We must boost the role of Europe's peripheral regions in ERA, says Birulés
In line with one of the Spanish Presidency's priorities of developing the international dimension of the European research and innovation area, an event looking at the European research area (ERA) in the outermost regions of Europe was held in the Gran Canaria, Spain on 24 and 25 June. Opening the event, Spain's Minister for science and technology, Anna Birulés, said that the conference's objective was 'full integration of the outermost regions into the Community to which they belong, to give their society and businesses equality with the rest of the continent.' Referring to the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, which together comprise Europe's outermost regions, Ms Birulés said that 'we need to boost the role of these regions as a platform of scientific work of excellence in the European area of research and innovation.' Discussion topics at the conference ranged from tourism and research and development and innovation to innovation in the economic fabric and SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises), renewable energies and water, and volcanology and natural hazards. The outermost regions are affected by various forms of natural hazard (seismic, climatic, biological), making them the natural laboratories for learning about nature's dynamics and developing technologies to act upon or prevent natural hazards.
Kraje
Spain