<p>The Renewing and Competent Finland 2021-2027 / ERDF programme, approved in May 2022 by the EU commission, promotes the <strong>vitality</strong>, <strong>employment</strong> and <strong>well-being</strong> of the Finnish regions.</p>

<p><br />
The cross-cutting priorities are:</p>

<ol>
<li>Sustainable development</li>
<li>Gender equality</li>
<li>Non-discrimination</li>
<li>Digital development</li>
<li>Internationalisation</li>
<li>Climate change</li>
<li>Innovation.</li>
</ol>

<p><br />
These are part of six priority areas of the programme. Within LOTTI, focus is on priority 1 - <strong>Innovative Finland</strong> (ERDF), promoting research and innovation capabilities of regions and companies with a focus on business and working life, and the introduction of new technologies.</p>

<p><br />
The Smart specialisation strategy (S3) is taken into account as a guiding background framework. The renewed spearheads for S3 in Päijät-Häme Region are Sport, Food and Beverage and Manufacturing, with <strong>sustainability</strong> as a cross-cutting principle.</p>

<p>LOTTI will focus on Food and Beverage and Manufacturing (without excluding the others). These are industries with highest <strong>potential for development</strong>, but they are also facing heavy structural changes and the need to adapt to today’s fast-moving environment of technological and environmental disruption, without leaving citizens behind.</p>

<p><br />
The policy instrument foresees local prioritisation based on each region’s strategic policy outlines. In Päijät-Häme, these are included in the Regional Strategy for 2022-2025. The criteria of the ERDF funding will have to be aligned to the themes and topics addressed by this Strategy.</p>

<p>The RSES provides a high-level policy framework for the Northern and Western Region of Ireland that supports the National Planning Framework (NPF) and national economic policies and objectives. It also serves for proofing the Local Economic and Community Plans compiled at Local Authority/County level to ensure consistency. It provides a 12-year strategy to deliver <strong>transformational change</strong> necessary to achieve its objectives and vision.</p>

<p><br />
At its core, the RSES recognises the <strong>weak urban infrastructure</strong> in the region that has not prospered economically compared to other regions, evidenced by its reclassification by the Commission from a ‘More Developed Region’ to a ‘Transition Region’ for the 2021-2027 funding period.</p>

<p><br />
Growth Ambition 1 of the RSES aims to develop a <strong>vibrant region </strong>for Economy and Employment. The RSES recognises its distinct region with traditional sectors that can benefit from a specialisation approach and increased <strong>diversification</strong>. Encouraging transition of indigenous economic activity will help enable greater <strong>economic development</strong>. A more diversified economy that is increasing activity in knowledge-intensive, high-value businesses will be more resilient to shocks. However, it also needs more specialised and tailored policy, and a more coherent approach to smart specialisation.</p>

<p><br />
The focus is on regional opportunities directly linked to the LOTTI project, including:</p>

<ol>
<li>Place-making and place-based assets as a key element in <strong>sustainable growth.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Specialised Sectors</strong> and Clusters.</li>
</ol>

<p>Smart Puglia 2030 (S3) was approved by the Regional Council on April 2022 as an enabling condition for the preparation and approval of the Regional Operational Programme of structural funds 2021-2027. The S3 describes the main elements of the regional strategy on R&amp;I for 2021-2027 programming cycle of the EU Funds and defines a new articulation of <strong>regional innovation </strong>supply chains, identifying for each strengths and weaknesses, as well as development opportunities.</p>

<p><br />
The 3 key principles of the strategy correspond to the Priority Areas of Innovation identified:</p>

<ol>
<li>Sustainable manufacturing</li>
<li>Human and environmental health</li>
<li>Digital, creative and inclusive communities</li>
</ol>

<p>The strategy identifies the main policy levers on which it is necessary to intervene to improve competitiveness of the supply chain, in terms of: <strong>skills</strong>, <strong>networking</strong>, <strong>investment attraction</strong>, <strong>R&amp;D&amp;I,</strong> <strong>internationalisation</strong>, <strong>governance</strong>. The theme of industrial transition is transversal to all sectors and used as a key dimension to analyse those most in need to deal with restructuring, in terms of product type, technologies, workforce skills, adaptation to new regulatory and environmental standards.</p>

<p><br />
The S3 also defines policy priorities and objectives in three macro-areas:</p>

<ol>
<li>Strengthening of innovation capacities</li>
<li>Strengthening of competences</li>
<li>Governance and networking</li>
</ol>

<p>Within LOTTI focus is on <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>manufacturing</strong>, with a particular focus on the dimension of industrial transition as well as territorial roots</p>

