Could closer collaboration between urban and rural areas bring new impulses for regional innovation systems? The Region of Central Macedonia started to operate an innovative liaison office to strengthen research and market linkages and support collaborations within and outside the region.
The One Stop Liaison Office, a new mechanism for targeted support of triple helix cooperations, was established under the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Directorate of the Region of Central Macedonia. The Office was launched in the beginning of 2019 and operates as a joint Regional Contact Point between regional stakeholders and S3 platforms. The new mechanism aims to co-monitor and co-evaluate the RIS3 Strategy of Central Macedonia. It will contribute to better connect the metropolitan center Thessaloniki with the weaker rural periphery and to improve the value chains in the region. In parallel, the new office will bring local companies and research institutions closer to other European regions in the framework of the S3 platforms.
The One Stop Liaison Office and its functions were among the core topics during the fourth local stakeholder meeting of the project RUMORE, which took place on 31 January 2019. During the meeting, all participants learnt how the new Office could support rural-urban partnerships and discussed about the format of the Office’s upcoming activities. The meeting was complemented by presentations of selected Good Practices for innovation and entrepreneurship from the City of Amsterdam. All attendees learnt about the Start-up Village in Amsterdam Green Campus, the Surplus to Chefs and Gro together initiatives, the De Couvel developments and selected projects of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions. The stakeholders discussed on the main characteristics of the presented Good Practices and their applicability at regional and national level.
