Project summary Food industry, perceived as traditional, is in fact a challenging driver for innovation and growth today. STRING unifies regions sharing the ambition to improve the innovation capacity of their food clusters, enabling them to meet the increasingly diversified needs and the growing demand for larger quantities of food. These clusters are often impeded in their development and thus fail to efficiently support the innovation eco-system and hinder the partners’ access to new markets. The shared bottlenecks of agro-food innovation eco-systems –often rooted in the malfunctioning of policy instruments– urge partners to work on solutions adaptable to specific regional contexts. All STRING-regions have been renown for their food production traditions, and for their innovation potentials. They all are engaged in food innovation and production in different roles. The overall objective of the partners - independent from their development level and the strength of cohesion in their regional food sectors – is to improve the performance and implementation efficiency of development policies and programmes related to food R&D&I and clusterization to promote innovation value chains for the sector. By deepening cluster integration and creating more added value - contributing to smart growth – each region will reach this ambition.  €1,899,455.00 from 1 Jan 2017 to 30 Jun 2021 Topic Research and innovation Partnership Lead Partner Partner What policy instruments does the project address? OP South Netherlands ERDF 2014-2020. With their triple helix partners the 3 Southern provinces (NL) developed a RIS 3, linking societal and economic opportunities and challenges. OP South Program was based on the RIS 3. The aim is to develop the region to an innovative top region, where innovation is the key to smart and sustainable growth. The OP priorities are Innovation (strengthening the R+D+I infrastructure and capacity; stimulating investment in R+D instruments) and Low carbon economy (stimulating research, innovation and use of new technologies and of ICT). The overall budget is 321,6 million euro. To create a structure strengthening mechanism (stimulating cross sectoral cooperation, attracting (risk) capital and new companies) the following methods are used: living labs; testing grounds; social innovation; the use of design to enable (open) innovation. The innovative opportunities mentioned e.g. Smart Food; Smart Technology; Smart Materials and Smart Logistics. For Smart Food the objectives are 1) The cross sectoral cooperation between Agrofood and High Tech Systems 2.) between Agrofood and Health sector and also 3) stimulating the development of added value (demand driven) concepts. The OP provides the framework. Implementation should be organised through projects. The province and its partners aim to influence the strategy of the OP through the development of tangible projects. For that it has to find and discuss real solid measures for which this international learning approach is a crucial aspect. Which partners are working on this? Province of North Brabant Southern Agricultural and Horticultural Organisation (ZLTO) 2014-2020 ERDF ROP Emilia-Romagna Region The Emilia-Romagna Regional Operational Programme (ROP) defines the strategy and implementation of the ERDF funds. Within the STRING project the focus will be put on the implementation of the Actions foreseen under the priority 1.b. The objective of the priority, for which 140 million euro has been allocated, is to enforce the regional innovation system strengthening the cooperation between enterprises and innovation hubs, specifically involving the “High Technology Network”. This network was created during the previous programme period by financing the establishment of research infrastructures in the entire region. The network is divided into Thematic Platforms that reflect the key areas for Regional Smart Growth, as identified in the Regional and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization (RIS3). One of the five priority sectors is the Agrifood sector with 15% of the total budget. All interventions for the agrifood sector will be subject of analysis for improvement. The main need for improvement is to assure the continuity of the collaborative research, anticipating the most significant innovation paths, promoting projects of strategic relevance and improving a holistic approach to the regional innovation system: these objectives are particularly relevant for the agrofood industry, for its importance at regional level and for its production system. The lack of coordination of interventions with other funds such as the Rural Development Plan (EARDF) is also in need. Which partners are working on this? Emilia-Romagna Region - Directorate General For Agriculture, Hunting and Fisheries Research Centre for Animal Production Territorial and Settlement Development Operational Programme / Integrated Territorial Program - Debrecen TOP allocates a budget frame to regional actors such as counties and cities with county rights and provides them with a planning framework to prepare their Integrated Territorial Programmes (ITP). Priority 6 “Sustainable urban development” within TOP is dedicated to cities acting as regional centres, such as Debrecen, which has a budget of 144 million euro. The Debrecen ITP is tailored to regional characteristics and structured into 7 ERDF and 2 ESF measures, including a preliminary list of projects for each measure. ERDF Measure No. 1 represents the highest share (30%) and provides space for initiatives related to innovation, incubation and cluster development for sectors prioritized in county level RIS3. Under the topic of innovation, The Debrecen Innovation Centre project is the sole project initiative. It aims to improve innovation capacities in the region with a focus on food industry. As such, it is a real flagship serving not only the city but also the whole region. Furthermore, two additional ESF projects also contribute to the operation of innovative chains and the Innovation centre. Yet, the budget allocation structure does not reflect the high ambitions of the city to become a real R+D+I centre in priority fields such as food production. Also breakthrough solutions to ensure efficient use of funding are needed. Finally, additional, smaller scale projects should also be funded supporting the flagship project, promoting investment in infrastructure and services. Which partners are working on this? Municipality of Debrecen University of Debrecen ERDF Regional Operational Programme Castilla y León The objectives of ERDF Operational Programme of Castilla y León relevant for STRING are: • promoting innovation and contributing to a change in the production model of Castilla y León; • promoting the sustainability of enterprises, especially those with a high innovative competence, and the creation of new businesses. The OP consists of 6 priorities; the 1st priority is Fostering of R&D and innovation. The objectives of the region are in line with those of STRING: Strengthening R&D and innovation institutions and improving the R&D infrastructures; promoting R&D&I activities by enterprises and supporting the creation and consolidation of innovative SMEs; transferring new technology and fostering cooperation between innovation chain entities. The expected outcomes on the OP level imply increasing number of enterprises cooperating with research institutions and increasing number of enterprises supported from the OP. The target values include SMEs from all sectors including food industry, which is the strength of the region. The overall OP budget is 628 million Euro of which 183,7 million euro is allocated for the first priority (29,7%). The above characteristics reflect that the region is especially sensitive to SME development and the promotion of innovation among them. However, in the OP there should be more attention paid for the preparation and the inclusion of food sector SMEs joining the innovative communities of the food industry (see state of the pay below). Which partners are working on this? Institute for Business Competitiveness of Castilla y León, ICE VITARTIS, Food Industry Cluster of Castilla and Leon Regional Growth and Development Strategy - Focused Growth. The national Structural Fund program (ERDF) (cancelled) The Policy Instrument “Focused Growth” covers a few high priority growth areas among which the food sector is a top area of intervention. It highlights the use of clusters, open innovation and smart specialisation to raise the number of innovative SMEs. The target of raising R&D to 3% of GNP has been reached and now there is need to transform the increased R&D into innovation and growth in the food industry. The National Structural Fund program (ERDF) has four priority axes. Priority 1: Strengthening SME innovation represents 41,48% of the total budget and promotes a. innovation partnerships and b. increased SME innovation through strong cluster organisations. The regional policy instruments for the implementation of the OP are the so called Focused Growth Documents of regions. Regarding Foodstuffs, Central Denmark is to focus on innovation, differentiation of regional products and services and raising skill levels so that Central Denmark’s food businesses can maintain global competitiveness and increase their contribution to the overall growth and the creation of added value. The policy instrument of Central Denmark Region is considered as quite elaborate and prudent, however there is a need to improve flexibility and alignment with other policy instruments – both regional and national - to better use the cross-fertilizing and also the synergic effects of programmes and projects at the interface of different financing and activity scopes of the distinct policy instruments. Which partners are working on this? Central Denmark Region Regional Operational Programme - POR 2014-2020 The National Spatial Development Strategy of Romania along with the Structural Fund Regulations define the main policy principles and operative actions of integrated territorial development in Romania. The Structural Fund resources serving regional development are allocated via the Regional Operational Programme (POR) for 2014-2020. The relevant OP related PI for Covasna County is the Central Region Development Strategy for 2014 – 2020. Within the six priorities Priority 2 aims to Increase economic competitiveness, stimulate research and innovation. Measure 2.2 deals is most relevant for food innovation and clusterization: Expansion and diversification of regional and local infrastructure, business clusters and networks for economic cooperation. This is intended to be implemented through projects for construction and development of industrial, technology, agro-industrial parks and technology transfer and business incubator centers, cluster development, and projects to improve the economic performance of firms. Funding for the 2nd priority represents only 2,95% of the overall regional budget frame, being the smallest among the priorities. The region primarily aims to make the innovative organizations in food sector more prepared and cohesive and properly backed by innovation infrastructure. The targeted OP does not respond to this need soundly. The use of funding should be more fitted to the conditions prevailing in Romania so that more stakeholders can benefit from SFs. Which partners are working on this? The Association of Small­ and Medium Size Enterprises of the County of Covasna Operational Programme ERDF Alsace 2014-2020 The relevant policy instrument for Alsace Region in STRING is the Operational Programme ERDF Alsace 2014-2020. The OP aims to support the regional development in Alsace in a smart, innovative and sustainable way. The ERDF budget is 89 M €; while the overall programme budget is 266 M €. Food sector finds relevance in Priority 1 (Innovation) and Priority 3 (SME’s competitiveness). Priority 3 supports increasing R&D added value especially in topics prioritised in the regional S3. Food industry is among these topics. Priority 3 also supports SME’s to access new, especially international markets, and to become “factories of the future”, based on the up-scaling of innovative solutions. The food industry is the first French industrial sector on a national level, and the second one in Alsace in terms of GDP. It is therefore a key sector for regional competitiveness, and a key target for the OP. But while innovation and export are top priorities for the food industry, companies in this sector are often family-run SME’s with limited time frame or lacking competencies to innovate and export. The financial support of the ERDF programme is intended to help the sector to reach these goals through the support of joint initiatives backing the small and medium enterprises to keep up with the expectations of the new potential markets. The OP is to be made more supportive of these innovation centers as hubs of testing the new products or processes. Which partners are working on this? ARIA Alsace (Regional Association for Food Industries in Alsace) Project brochure STRING improves the performance of regional development instruments and programmes in building strong agrifood innovation systems across Europe. Download project brochure (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10"; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); STRING Tweets by STRING Latest News See all project news 20/01/2020 Final conference in Brasov Watch the video of the final conference in Brasov Type: Project 01/07/2019 The making of STRING (the movie) The fellowship of STRING began in 2017 searching for engines of change in succesful agri&food clusters across Europe. Type: Project 31/05/2019 Final Event Centru Region Romania Finally in this meeting all project partners get a first glance of the programme and locations of our Final Event. Type: Project 13/12/2018 STRING visited Aria Alsace (Colmar) Pan-European projects are all about knowledge exchange to create a learning curve on one specific topic or another. Type: Project 21/11/2018 Interview with Agustina Gonzalo Type: Project 21/11/2018 Interview In Cantina Type: Project 21/11/2018 Interview Parmigiano Reggiano Type: Project 21/11/2018 Interview with Pieter de Boer Type: Project 21/11/2018 Interview with Lucian Type: Project 21/11/2018 Interview with Sylvia Schott Type: Project

Project summary RFC aims at the sustainable revitalisation of heritage buildings by improving the coexistence of fortified cities and neighbouring forts in urban regions. There is a high number of former fortresses and fortified sites of big historical value in Europe, established at different times. This fortified heritage defines the image of today’s landscape and the struggle and war around these cities define the current borders of municipalities, regions, countries and Europe. But in many cases such constructions are neglected, some derelict, some presented as historical monuments, or only partly utilised. In the majority of cases, they are fragmented and there is a problem to maintain them as this requires big financial investments and strong cooperation. Focuses of RFC:An innovative approach by developing smart ways of utilisation of old fortresses.Make their maintenance easier and to include the fortresses into the life of the City by the development of sustainable strategies of the maintenance and exploitation of this heritage. A new point of view for fortress structures, not only in a conservative way as protected heritage or environment.An integrated approach for fortresses revitalisation."Natural and cultural (military) heritage should be adapted and used for current and future challenges." €1,483,438.00 from 1 Aug 2019 to 31 Jul 2023 Topic Environment and resource efficiency Fortified heritage sustainability and utilisation RFC project brochure ENRFC project brochure SPRFC project brochure NLRFC project brochure CZRFC project brochure SKRFC project brochure RO Partnership Lead Partner Partner What policy instruments does the project address? Integrated Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 Priority 3: Improving the quality and accessibility of public services – Convergence Objective This priority aims to improve the quality and availability of public services in the following areas: Social services, public health, employment and security, and risk prevention. These services are of great benefit to Czech citizens, and their efficient delivery depends on good quality public administration at state, regional and municipal levels. Investment Priority 6c of priority Axis 3: Maintenance, Preservation, Promotion and Development of natural and cultural heritage. The main problems defined in the Integrated strategy of culture support till the year 2020 are: Impacts of the long term insufficient financing of the maintenance of part of cultural monuments, gaps in their administrational management and worse availability of monuments. Specific Objective 3.1: Increase of effectiveness, enhancement of the protection and development of cultural heritage The aim is to preserve, protect and develop the potential of the cultural heritage and to utilise this potential for balanced development of the territory with positive impacts on local or regional employment and competitiveness, to make the performance of the public administration more effective through the development and utilisation of the strategic documents focused on territorial development support, to support the overall approaches to its solutions, to increase the quality and transparency of the decisions.   