New Regional Gateway on CORDIS
CORDIS, the Community Research and Development Information Service, has launched a new and totally revised Regional Gateway service, highlighting the increasingly important link between research and development (R&D), innovation and regional policies. The gateway provides updated maps of Member States, acceding countries and some associated countries, providing access to all regional services on CORDIS. It thus becomes the central access point for information on regional research and innovation activities. With its particular focus on local and regional actors such as small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), universities or sub-national government agencies, it is a unique interface for the regional and European dimensions of R&D and innovation. The Regional Gateway enables regions throughout the EU to promote their activities, achievements and infrastructures in the area of research and innovation. At the same time, it is designed to provide local actors with the information they need to benefit from European research and innovation activities. A special resource centre for regional research and innovation decision makers contains a repository of European information relevant for the regional dimension of European R&D policy. The presentation of the research and innovation credentials of each participating region varies according to individual priorities and circumstances. However, the regional pages usually contain a brief introduction to the research and innovation environment in the region concerned and an overview of regional R&D and innovation strategies. Research infrastructure, latest developments and contact lists, as well as information on EU-related research in the region are also covered in most Regional Gateway pages. The service relies on strong interactive cooperation with regional actors and is open to every region in the EU. Any appropriate regional actor can make a proposal for a new regional representation on the service. New services will be considered favourably if the proposing entity demonstrates an official capacity, a research interest or track record, an information capacity and a capacity of central coordination. The Regional Gateway is based on the former service 'Focus on Research and Innovation in the Regions', which has existed on CORDIS since 1998. The new service was set up in response to feedback from core user groups, and helps CORDIS to keep pace with the evolving regional research and innovation environment.