The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has just launched the EU Preparatory Action on Innovation for Place-Based Transformation, a new initiative supported by the European Parliament and designed to help territories maximise their innovation potential.
The new Preparatory Action will take place from 2024-2026 and will be dedicated to empowering territories in supporting policy practitioners in building capacities, as well as designing and implementing transformative approaches. Public sector authorities from EU Member States, Candidate Countries for accession to the EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries have until 22 November 2024 to apply for the call of Expression of Interest. During the registration process, territories will be required to pick out a main challenge area out of the following seven (five of which have been addressed also by the Regional Innovation Valleys initiative): achieving circularity, climate adaptation, improving healthcare, increasing global food security, mastering the digital transformation, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and New European Bauhaus.
The level of commitment, availability and experience expressed in each application will determine which of the three stages of the transformative innovation process is fit for each territory.
- December 2024: The awareness-raising stage will offer attendance to informative sessions displaying successful case studies of existing policies and their real-world applications.
- March 2025: The capacity-building programme will offer advanced training designed to deepen understanding of transformative policymaking.
- April 2025: The experimentation journeys will create a shared space for policy learning, where participants with prior experience in transformative innovation policy can advance with peer support and expert guidance.
https://errin.eu/news/launch-eu-preparatory-action-innovation-place-based-transformation