Which partners are working on this? Ústí Region Service Area Oriented policy - Province of Antwerp Objectives, characteristics Service Area Oriented Policy offers a coherent approach to development across municipal boundaries. This often involves a complex combination of multiple themes or policy domains. Based on the area-specific possibilities, the policy that was set up will lead to structural cooperation and a promising dynamic with a supported approach to positive developments in the area. This means cooperation, not only with the various authorities, but also with local organizations and private partners. Together this policy achieves a more supported and larger result.   Priority: Framework Plan Fortress Belt Antwerp   Improvement The Policy Plan and Framework Plan handles the fortresses around Antwerp. But surprisingly the fortress cities around Antwerp are not included. Actually there is no real knowledge or improvement of this matter at all on Provincial/Regional Level. And in practice it appears that the fortress structures start to disappear. There are multiple aspects that can be improved by the policy instrument: • Besides the fortresses, specific attention for the fortress cities and the historic walls that have formed these cities and landscapes centuries ago. • A strategic way to use these city walls and urban edge to define solutions for multiple themes, such as green-blue approach, heritage, recreation, infrastructure, development, innovation. • This research will deepen the integrated aspect and will uncover many challenges and opportunities.   Which partners are working on this? Regional Landscape de Voorkempen - representative and responsible for the Atwerp Regional Landscapes Municipal Master Plan for Sustainable Urban Development The municipal master plan aims to propose a sustainable solution for the regeneration of the historical centre of Komotini, which is developed around and within the Byzantine fortress of the city. The main objectives of the plan are: • The highlighting of the Byzantine fortress as millstone of the city • The upgrading f the monuments of the target area • The creation of a cultural route in the target area • The improvements of the economic activity in target area • The training of local actors regarding the cultural assets of the target area Which partners are working on this? Municipality of Komotini Regional Operational Program, Romania Priority Axis 5: Improving the urban environment and preservation, protection and sustainable exploitation/valorization of cultural heritage Investment priority 5.1: Boost local development by preserving, protecting and capitalizing on cultural heritage and cultural identity. Specification of actions to be funded: • Restoration, consolidation, protection and preservation of historical monuments; • Restoration, protection, preservation and realization of interior paintings, frescoes, exterior wall paintings; • Restoration and remodelling of façade plastics; • Indoor facilities (installations, equipment and facilities to ensure climatic conditions, fire safety, burglary); • Equipment for the exposure and protection of mobile and immovable cultural heritage; • Marketing and tourism promotion activities of the restored landmark, including digitization, within the project. Property regime and approvals from Ministry of Culture are often hindering the projects preparation. More flexible conditions and more effective impact indicators could improve the implementation of this priority axis. Also, a new governance model, proposed by this project, would prepare more targeted projects for ROP. The OP focuses primarily on investments, the improved cooperation among respective institutions - cities and fortresses will contribute to costs savings, mitigate impacts of restorations on environment, etc..   Which partners are working on this? North-West Regional Development Agency Strategy for the Development of the Culture of the Slovak Republic for 2014-2020 2.4. Priority axis No. 4: Improving the Quality of Life in Regions with an Emphasis on the Environment, 2.4.3. Investment priority No. 4.3: Taking actions to improve the urban environment, to revitalize cities, to reduce air pollution and to promote noise-reduction measures. Main objective: Improving the environmental aspects of urban and metropolitan areas through the construction of green infrastructure elements and through the adaptation of urban environment to the climate change as well as the introduction of system elements reducing air pollution and noise.   The focus on protection of cultural and natural heritage is given predominantly from an environmental point of view in the existing strategies, the strategies focused on the protection of cultural and historical monuments only tackle this issue. The only document at national level dealing with the protection of cultural and natural heritage is the existing Strategy for the Development of Culture of the Slovak Republic for the years 2014-2020, which was approved on 14 May 2014 by the Government of the Slovak Republic. The development of the Action Plan involving the basic steps following the existing OP focused on better cooperation of Cities and fortresses in preservation of the monuments from environmental point of view, set up on know-how reached and shared by the project partnership, will create the base for the development of innovative strategies. Which partners are working on this? The Prešov Self-Governing Region Operational Program European Regional Development Fund of Aragón 2014-2020 Thematic objective 6: Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency; O.E.6.3.1.: Promote protection and development of cultural heritage: to reach a good level of heritage conservation by establishing criteria to achieve an efficient, effective and real cultural heritage preservation, to improve accessibility to heritage, promote respect towards it and promote its dissemination as well as didactic interventions. Actions listed financed within the OP are restoration of: churches, defensive architecture, singular properties, archaeological and paleontological deposits and monasteries and cathedrals.   The defensive heritage should create new models of coexistence in the municipalities where it is located and define new innovative ways of utilization focused on its future self-sufficiency. For this, it should be stablished new governance models for defensive heritage, giving criteria and proposing an action protocol according to the characteristics of the assets and its ownership, since the duty to conserve corresponds to the owner (art. 33 of Law 3/1999, 10th March, of the Aragonese Cultural Heritage. Future restoration activities funded by the OP should be in line with a new action protocol for monitoring restorations for new ways of utilization of the defensive heritage.   