<p>European Funds for Silesia 2021-2027 is a multi-fund ERDF/ESF/JTF OP, directly linked to the goals of the Development Strategy of the Silesian Voivodeship “Silesia 2030” – Green Silesian and Regional Innovation Strategy for the Silesian Voivodeship 2030.<br />
<br />
European Funds for Silesia 2021-2027 indicate 7 priorities: <strong>Intelligent</strong> Silesia, <strong>Ecological</strong> Silesia, <strong>Mobile</strong> Silesia,<strong> Better Connected </strong>Silesia, <strong>Social Silesia</strong> ESF+, <strong>Silesia for inhabitants</strong> and <strong>Silesia closer to citizens</strong>. A part of the Programme is also a Territorial Just Transition Plan. The total allocation of European Funds for Silesia for 2021-2027 is about € 4,858,340,098.<br />
<br />
Within LOTTI focus is on:</p>

<ol>
<li>Priority I – Intelligent Silesia – the support will direct to the areas defined as smart specialisations in Regional Innovation Strategy of the Silesian Voivodeship 2030, including new specialisations and resulting from the <strong>entrepreneurial discovery</strong> <strong>process</strong> (EDP).

<ul>
<li>Specific objective (III) – Increasing the <strong>growth</strong> and <strong>competitiveness</strong> of <strong>SMEs</strong> of enterprises</li>
<li>Specific objective (IV) – Developing <strong>skills</strong> for <strong>smart specialisation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Priority V – Social Silesia ESF+ - support for enterprises undergoing <strong>restructuring</strong> processes, <strong>adaptation</strong> and <strong>modernisation</strong> processes, including using of outplacement support programmes, acquiring <strong>new skills</strong> and competences adapted to the current needs of the region.
<ul>
<li>Specific objective (d) – Supporting the adaptation of workers, enterprises to change</li>
<li>Specific objective (g) – Supporting long-life learning.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>

<p>This proposal focuses on ERDF Cantabria OP 2021-2027, currently in preparation stage at national level, to be submitted to the EU Commission for evaluation by 15th June 2022 (final approval by EU Commission planned by Q42022). Under the selected policy instrument, LOTTI focuses on PO5 Europe closer to citizens, which foresees a specific measure addressing Besaya’s Basin territorial challenges: Besaya’s Basin Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) strategy.</p>

<p><br />
An ITI is a management instrument designed to support a set of integrated actions in a given geographical area in order to respond to its specific needs or challenges. As defined in Regulation (EU) No 2021/1060, ITIs allow for a territorial approach to be applied in the design and implementation of public policies. It makes it possible, for example, to combine funding from different thematic objectives and operational programmes supported by different structural funds.</p>

<p><br />
Besaya’s Basin ITI strategy is articulated into 5 strategic lines to be deployed through specific actions:</p>

<ol>
<li><strong>Industrial transition</strong></li>
<li><strong>Environmental resource</strong></li>
<li><strong>People</strong></li>
<li><strong>Smart Besaya </strong></li>
<li><strong>Culture and heritage</strong></li>
</ol>

<p>The ITI also proposes a series of projects as a driving force for the territory. Besaya’s Basin ITI will combine the efforts of all the public administrations involved, as well as <strong>engagement of citizens</strong>, companies, academia, etc. and will be aligned with other regional strategies, such as the Cantabria S3 2021-2027, directly linked with ERDF PO1.</p>

<p>The 2021-2027 Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) in Grand Est could be defined as 3D-Matrix, gathering three main dimensions, as follows:</p>

<ol>
<li><strong>Industry, Health, and Bioeconomy.</strong></li>
<li>Industrial, <strong>digital</strong>, and <strong>energetic-environmental-social </strong>transition.</li>
<li><strong>Social innovation</strong>, <strong>responsible innovation</strong>, <strong>relocation companies </strong>and development of local supply chains (transversal to dimensions 1&amp;2).</li>
</ol>

<p>The implementation of the S3 for dimension 2 (transition) will be coordinated by different Grand Est Transformation regional networks of competencies (<strong>digital, green, industry</strong>). S3 is used to define the priorities that will be funded by the new ERDF programme (2021-2027), specifically under objective 1.1 (innovation, SMEs and digital transformation).</p>

<p><br />
The Smart Industrial Park (SIP) project is integrated in the S3 as a transversal activity at the crossroad of <strong>industrial</strong>, <strong>digital</strong> and <strong>environmental</strong> transversal priorities. It aims to support development of demonstrator projects regarding industry and energy transition for industrial parks. This programme is an experimentation under the S3 Pilot Action “Regions in industrial transition” conducted and financed by the EU Commission (DG REGIO). Started in 2019 and ongoing, it tests solutions to ensure attractiveness and competitiveness of industrial parks. Lessons learnt from the methods tested in this action will be used to improve the S3 governance of the region. Feedback from SIP activities will be used for the mid-term evaluation of the S3.</p>