At the end of June, the Pilsen Region was awarded the Regional Innovation Valley label by the European Commission. The Pilsen Region has thus become one of 151 regions in Europe that have committed to strengthening the coordination and steering of their research and innovation investments and policies at regional level.
“The awarding of this label is first and foremost a recognition of the excellent work done by the Pilsen Region in cooperation with local partners to promote research, innovation and the innovation environment,” says the Governor of the Pilsen Region Rudolf Špoták.
The Pilsen Region has been striving to obtain this label for almost a year. It all started in September 2023 with the submission of an application to the call/initiative of the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions, which was approved by the resolution of the Pilsen Regional Council No. 3835/23 of 21 August 2023. The preparation of the application was then arranged and submitted by the Department of Funds and Programmes in close cooperation with the Regional Development Agency of the Pilsen Region and the expert team of the Smart Accelerator Project of the Pilsen Region.
This label was awarded to the Pilsen Region based on the opinion of independent experts, according to whom our region has demonstrated a clear commitment:
• improve coordination and steer their research and innovation investments and policies towards EU priorities,
• engage in interregional innovation cooperation with other regions on the basis of common or complementary smart specialisations; and
• strengthen their regional innovation ecosystem and link it with other regions to create interconnected regional innovation valleys.
The award of the Regional Innovation Valley label is therefore an acknowledgement of the above commitments and does not in itself lead to any funding (e.g. from Horizon Europe Programme).
“However, the active participation of the Pilsen Region in the community events and political activities of the Regional Innovation Valley in the future is envisaged,” said Jan Přibáň, Head of the Department of Funds and Programmes of the Regional Authority of the Pilsen Region. Events in this area can be followed on the European Commission website, where there will be up-to-date information on partner pairings, relevant events, news and upcoming calls.
“I would like to thank all the entities from the Pilsen Region that are dedicated to supporting research, development, innovation and the innovation environment. Without their interest and commitment, we would hardly achieve great results in this area,” added the Governor of the Pilsen Region Rudolf Špoták.
Further information on the Regional Innovation Valleys can be found on the European Commission website:
https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/support-policy-making/shaping-eu-research-and-innovation-policy/new-european-innovation-agenda/new-european-innovation-agenda-roadmap/flagship-3-accelerating-and-strengthening-innovation-european-innovation-ecosystems-across-eu-and_en