Which partners are working on this? Provincial Government of Teruel Operational Programme ERDF Saxony-Anhalt 2014-2020; 2.4 Priority Axis 4: preservation and protection of the environment and promotion of resource efficiency 2.4.1 Investment priority 6c: preservation, protection, promotion and development of the natural and cultural heritage; Action: Improving the presentation of cultural heritage The above named policy instrument further develops cultural sites and improves the presentation of the unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage of Saxony-Anhalt. The changed reception habits of the increasingly older population, including the typical visitors of cultural heritage and museums is taken into account by the policy instrument. Interventions financed by the policy instrument strengthen the attractiveness of cities for residents, visitors and companies and achieve a visible positive effect on local, not least economic, development. The current financial era of low interest causes intensified building and construction activities. The investment pressure on historic sites located in urban centres is extremely high. Policy instruments have to be able to react on this and to help and actively protect support listed monuments and valuable cultural heritage sites by raising visibility, strengthening accessibility and augmenting public perception. This can contribute to saving monuments and cultural heritage sites from being developed under purely economic motivations and thus being endanger of losing their value for society.       Which partners are working on this? City of Magdeburg Follow us on Instagram! Read more... Sign up for the RFC newsletter Subscribe now (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10"; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); RFC Tweets by RFC Latest News See all project news 08/04/2021 4th stakeholder meeting in Magdeburg Magdeburg’s regional RFC stakeholder group celebrated their fourth meeting online on 18th March. Next steps and dates were presented. Type: Project 16/03/2021 Partners celebrated the 2nd meeting in Magdeburg This time, the main topic was INTERREG EUROPE additional funding possibilities. Type: Project 12/02/2021 Ústí approved the Action Plan with stakeholders 2nd meeting with representatives of travel agencies and guides was held on 4/1/2021, to define the key issues to be solved in the Action Plan. Type: Project 12/02/2021 4th online partners meeting: Magdeburg (Part I TWS) The 4th Interregional Thematic Workshop of the RFC project was held on January the 26th, again online. This time, the workshop topic was financing systems. Type: Project 21/01/2021 3rd Stakeholder meeting in Prešov On January 21, 2021 the 3rd meeting of regional stakeholders of the project "Recapture the Fortress Cities" took place in the online space. Type: Project 14/01/2021 3rd Stakeholder meeting in Antwerp Region, BE Fortress cities and fortresses in green and blue - Heritage meeting in Dendermonde with live stream. Type: Project 13/01/2021 3rd Stakeholder meeting in Teruel, SP On 13th January 2021 was celebrated the third stakeholder group meeting in Teruel, SP. Type: Project 04/12/2020 Last online partners meeting exTerezín CZ Last online partners meeting exTerezín CZ Type: Project 25/09/2020 Info Day in Presov Self-Governing Region "Let's return life to the fortresses" was the subtitle of the first Info Day in Slovakia Type: Project 04/09/2020 2nd Stakeholder meeting in Teruel Teruel held the 2nd stakeholder meeting september 4th. During the videoconference, the main progress of the project was presented to the stakeholders. Type: Project

Project Events Sort results by Newest first Oldest first Interregional exchange Event; Insights & Results 28/11/2019 We would like to invite you to join our Interregional Exchange Event on Thursday... Type: Project SGM og Workshop 15/10/2019 - 17/10/2019 SGM og Workshop i FVG Italien 15.-17. oktober. framework strategy development... Type: Project Policy and action plan seminar 11/09/2019 - 13/09/2019 The ITHACA partners met with the objective of getting additional inputs and... Type: Project ITHACA workshop for Policy Makers 15/05/2019 - 16/05/2019 The Policy Makers of hte ITHACA partners will be presented to useful tools... Type: Project EEPE9 in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region 09/04/2019 - 11/04/2019 The dates for the next ITHACA gathering and ninth Exchange of Experience and... Type: Project EEPE8 in Malopolska Region 25/02/2019 - 27/02/2019 The dates for the next ITHACA gathering and eighth Exchange of Experience and... Type: Project ETF meeting 23/01/2019 - 24/01/2019 An originally unscheduled EFT workshop was held 23-24 January 2019 in Paris... Type: Project EEPE7 in Nouvelle Aquitaine 27/11/2018 - 29/11/2018 The dates for the next ITHACA gathering and seventh Exchange of Experience and... Type: Project EEPE6 in Slovenia 03/10/2018 - 04/10/2018 The dates for the next ITHACA gathering and sixth Exchange of Experience and... Type: Project EEPE5 in Baden Württemberg, Germany 02/07/2018 - 04/07/2018 EEPE5 in Baden Württemberg, Germany Type: Project 12 Next Sign up for the ITHACA newsletter Subscribe now (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10"; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); ITHACA Tweets by ITHACA

Project summary Europe's contribution must be a big step for an ever closer, ever stronger Union of stability and growthImproving the innovation capacity in SMEs is one of the most important - and thus most common - objectives across Europe to reach the EU2020-goal of Smart Growth. A lot of policy instruments have been established to contribute to this objective. But it seems not easy to reach the SMEs with structural funds, especially in cross-border regions. In this context it is remarkable that different border regions with the same objectives and comparable policy instruments (e.g. INTERREG-Programmes) still use different strategies and projects to realise SME involvement. The KISS ME project partners will use these differences to improve their policy instruments addressing SMEs to develop, grow and engage in innovation processes.  Exchanging tools to reach SMEs and improving the policy instruments, the KISS ME-project objective is to strengthen the innovation capacity of SMEs by comparing the approaches of four different border regions. The partners involved in the project comprise the border regions of Germany and the Netherlands (Euregio Rhine-Waal), France and Spain (EGTC Pyrenees-Mediterranean), Hungary and Croatia (HAMAG BICRO), and Sweden and Norway (Värmland County Administrative Board; Hedmark County Council). Based on the findings, action plans will be developed which will then be implemented in a second phase. The project results will be disseminated at European level and will be valuable for all regions trying to support SME competitiveness jointly across borders. €977,413.00 from 1 Jan 2017 to 30 Jun 2021 Topic SME competitiveness What will this project change? www.interregeurope.eu/typo3/index.php Partnership Lead Partner Partner What policy instruments does the project address? INTERREG Germany-Netherlands - priority axis 1 "Increase of the crossborder innovation capacity of the programme area", investment priority 1b, specific objective "Increase of product and process innovations in sectors which are relevant for the border region". The INTERREG V A-programme Germany-Netherlands has a long history and has developed to the main policy instrument for cross-border cooperation between the two countries. Being approved by the Commission 2014 as the first CBC-programme in Europe, the INTERREG V programme focuses on economic development invovling SME (65% of the budget).   For the KISS ME project, the priority axis 1 “Increase of the cross-border innovation capacity of the programme area” is relevant, with Investment priority 1b and the specific objective “Increase of product and process innovations in sectors which are relevant for the border region”. Because of the specific focus, the policy instrument adressed has been specified to the first priority.   