country pages with easy access to annual country reports, briefings and government decisions.

Relevant Web Services from EU institutions and stakeholders

Regional networks relevant to research and innovation

  • Innovative Regions in Europe (IRE) Network
    The Innovating Regions in Europe (IRE) network is the joint platform for collaboration and exchange of experience for regions that are developing or implementing regional innovation strategies and schemes. The aim of the network is to give member regions access to new tools, schemes and inter-regional learning opportunities and so improve their ability to boost innovation and competitiveness among regional companies. It also includes a Mutual Learning Platform aiming to enable all regions to fully enter the knowledge-based society.
  • Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
    First founded as the Council of European Municipalities in 1951 by a group of European mayors, today the Council of European Municipalities and Regions is made up of national associations of towns, municipalities and regions from over 30 countries, representing some 100,000 local and regional authorities
  • European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN)
    ERRIN, supported by DG Research under the Regions of Knowledge Pilot Action Programme, is a Brussels-based network designed to help regions participate fully and effectively in the European Research Area. It aims to facilitate communication and increase understanding across a range of issues, including the challenges and barriers faced at the regional level, what can be done to create stronger partnerships on research and innovation, and greater awareness within the European institutions of the regional dimension.
  • EIC — European Information Centres
    The EICs provide information, advice and assistance to SMEs in all Community matters. Present throughout the European Economic Area, EICs are in constant contact with the European Commission and can access a business support network of more than 300 centres across 46 countries.
  • Business Innovation Centres Network (BICs)
    The primary role of the BICs is to provide support to regional economic development through enterprise and innovation. There are160 BICs in 21 countries, providing a full range of services to regional public and private sector partners, focussing on the creation of innovative new SMEs and innovative new activities within existing SMEs. In addition, 70 associate members share the same objective of SME support and development. The European BIC Network (EBN ) — a non profit making association aiming at co-ordinating the activities of the BICs — fits within the B2Europe initiative connecting the main Community SME support networks (Business & Innovation Centres, Euro Info Centres, Innovation Relay Centres, etc.).
  • ScanBalt Bioregion (PDF)
    ScanBalt is a network of networks within the meta-region that encompasses Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, northern Germany and north-western Russia. It aims to promote the development of ScanBalt BioRegion as a globally competitive meta-bioregion.
  • Association of Regional Development Agencies (EURADA)
    EURADA is a non profit-making organisation gathering around 150 development agencies from 25 countries of the EU and Central and Eastern Europe. It aims to promote regional economic development through dialogue with the European Commission services, interchange of good practice among members, and transnational co-operation among members.
  • Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR)
    The CPMR's membership includes 149 Regions from 27 States — both members and non-members of the EU — all located in one of Europe's main sea basins and joining transnational cooperation networks as a way of strengthening their competitiveness.
  • European Digital Cities (EDC)
    By providing an open cooperation network for concerted urban development through Telematics, the European Digital Cities project aimed to accelerate the deployment of cost-effective telematics urban solutions. The scope of the project included a number of networking activities by cities, towns and regions, and was initiated by networks including:
    • Eurocities — association of European metropolitan cities
    • POLIS — promoting telematics technologies in urban mobility
    • Telecities (now known as EUROCITIES Knowledge Society Forum) — defining the urban demand for telematics
  • IANIS — 'eRegions Hub'
    Innovative Actions Network for the Information Society (IANIS) has as its main objectives to sustain and further develop interregional networking, and particularly to provide network support to regions with approved Innovative Actions projects, in the context of the information society and Structural Funds' investments. The e-Region Hub has a projects' database and links to other materials and reports of relevance to regional IS developers working in the context of the Structural Funds.
  • ERNACT — European Region Network for the Application of Communication Technology.
    Derry City and Donegal County Councils established ERNACT EEIG (European Economic Interest Grouping) in 1990 as a joint crossborder subsidiary in order to enable both council areas to co-operate on the theme of communications technology and the emerging information society. Since then ERNACT has evolved into a network of regions in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
  • Teleregions Network
    A regional network established in September 1996 as a group of active European regions to use the possibilities of future Telematics applications and services to develop their own regions.

Last updated: 2012-02-24