LE2C participated in Peer Review in Härnösand, Sweden
On February 26th and 27th, Silvia Brembati from the Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster (LE2C) participated in the Peer Review organized in Härnösand, Sweden, by the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform.
The event provided an opportunity to explore the assets of the Västernorrland region in Sweden and to reflect on how to implement the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) in the strategic areas of Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing. Additionally, discussions focused on creating an engagement ecosystem for clusters and fostering the region’s international development.
Silvia Brembati was invited as a peer to share the experience of the Lombardy cluster, presenting its structure, the Repower Industries project, other ongoing initiatives, and the cluster’s involvement in the Interreg Europe platform and European networks.
During the first day, representatives from the regional government, local stakeholders, and four neighboring regions provided insights into the main challenges and opportunities. On the second day, the peers, with the support of the Policy Learning Platform, developed a set of recommendations to foster regional development, including:
- Strengthening governance for S3 implementation
- Flexible and experimental use of ERDF funding
- Exploring alternative European funding sources
- Developing cross-regional clusters and value chains
- Leveraging renewable energy for the green transition
- Positioning as a European Innovation Hub
The event was a valuable learning opportunity for LE2C as a partner in the Repower Industries project, allowing the organization to reflect on its internal model and gain insights from best practices adopted by other regions.
Key takeaways for the Repower Industries project include:
- A successful example of engaging regional policymakers in policy discussions, particularly concerning renewable energy
- Learning best practices from international case studies (Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Italy)
- Establishing connections with regional policymakers, universities, businesses, and local stakeholders interested in energy policies to improve renewable energy, energy efficiency, and storage
- Gaining insights from the peer review methodology to enhance future Interactive Workshops and Local Stakeholder Meetings planned for the project
- Identifying and critically reviewing energy policies to make them more appealing to the local ecosystem
Expanding the reach of the Repower Industries project at the European level and exploring potential collaborations with other ongoing projects and initiatives to increase impact.
Link for more information: https://www.interregeurope.eu/find-policy-solutions/expert-support-reports/s3-strategy-to-unlock-full-potential-for-growth