Despite various efforts in the framework of INTERREG A, cooperation is not self-evident. Euregio Rhine-Waal was involved in several INTERREG IV projects on the subject supporting different measures on cross-border innovation. Now, ERW, the Dutch Province of Gelderland and the German MWEIMH NRW are seeking for an integrated approach and new measures that can successfully be implemented in the programme. The use of financial instruments – which the INTERREG-programme does not foresee now but expicitly not exclude during the 2014-2020 period – might be improved by using experiences from other regions. Best practices from other European regions can be used by the partners to improve the programme in the future. Which partners are working on this? Euregio Rhine-Waal Euroregional Innovation Strategy The EGTC has developed an Euroregional Innovation Strategy in 2014. The aim is to deepen cooperation between regions in different areas of specialization: water, ehealth and agri-food sector. This strategy defines two operational objectives aimed at creating conditions that favour the development of a Euroregional innovation eco system: foster shared knowledge of Euroregional actors and launch pilot projects.   The EGTC has started to implement the Euroregional Innovation Strategy with Calls of interest and the creation of different pilot projects but it is still early to talk about results. A lot of work should be still done. For an optimal implementation of the strategy, the EGTC is interested in the experiences of other European cross-border regions and organisations dealing with innovation in SMEs in order to implement and improve its own policy instrument. Which partners are working on this? EGTC Pyrenees-Mediterranean CBC Programme INTERREG V A Hungary-Croatia With priority axis 1 and thematic objective 3, the INTERREG-Programme INTERREG V A Hungary-Croatia focuses on economic development and enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs in the border region.   To reach the specific objective fostering value added business co-operations between SMEs operating on different sides of the border, the programme introduced a special SME scheme. Objective of this SME scheme (also called "PP Light scheme") is to foster operating linkages between SMEs operating on different sides of the border by supporting joint SME development projects in the CBC programme with built-in special local project generation and management assistance mechanisms.   CBC SME projects should focus on one or more of the following main levels of cooperation: - supplier chains - joint product and technology development - joint investment   Goal is to raise the average GVA per capita of industry and services sectors of the programme area.   The KISS ME-project partner HAMAG BICRO is the lead partner of this PP Light Scheme. That is also the reason of involving HAMAG BICRO in the partnership. As a lead partner and agency specialised for SME development and support, HAMAG – BICRO would like to analyse the policy instrument in the first years of implementation and based on analyses, suggest improvements for future similar grant schemes. This is especially important as cross-border SME projects are fairly new in the area. Which partners are working on this? HAMAG BICRO CBC Programme INTERREG V A Sweden-Norway The INTERREG-programme Sweden-Norway became operational in 1996 and has become one of the main policy instruments for cross-border cooperation between the two countries. With the priority axis 2 “SMEs” and thematic objective 2, “Increase the competitiveness of SMEs”, the programme focuses on stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation among SMEs in the border region, as well as facilitating cross border clustering and innovation processes. The programme specific output in the SE-NO INTERREG programme connected to this activity is “Increased Competitiveness in SMEs”, and the KISS ME project will contribute to reaching the programme area set indicator.   INTERREG SE-NO has proven to be a good instrument for fostering entrepreneurship, innovation and competitiveness among SMEs, but has a challenge with and potential to improve in relation to: i) attract SMEs to engage in cross-border cooperation and ii) to a larger extent facilitate cross border clustering, technology transfer, product and process innovation in order to increase the competiveness among the SMEs in the border region.   The KISS ME project will provide both programme level practices and project level practices that will improve the instrument related to these two challenges and contributing reaching the programme goals in relation to SMEs. Which partners are working on this? Innlandet County Council (until 31/12/2019 Hedmark County Council) Värmland County Administrative Board (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10"; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); KISS ME Tweets by KISS ME Latest News See all project news 09/06/2020 New Ways to Meet: Virtual Partner Meeting Project partners are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart. The KISS ME partner met virtually to discuss action plan implementation! Type: Project 01/01/2020 Entering semester 7 KISS ME has successfully completed semester 6 - the first semester of phase 2! Type: Project 24/06/2019 Never stop learning: KISS ME bi-lateral Work Visit KISS ME Partners from HAMAG-BICRO in Croatia and their Stakeholder visit the Lead Partner's Region Type: Project 19/06/2019 Action Plan Presentation Meeting End of project phase 1: KISS ME project partners present their Action Plans in Brussels at the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the EU. Type: Project 10/04/2019 Hej Hamar - Last KISS ME Interregional Meeting From 10. - 12.04.19, the KISS ME partners & stakeholders had their last KISS ME Interregional Meeting & Site Visit, organised by Hedmark County Council in Hamar Type: Project 07/11/2018 Hola Barcelona! 3rd Interregional Meeting 3rd KISS ME Interregional Meeting - this time, focusing on the topics "Intellectual Property" and "Entrepreneurial Dimension: how to help SMEs get bigger?" Type: Project 28/06/2018 GDPR: Subscribe to the KISS ME Newsletter! In the context of the EU's new GDPR, we would like to ask all our contacts and friends of the KISS ME project to sign up for our newsletter! Type: Project 07/05/2018 Welcome to Düsseldorf! 2nd Interregional Meeting The KISS ME Partners and their Stakeholder met for the second time for their interregional Meeting with site visit & steering group meeting. Type: Project 15/02/2018 Fireside chat with local stakeholders After a cancelled meeting in December due to snow and ice, the local stakeholders of the Euregio Rhine-Waal now gathered for an informal fireside chat Type: Project 23/10/2017 INTERREG Europe Policy Learning Event in Milan The KISS ME Project participated in the first Policy Learning Event on Research & Innovation and SME competitiveness organised by INTERREG Europe in Milan Type: Project Latest Events See all project events Apr 15 2021 FINAL PROJECT EVENT Final KISS ME Project Event: Join us and see what we have achieved! Type: Project

ProgrammeYou can download a pdf version of the programme here: 9 April: Fourth call lead partner seminar (only for approved projects) 10 April: Europe, let's cooperate! interregional cooperation forum 11 April: Exchange of experience workshop (only for Interreg Europe projects) Lead partner seminar (invitation only): only for fourth call projects Europe, let's cooperate! (10 April): Interregional cooperation forum Exchange of experience workshop (11 April): only for Interreg Europe project representatives 12:00 - 18:00 Lead partner seminar (fourth call projects) Interreg Europe organises a seminar for the lead partners of newly approved projects from the fourth call in Brussels on 9 April 2019. During the seminar, the participants will learn more about reporting on activities and management of project finances. Details and programme will be sent to approved projects by the end of March.Please note that the workshop is only for the fourth call project lead partners. Participation is limited to two people per project. The lead partner seminar is organised back-to-back with 'Europe, let's cooperate! interregional cooperation forum' (10 April) and an exchange of experience workshop (11 April) open for all Interreg Europe projects. The participants will thus have a chance to exchange views with partners and representatives from other projects and network with the wider interregional cooperation community. 