Innovating Europe: Commission Rewards Six Regions for Successful Transfer of Innovation Schemes
The agenda includes a discussion of the Commission's proposals in the field of innovation and the presentation of results from projects run by Europe's 22 most successful regions in the area of innovation. Six regions, Emilia-Romagna, Rhône-Alpes, Karlsruhe, Helsinki, Oxfordshire and Stuttgart are being awarded for their successful performance in the transfer and adaptation of innovation policies. The Region of Emilia-Romagna is being honored with a special distinction for its outstanding performance. Following on from Vienna in 1998, Lyon in 2000 and Stockholm in 2002, this is the fourth European Forum for Innovative Enterprises. As in previous editions of the Forum, the Enterprise Directorate General of the European Commission is recognizing the contribution of the 22 PAXIS regions to the dissemination of good practice in innovation policy. The 2004 European Forum for Innovative Enterprises will bestow the award for 'Excellence in Innovation Transfer' to those regions with outstanding project results. Speakers at this 3-day conference include high representatives from Europe's most innovative cities and regions, Parliamentary Secretary of State of the Federal Ministry for Economy and Labour in Germany, Mr Rezzo Schlauch, as well as the Deputy Director-General of Enterprise DG, Mr. Heinz Zourek, and the French Senator Mr. Pierre Laffitte. David White, Director for Innovation Policy of the European Commission, will draw the final conclusions of the Forum on 7 December. Discussions will cover, among other topics, financing schemes, innovation clusters, internationalisation of SMEs and the regulatory environment as a catalyst for new markets. Panels will explore how innovation can boost entrepreneurial activity and how best to shape future European innovation policy. Non-technological aspects of innovation will receive particular focus. 'Innovation is mainly about entrepreneurship. Regions are closer to entrepreneurs and much better placed to interact with them directly than the national authorities or the European institutions,' according to Director-General of Enterprise DG, Dr Horst Reichenbach. 'Promoting innovation is a combination of many different factors, and regions hold the key to many of them.', ,The Fourth Forum for Innovative Enterprises website:,http://www.fourthforum.org The PAXIS project: ,http://cordis.europa.eu/paxis More information on Enterprise Directorate-General's Innovation Policy: ,http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/innovation/index.htmThe European Commission assists the regions in stimulating innovative start-ups through PAXIS. Launched in 1999, the Pilot Action of Excellence on Innovative Start-ups has two major objectives: to boost the transfer of local and regional excellence in innovation; and to provide an instrument for cooperation and the exchange of knowledge between local innovation stakeholders. Some 22 regions are members of PAXIS, and other European regions are able to associate themselves with the networks, to identify and share good practice, from the exploitation of the results of public research, to setting up networks of business angels or to the creation of seed capital funds for innovative start-ups.
Countries
Germany