Partners from 8 European regions from Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic and Sweden, all of them with common RIS3 smart specialization priorities, have joined forces to work on improving the accessibility and the exploitation of local Research and Innovation (R&I) infrastructure, focusing mainly on SMEs needs. By implementing an Interreg Europe program 2014-2020 project - Sharing strategies for European Research and Innovation Infrastructures (INNO INFRA SHARE) partners are undertaking a joint learning and collaboration process that will contribute to improve their respective policy instruments related to R&I infrastructures, with the main goal of improving their accessibility by SMEs in their respective territories.
During their first meeting in the capital city of the Emilia-Romagna Region – Bologna, Northern Italy, INNO INFRA SHARE partners presented their organisation, their policy instruments, discussed project implementation plan and set the next steps to be taken. A masterclass – learning workshop on R&I infrastructures took place, led by an expert from TNO, a Dutch organisation for applied scientific research. The masterclass gave partners a unified knowledge base on R&I infrastructures and set the key areas of R&I infrastructures in which the project will need to focus to improve their accessibility and promote the collaboration with enterprises.
The first step of the project is the elaboration of the regional context profiles that will allow each partner region to map their existing R&I infrastructures to get a clear understanding of the assets that they have. This will also help to identify specific and common elements and to distinguish the good practices in order to gain common knowledge base and favourable conditions to transfer or get inspiration from others experiences.
The next step will take place in June, when project partners and regional stakeholders will attend the first INNO INFRA SHARE study visit to the Netherlands and Belgium to deepen their knowledge on partners’ successful experience in making their R&I infrastructure available to companies. During the event, which will be organized by Brainport Development and Flanders Make, partners and their stakeholders will learn more about the Brainport regional research and innovation system by visiting the Faculty for Industrial Engineering and Innovation Science and the Nanolab of the University of Eindhoven, the High Tech Campus and the Solliance Solar Research institute. They will also visit the research excellences in Ghent, as the iMec laboratories.
For more information please visit INNO INFRA SHARE website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/innoinfrashare/
Or contact Project Manager Filippo Saguatti, Aster, e-mail: [email protected]