09:00 - 10:00 Ground floor Registration and welcome coffee 10:00 - 11:00 Ground floor More information Why interregional cooperation matters During the opening session of the fifth edition of 'Europe, let's cooperate!', keynote speakers will discuss the importance of Interreg Europe for the Cohesion Policy. Join us to take stock of the results of interregional cooperation and hear more about: the role and importance of interregional cooperationcooperation laying foundations and paving the way for regions to realise their full potentialimpact of interregional cooperationSpeakers:Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, CoR rapporteur and Executive member of the Corsican regional authorityTudor Gușet, Public manager, National Authorities for European Programmes, General Directorate for European Territorial Cooperation, Ministry of Regional Development and Public AdministrationGiannantonio Ballette, Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, Europena CommissionAnne Wetzel, Director of the Europe department of the Hauts-de-France RegionErwin Siweris, Programme Director, Interreg EuropeModerator: Katrina Sichel More information 11:00 - 11:30 Ground floor Coffee break 11:30 - 12:30 Ground floor More information When Europe cooperates: results worth sharing Diving deeper into the world of interregional cooperation, this session takes you on a journey around Europe to discover how Interreg Europe has impacted the regions.Hear the stories behind statisticsMeet the people behind the numbers Learn what interregional cooperation is really aboutSpeakers:Nuria Pou Alvarez, Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia, BID-REXDiane Smith, Town & Country Planning Association, PERFECTSara Minisini, Bretagne Développement Innovation, SET-UPPaulo Aguas, Município do Fundão, OSIRISMagnus Ernstrom, Region GävleborgPeter Heydebreck, Interreg Europe Policy Learning PlatformModerator: Katrina Sichel More information 12:30 - 14:00 Ground floor Networking lunch 14:00 - 17:00 Networking zone Experience interregional cooperation in action During the afternoon, you will have a chance to explore and experience different dimensions of interregional cooperation. Join the activities that match your interests and make use of the various networking opportunities to build new contacts and meet peers from other regions. Join or host a networking session in the networking zone Discuss your questions with the Interreg Europe staff and the Policy Learning Platform expertsLearn more about policy learning activities, peer reviews and policy matchmakingDiscover project results and good practices in a series of thematic sessions (see below) Spotlight on stories Networking and ideas Interreg Europe corner Policy matchmaking with peers 14:00 - 14:40 Thematic session: From digital nodes to virtual houses – improving the innovation capacity of SMEs through digital networks Digitalisation opens new opportunities for SMEs to benefit from research, knowledge and technology thus preparing the ground for the commercial exploitation of new and emerging technologies, products, processes and services. Digital platforms represent practice-proven policy instruments in this context,  acknowledged for their potential to:trigger R&D partnerships between academics and businesses, offer access to international partners, provide tools for territorial marketing, and drive regional innovation networks.Following the INKREASE project and the interregional learning pathway, the session will focus on well-established good practices from France, Brittany and how they inspired the creation of similar initiatives in Austria. Aimed at providing the participants with practical advice and ‘policy lessons’ for the uptake of digital networking solutions, the session will put spotlight on the experience gained by the INKREASE partners when exchanging, transferring and implementing their policy instruments. Speakers:Claus Zeppelzauer, ecoplus. The Business Agency of Lower AustriaSebastien Chable, Bretagne Développement InnovationModerator: Marc Pattinson, thematic expert Research and innovation, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform Research and innovation 14:45 - 15:25 Thematic session: Overcoming the business support jungle: the one stop shop initiatives Successful business support policies are relying increasingly on flexible networks of local, regional and national players, which are able  to adapt to changing requirements through constant knowledge exchange and collective learning. Therefore, support institutions and their SME advisors are at the heart of regional business support. While most of the European regions have put in place some governance model for those ecosystems, it remains for many regional policymakers a challenge to implement an effective management and coordination of the relevant players and their activities.‘One stop shop’ initiatives are an approach often used by policy makers to improve governance and management of their regional business support delivery systems. Although such initiatives bringing under one roof the expertise of different organisations is not a new idea, it remains clearly a challenge for regional policy makers to get it right.  In this 40 minute session featuring PURE COSMOS project, we will answer the vital question of how to stimulate and support SMEs while reducing the weight of public administration? And how interregional learning and the exchange opportunities brought solutions to regions around Europe.Speakers:Natalia Cantero Caldito, Generalitat de CatalunyaCristina Prunyonosa, Generalitat de CatalunyaDavide Patrone, Studio Laudani LimitedDavide Cheli, Municipality of GenoaVeronica Nenci, Municipality of FlorenceModerator: Rene Tonnisson, thematic expert SMEs competitiveness, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform SME competitiveness 15:30 - 16:10 Thematic session: Supporting sustainable mobility in European municipalities European regions face a number of challenges in both reducing their carbon emissions from transport, and ensuring that public transport provision supports regional development and all parts of society. This requires a new approach to transport planning, including integration of different transport modes and different levels and departments of local governments. To this end, the European Union has supported the creation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which set out a long-term vision for transport policy in a region. However, take-up has been slow, with municipalities and regions often struggling to achieve cross-administration co-operation and create supporting governance frameworks, requiring, in particular, technical know-how and data on regional transportation.This 40 minutes session will present the challenges related to sustainable mobility, particularly focusing on SUMP development. The success of the REFORM project in developing a Sustainable Urban Development Observatory for providing support to municipalities in Central Macedonia, Greece, is a great example of how beneficial interregional learning is. Speakers:Ben Brisbourne, Transport for Greater ManchesterKonstantina Bessa, Region of Central MacedoniaModerator: Katharina Krell, thematic expert Low-carbon economy, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform Low-carbon economy 16:15 - 17:00 Thematic session: European regions taking the circular economy road Circular economy is an increasingly relevant topic on the regional policy agenda. While many Member States adopt national circular economy strategies these can become instrumental only through translating national targets and approaches on regional level and into regional actions. Since the launch of the Interreg Europe programme, 17 of the ongoing projects target resource efficiency and circular economy which illustrates the growing interest of Europe’s regions to move in this direction. Following BIOREGIO project experience, we will see that one of the most promising ways for success ‘on the ground’ is the integration of circular economy policies into regional and urban planning. In order for policy change to happen, instead of defining the roadmap top-down, authorities include local stakeholders in the definition of a common vision, goals and concrete actions. Speakers:Susanna Vanhamaki, Lahti University of Applied SciencesEleonora Marisova, Slovak University of Agriculture in NitraMaarit Virtanen, Regional Council of Päijät-HämeMartin Maris, Slovak University of Agriculture in NitraModerator: Venelina Varbova, thematic expert environment and resource efficiency, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform Environment and resource efficiency 17:00 - 18:30 Ground floor Networking cocktail 08:30 - 09:00 Ground floor Registration and early-bird networking 09:00 - 10:15 Ground floor Designing successful action plans The day kicks off with brief introduction and a presentation of the agenda. Participants will also have a chance to share their ideas on the questions to be addressed the most relevant issues to be tackled during the day. The morning session is focused on action plans, covering: The programme requirements for action plansTips and tricks for designing successful action plansQuestions and comments from the participantsSpeakers:Erwin Siweris, Interreg EuropeCharo Camacho, Interreg EuropeJosé Maria Romero Fidalgo, TITTANMariagiovanna Laudani, RESOLVEChris Ashe, ZEROCO2Moderator: Petra Polaskova, Interreg Europe 10:15 - 10:45 Ground floor Coffee break 10:45 - 11:15 Ground floor Mobilising stakeholders In small groups, the participants will discuss: What are the main challenges and/or solutions to keep stakeholders involved?How to build a sense of ownership and maintain the interest of the stakeholders?How to work with the policy responsible body if not directly involved as a partner? 