Commission and Committee of the Regions adopt Joint Action Plan to strengthen local role in EU R&I

The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) have agreed on a Joint Action Plan to strengthen the role of regional and local authorities in EU research and innovation policies.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, and Heike Raab, Chair of the CoR Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture, signed on 24/04/2026 the Joint Action Plan. It sets out four key priorities: building strong local and regional innovation ecosystems, facilitating the green and digital transition, raising awareness of and improving access to funding opportunities and supporting evidence-based policymaking in regions.

The document sets out a flexible set of 11 actions, including support from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) for place-based innovation by strengthening territorial capacities and developing local innovation ecosystems. It also calls for greater engagement of CoR members with the Knowledge Valorisation Platform, fostering connections across Europe, while supporting the adoption of the Charter on Access to…