EU: €116M for 151 Regional Innovation Valleys to "strengthen regional innovation ecosystems"

The European Commission has identified 151 regions as "Regional Innovation Valleys", to "strengthen regional innovation ecosystems, bridge the innovation gap in Europe and improve Europe's overall innovation performance", as part of the New European Innovation Agenda, it announces on 19/06/2024.

The EU is supporting this initiative to the tune of €116M through the Horizon Europe European Innovation Ecosystems programme and the ERDF's Interregional Investment in Innovation instrument. The Commission is also providing support through community-building activities, events, networking and targeted communications.

The aim of the initiative is to link EU regions that are "committed to strengthening their innovation ecosystems and creating new European value chains in order to contribute to EU's key priorities".

72 of these regions have committed to strengthening their innovation strategies and funding in line with the New European Innovation Agenda, focusing on critical challenges such as reducing dependency on fossil fuels, digital transition, etc.

The remaining 79 have committed to…