11:15 - 12:00 Ground floor Transferring good practices and experiences In small groups, the participants will discuss:How to identify good practices from others that could work in your region? What are the key steps for transferring a good practice between regions?How to address differences (e.g. legal, cultural) when adapting practices? 12:00 - 12:45 Ground floor Designing successful action plans (continued) In small groups, the participants will discuss:  What kind of measures are included and how do they impact the policy instrument?What funding sources can be used to finance the measures?Was it difficult to finalise the action plans? What changes (if any) were needed to have the action plans approved by the joint secretariat?  12:45 - 14:00 Ground floor Networking lunch 14:00 - 15:30 Ground floor Achieving results through implementing action plans To close the day, the participants come together for a concluding plenary session focused on implementing action plans and managing phase 2. The session will cover questions such as: How could the monitoring during phase 2 be carried out?How to ensure stakeholder involvement in monitoring and implementation?What difficulties may be encountered in implementing the measures? Has success already been achieved?Speakers:Nicolas Singer, Interreg EuropeEleftherios Loizou, HoCareJoaquin Villar, BUILD2LCColette Marie, PASSAGEModerator: Petra Polaskova, Interreg Europe

Programme Downloadagenda 22 November: 23 November: 14:00 - 14:15 Registration and coffee 14:15 - 14:30 Welcome Mr. Dan Balanescu, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, RomaniaMs. Marie Guitton, Joint Secretariat of Interreg Europe Programme 14:30 - 14:50 Welcome from the Policy Learning Platform Mr. Thorsten Kohlisch, Thematic Manager Policy Learning PlatformMr. Ruslan Zhechkov and Ms. Venelina Varbova, Thematic experts - Environment and resource efficiency 14:50 - 15:20 Let’s get to know each other - interactive introductory exercise 15:20 - 15:40 What are European regions doing to protect their natural heritage assets? How can interregional learning help policymakers to run their natural heritage policies more efficiently?Overview of key thematic areas and challenges addressed by Interreg Europe projects dealing with natural heritage and biodiversity protectionMr. Ruslan Zhechkov and Ms. Venelina Varbova, Thematic experts - Environment and resource efficiency  15:40 - 16:10 Coffee break 16:10 - 16:30 What are the latest trends and developments at European level? Mr. Vujadin Kovacevic, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission 16:30 - 17:30 Let’s get practical Presentation of selected good practices from Interreg Europe projects and facilitated discussion.Use of biodiversity data in decision making: the SITxell project, SpainMs. Núria Pou Àlvarez, Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), BID-REX projectBeam Parklands, UKMr. Henry Smith, Town & Country Planning Association, PERFECT projectNatural heritage as a driver for economic development, the NetherlandsMr. Simon Tjisma, Islands of Innovation projectAstro-tourism/dark sky tourism in Triglav national park, SloveniaMs. Helena Cvenkel, Regional Development Agency of Gorenjska, Night Light project 17:30 - 19:00 Networking cocktail 09:15 - 10:15 Diving deeper – in depth-discussions in small working groups A moderated discussion in three parallel working groups on needs, potential solutions, approaches, good practices from Interreg Europe Projects. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how other regions and cities are tackling specific challenges related to the protection of biodiversity and natural heritage and start the exchange and networking process.  Working group 1: Governance of protected areas (suggested projects: BID-REX, BIO-GOV, INVALIS)Working group 2: Landscapes and green infrastructure (suggested projects: Night Light, Land-Sea, PERFECT) Working group 3: Natural heritage of coastal and fluvial regions (suggested projects: Delta Lady, Green Pilgrimage, HERICOAST) 10:15 - 11:15 Continuation of parallel groups session. Participants switch groups. 11:15 - 11:35 Coffee break 11:35 - 11:50 Reporting back from the break-out groups 11:50 - 12:10 What comes next? Thoughts and suggestions for future collaboration between Interreg Europe projects and the Policy Learning Platform. Facilitated discussion.Roadmap of project synergies. Planning next activities and how the platform can support interregional exchange process. 12:10 - 12:30 Wrap-up and conclusions How to optimise natural heritage protection measures – conclusions for local and regional policymakers 12:30 - 13:30 Networking lunch

Project summary INTENCIVE project addresses the societal challenge of ageing society combined with decreasing population in rural and other remote areas. There is a dire need for new, accessible and user friendly models, practices and tools for providing different types of high quality health services accessible to all citizens not depending on their age or place of living. Combining technology to the different phases of service processes with emphasis on the customer orientation means re-thinking and re-planning the health services. Objective of INTENCIVE project is to improve the implementation of policies and programmes in terms of health technology innovation-driven and customer-oriented health services in the partner regions and influence the ERDF Regional Operational Programs or Regional Strategies. Partners from five regions conduct interregional exchange of experiences in the specific field and introduce into their policies of innovative technologies and services in e-health sector.                      Basis for the exchange of experience consist of state of the art evaluation, good practice evaluation against BIKVA-model, study visits and thematic workshops. INTENCIVE has an unique bottom-up and customer-oriented approach using the BIKVA-method developed for social services giving voice more directly to the citizens using services.     €974,390.00 from 1 Aug 2019 to 31 Jul 2023 Topic Research and innovation Partnership Lead Partner Partner What policy instruments does the project address? Economic Development and Innovation Operational Programme (2014HU16M0OP001) The programme (source: ERDF, ESF, IKF; a total of 9,004.2 M EUR over 7 years) aims to stimulate the economies of the less developed regions in Hungary. The programme aims to stimulate the economies of the less developed regions in Hungary. The specific measure of the Program Measure 2.2. "Improving R&D capacities within technology intensive businesses" aims to promote business investment in R&I, developing links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centres and the higher education sector. The measure aims to trigger actions that will reinforce and expand regional innovation capacity based on the potential of involving, educating and empowering local business, citizens and public administration to become partners in development of joint R&D projects. The measure goal is to improve industry-science relations, technology transfer and the valorisation of research results produced in the territories, strengthening local and interregional collaboration among R&D and Innovation process actors. Further aims are the improvement of existing relations among actors and the creation of new ways (programmes and tools) to exploit the innovation potential while answering to companies needs and business development opportunities.   