News Release -
Major European Conference on Regional Innovation held in Ennis, Co Clare
Opening the 5th Plenary Conference of the European Innovating Regions Network in Ennis, Co Clare, today (Thursday, 24 May 2007), Mr Kevin Thompstone, Chief Executive, Shannon Development, said “European regions have a critical role to play in innovation policy, bringing people together, creating networks, sharing experience, and tackling problems collectively. Regions must cooperate with others, form teams, work together, and address issues in a global and trans-national context”.
The Conference titled “Fostering the knowledge economy in Europe: Making regional innovations policies more innovative” was organised by the Innovating Regions in Europe (IRE) Network, in collaboration with Shannon Development. The IRE Network was created by the European Commission in the mid-1990’s and aims to strengthen the global competitiveness of European regions by promoting innovation policies, and providing a unique platform for regions to cooperate and learn from each other. The Conference attracted 280 participants from 28 EU and non-EU countries across Europe.
Welcoming Conference delegates, Mr Thompstone, said, “Shannon Development has been an active member of the IRE Network for the past 10 years, and has used the Network’s international contacts and experience to inform Shannon Region programmes. Our aim is to initiate and deliver creative solutions that turn high level policies into something tangible at local level. We do this by taking a holistic view, operating across a range of sectors, and by developing innovative activities resourced from within the region, using the funding assets of our own agency, and utilising resources from other organisations in the region, including public bodies, private sector, institutions and communities”.
Dr Françoise Le Bail, Deputy Director General of the Enterprise and Industry Directorate of the European Commission, told the Conference that, in Europe, we are good at developing bright ideas but we lag behind the US and Japan in bringing ideas to the market. However, we are making progress in that the gap in innovation between the Europe and the US has narrowed in recent years. Regions have become the primary unit whereby knowledge is transferred to SMEs. She also informed the Conference that EU programmes totalling €360 billion will be focused on developing innovation in the EU over the period 2007-2013.
Key note speaker, Professor Philip Cooke of Cardiff University told the Conference that his research shows that successful regions are taking a multi-sectoral approach, rather than a single sectoral approach, to developing innovation in their regions.
Ms Elzbieta Ksiazek of the IRE Network Secretariat told delegates how the Network works, saying, “The Network provides an international platform for regions across Europe to cooperate and learn from each other, based on the principle that regions are at the front line in the delivery of innovation support to enterprises. The Network facilitates exchange of experience and good practice among European regions that are enhancing their capacity to support innovation and competitiveness among regional firms through the development and implementation of regional innovation strategies. The network includes over 230 regions across Europe”.
Regional innovation topics addressed by the two-day Conference included innovation governance, cross-border cooperation, research for innovation, structural funds for innovation, innovation assessment, role of the knowledge economy and innovation in traditional sectors.
Pictured at the Innovating Regions in Europe Conference held in Ennis, Co Clare, were (l-r) Mr Alain Liberos, Acting Head of Unit "Support for Innovation", DG Enterprise and Industry, EU Commission, Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen TD, Ms Francoise Le Bail, Deputy Director General, DG Enterprise and Industry, EU Commission, Mr Kevin Thompstone, Chief Executive, Shannon Development, and Mr John Quinlivan, Regional Development Manager, Shannon Development
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