PREPARE has undertaken desktop research to identify resources of interest for policy and funding purposes. The state of the art document provides an extensive overview of InnPr and demand-driven innovation frameworks, as well as key policy programmes, funding sources and competitive call opportunities detailing its significance, and regional analysis of Bucharest (Romania), Oulu (Finland), Murcia (Spain) and Skåne (Sweden). As a result, will be easy to incorporate within the Joint Programme and the knowledge assets. The information was gathered from i) regional public bodies in charge of innovation policies and funding instruments and ii) innovation ecosystem players, which propose and execute projects. 1044 regional stakeholders were identified, and 398 participated actively in the interviews and any of the 19 workshops and focus groups organised. The result was delivering state-of-the-art learnings and best practices.
Following this, PREPARE has developed the Joint Programme and 4 Regional Action Plans to catalyse innovation-driven procurement across Europe, aiming to stimulate economic growth, improve public services, and enhance regional competitiveness. It serves as comprehensive guidelines for public entities and policymakers, offering a blend of theoretical and practical frameworks for adopting Innovation Procurement throughout multiple regions in the EU. The Joint Programme and the Regional Action plans provide actionable recommendations for regional stakeholders to incorporate innovation procurement into each region’s policy and increase its impact by leveraging EU initiatives and funding.The plan includes initiatives towards exploitation, covering capacity building and policy promotion at the EU, national, and regional levels, as well as the engagement of a network of EU regions interested in leveraging public procurement instruments to foster impactful innovation through collaboration with ERRIN and EURADA.
The work undertaken emphasises the crucial role of regional InnPr in fostering economic development and competitiveness. It calls on stakeholders to actively engage in and support these initiatives, highlighting the need for regional collaboration and streamlined processes for adopting innovation. This initiative-taking approach aims to position the public sector as a catalyst for innovation, ultimately benefiting European companies and communities .