Which partners are working on this? Pannon Business Network Association A Vision for an Eco-Island This is the regional strategy responsible for the transformation of Gozo into an eco-island. It shall be achieved through the promotion of sustainable economic growth that is cognizant with the social realities and distinctive heritage of the island. This strategy spans all the main sectors that directly contribute towards rendering Gozo’s society and economy more sustainable such as the health sector. The Strategy than recommends the implementation of several key initiatives that are designated to improve the performance of the sector in question and rendering them more responsive to the regional realities of the island. One such reality is the overcoming of the issue of double insularity through the deployment of eServices that would offset the necessity of travel between Malta and Gozo, consequently reducing carbon footprint associated with inter-island travel. Within this context, this Strategy underscores the necessity in the deployment of videoconferencing facilities and the transfer of electronic records of patients between the health institutions based on the two island. Provision of innovative eHealth solutions is also imperative within the context of the rapidly ageing population. This is mainly the combination of increased migration by the younger generation to Malta and longer living expectancy rates. The Vision for an Eco-Island acknowledges this reality and stipulates that specific services are devised to cater for this increasingly influential cohort.     Which partners are working on this? Ministry for Gozo Regional Strategy of South Ostrobothnia, Objective 3: Healthy people and communities (CCI number: 2014FI16M2OP001) With the Objective 3 the ROP aims to create multidiciplinary and proactive model of operation for the region to support the wellbeing and performance of the population. The policy states, that modern e-services include also e-health and are important in both prevention and care. When applied, accessibility is important as not all service users have the required equipment or skills or courage to start using e-services. Technology and e-services are good assistants but they cannot replace human interaction. E-health implementation itself and when used in connection to mobile services makes it also possible to detach the services from a certain location. The future analyses of South Ostrobothnia implies that the present structural change and the changes in the service models will be problematic during the transfer period when not all inhabitants have not acquired the needed competences to use new e-services and those provided locally are often further away. On long term e-services ensure both equality and accessibility. Currently the policy instrument of the regional strategy is on quite abstratct level with references to wellbeing and services utilising the possibilities of e-health and there is increasing need for customer oriented and innovative practical solutions the project will provide.   Which partners are working on this? Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences Regional ERDF Operational Programme (Bretagne) Priority 1: enhance the development of the digital society in Bretagne Specific objective 1.2: Enhance the development and adoption of digital practices by the Breton population The main objective is to facilitate access to and adoption of ICT solutions among the population of Brittany, notably as regards on-line public administration, e-education, integration, culture and e-health. To be more specific, this policy instrument aims at supporting the development of innovative digital solutions, demonstration and experimentation, and communication actions, so as to facilitate adoption of digital solutions in the everyday life of citizens, professionals and companies. The total regional budget for this specific objective is 15 million Euros. Up to now, 21,4 % of the dedicated budget has been programmed. But, as a matter of fact, among the topics targeted by this instrument, e-health has scarcely been supported in the past few years. As a consequence, reinforcing this public intervention in terms of e-health is critical to achieve impact at regional and local levels. The Regional Council actually considers e-health and telemedicine as solutions to counterbalance uneven access to healthcare in the regional territory. These new solutions shall be complementary to existing health services. In addition, the Operational programme states that it is important to support innovation strategies through increasing adoption and uses of digital technologies and investing in specific equipment.   Which partners are working on this? Biotech Santé Bretagne Cantabrian Health Plan 2014-2019 Cantabrian Health Plan 2014-2019 defines the health policy approved by the Government of Cantabria, a region of the north of Spain with around half million people and a high level Hospital (University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla) for a six year period, in order to approach health problems of its citizens. It proposes effective and feasible intervention measures. It is conceived as a policy instrument of foresight, direction, strategic planning and management. Some of the most relevant issues identified by the analysis developed in the Plan, as quality assistance, inter-level continuums assistance, sustainability, patient safety, information systems and nosocomial infections are related with the aims of INTENCIVE, although it is not specifically addressed. Which partners are working on this? VALDECILLA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE Sign up for the INTENCIVE newsletter Subscribe now Study visit and thematic workshop in Hungary As the next part of a series of events PBN will organise the 3rd Study visit and Thematic workshop to introduce the West-Transdanubian experiences in health. Registration and agenda 2nd newsletter Subcribe (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10"; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); INTENCIVE Latest News See all project news 17/03/2021 PBN became a member of the ECHAlliance Western Hungarian Digital Health Ecosystem became a member of the European Connected Health Alliance Type: Project 26/02/2021 3rd Study Visit and Thematic Workshop in Pannon PBN is organized the 3rd Study Visit and Workshop to introduce the GPs from Hungary and get insight into the local development process toward health industry Type: Project 03/12/2020 Virtual study visit and thematic workshop inBrittany 4 Breton e-health good practices disseminated among Europe! Type: Project 08/10/2020 5 technologies that help people living with dementia AAL Program has listed five of the main types of technology that can help people living with dementia live more independent and happy lives Type: Project 02/09/2020 Online Study Visit in Gozo The 1st study visit was organised and hosted by the Ministry for Gozo via Microsoft Teams on the 1st September. Type: Project 30/07/2020 GATEKEEPER Open Calls in Autumn 2020 The first GATEKEEPER Open Call will be launched in autumn 2020! Type: Project 05/06/2020 AR/VR aren’t just for entertainment Augmented World Expo (AWE) USA introduced world leading innovations in health sector on 26-30 May 2020. Type: Project 29/05/2020 The Future of Smart Home Living SEAMK is building the smart home of the future to show how living time at home can be extended while maintaining the high quality of life. Type: Project 17/04/2020 HealthHive telemedicine platform in Malta HealthHive telemedicine platform in Malta aims to bring patients closer to the doctors Type: Project 17/04/2020 Hack The Crisis Finland Hack the Crisis Finland is an online hackathon organised by local companies, startups and tech communities, supported by the Finnish government. Type: Project