Allon_I3 – Alliance on interregional innovation investments
EU Programme: ERDF Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument – Capacity Building Strand 2b
Reference: I3-2022-CAP2b
Start date: 01/11/2023
End date: 31/10/2025
The southern and south-east European regions are facing many challenges in their twin green and digital transition and smart manufacturing. The less developed regions, in particular Gabrovo, Bulgaria (BG322), Sicily, Italy (ITG16) and Alentejo, Portugal (APT187) involved in the project, experience higher social and economic pressure, compared to the regions in transition Athens, Greece (EL303), Nicosia, Cyprus (CY000) and to the more developed Aalborg, Denmark (DK050) region, and this leads to slower adoption of innovations, weaker participation in the European value chains and lower competitiveness of the economy. It also leads to an even bigger challenge for the first three less developed regions – a demographic collapse, characterized by depopulation and at the same time increasing the elderly population. The Allon_I3 project thematic area is set on ICT and Digitalization + Clean technologies, energy, environment and sustainable development, which is the common topic crosscutting the regional S3 priority areas of all participant regions.
- To enhance the capacity of less developed regions to cooperate with more developed ones and ones in transition by shaping and interweaving a cross-regional innovation ecosystem with stronger value chains or new ones emerging.
- Identifying gaps and business opportunities for reviving broken value chains or building new ecosystem.
- Supporting to the identification of investment projects, identifying investment opportunities and to outline a suitable funding mix.
- Scaling-up impact, including activities dedicated to sustain sustainability beyond the project life.
- I3 ecosystem infrastructure outlined, including n.3 study visits and 5 roadmaps developed (1 x each region).
- Development of an action plan for the improvement of the regional innovation ecosystem.
- Implementation of a capacity building programme, strengthening the skills, abilities and resources of the target groups.
- Outlined a funding mix of opportunities for short and long term investments and income-generating activities.
- Report on the internal reforms implemented in the target regions.
Results
- More active and better interlinked regional investment and innovation ecosystems in the target less developed regions to address their specific needs and improve the overall economy and innovation.
- Established and developed interregional partnerships to address economic challenges and achieve mutual benefit at transnational level.
Co-experts
- Policy makers, regional and public authorities in charge of regional development, SME support, economic growth, innovation, internationalization.
- The business community – SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups involved in relevant value chains.
- The research community.
- Civil society – the society at large.
Partnership
Keywords
Policies and cross-regional cooperation, Innovation, Green and digital transition.
Website
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