Commission announces winners of European regional innovation awards
The Commission unveiled the first winners of the European regional innovation awards in Brussels on 22 April, rewarding nine regions for devising new ways and ideas for promoting innovation at a regional level through the Regional Programmes of Innovation Actions. The awards were organised by the Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy in order to identify innovative projects and working practices that encourage other regions to put innovation at the centre of their regional development strategies. Prizes were awarded to projects in three categories. In the first category - regional economies based on knowledge and technological innovation: helping regions to raise their technological level - first place went to Saarland in Germany. The Ministry of Economic Affairs of Saarland submitted a nano-biotechnology project which involved the creation of a virtual centre of excellence in nano-biotechnology. The centre helps all relevant partners to work together to put Saarland at the forefront of this new area of technology. The second competition theme was entitled 'e-Europe-Regio', and focused on putting the information society at the service of regional development. In first place was 'GNULINEX', an e-educational project submitted by the regional Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Extremadura, Spain. The project provides schools in the region with access to cheap software, with low maintenance costs, and its success has shown the potential for similar projects aimed at cutting costs in other areas of public administration. The winner of the final category - regional identity and sustainable development - was a project submitted by the regional government of Styria in Austria. 'TANNO meets GEMINI' is a sustainable development project that brings different businesses together to manufacture energy efficient, low cost homes using natural wood and other resources native to the region. The winners were selected by an independent jury of experts, chaired by the former Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Guterres, from among 72 applications from regions throughout the EU.