IP/09/259 Bruselas,13 de febrero de 2009Las regiones deben «cooperar en red para obtener resultados» de cara a la resolución de la crisis financiera, el cambio climático y los problemas energéticos, ha manifestado Danuta HübnerEl lunes 16 de febrero, Danuta Hübner, Comisaria de Política Regional, inaugurará la conferencia anual «Las regiones, por el cambio económico», que viene celebrándose, a iniciativa de la Comisión, desde 2006. El acto, que se prolongará durante dos días, ofrecerá, a más de 800 representantes de las regiones de Europa, la oportunidad de compartir ideas y mostrar su contribución a los objetivos de competitividad, crecimiento y empleo. Momento destacado será el anuncio, el lunes por la tarde, de los ganadores de los premios «RegioStars» 2009, que se otorgan a los proyectos más prometedores e innovadores financiados merced a la política de cohesión de la UE. «El tema de la conferencia de este año, "Cooperar en red para obtener resultados”, no puede ser más idóneo en un momento en el que las regiones europeas se enfrentan a múltiples problemas de alcance global: la crisis financiera, el cambio climático y el suministro energético, por no mencionar sino algunos. A través de las redes creadas al amparo de la política de cohesión, es posible impulsar y generalizar las buenas prácticas y la experiencia de las regiones, en beneficio de todos», ha señalado la Comisaria Hübner. Las regiones presentarán ejemplos de buenas prácticas en el curso de nueve seminarios dedicados a los siguientes temas: gestión del agua, acceso a la banda ancha, la inmigración en las ciudades, creatividad e innovación, reorganización industrial, el impacto del cambio climático en las regiones, redes de innovación enmarcadas en la opción rápida, servicios de información vía satélite y Plataforma de Seguimiento de la Estrategia de Lisboa, que analiza la estrategia de la UE para el crecimiento y el empleo. Cyril Svoboda, Ministro de Desarrollo Regional y representante de la Presidencia Checa de la Unión Europea, Luc Van den Brande, Presidente del Comité de las Regiones, y Ján Figel', Comisario de Educación, Formación y Cultura, intervendrán también en la conferencia. El 16 de febrero, en un acto vespertino, la Comisaria Hübner y el Presidente del Jurado, Job Cohen, alcalde de Amsterdam, entregarán los premios «RegioStars» 2009 otorgados a proyectos de política regional innovadores y desarrollados con éxito. Este año, han aspirado a los galardones unos 52 proyectos de 18 países, distribuidos en tres categorías principales:Investigación, desarrollo tecnológico e innovación; Adaptación al cambio climático o mitigación del mismo; Programa o anuncio audiovisual que resalte la contribución de la política de cohesión.Ejemplos de redes de regiones y de ciudades ya existentes Desde 2006, con el respaldo de la Comisión Europea a través de la iniciativa «Las regiones, por el cambio económico», se han creado diversas redes de regiones, tales como: B3 REGIONS, liderada por la región del Piamonte (Italia). Se ocupa de un aspecto esencial para el desarrollo de la economía del conocimiento: el establecimiento de conexiones en zonas alejadas o desfavorecidas. RAPIDE, coordinada por la South West England Regional Development Agency (Reino Unido). Se ocupa del papel del sector público en el fomento de la innovación en las regiones, en particular ayudando a las pequeñas empresas a comercializar los productos innovadores más rápidamente. Esta red integra a 12 regiones europeas. HerO, liderada por la ciudad de Ratisbona (Alemania), es una red de 10 ciudades cuya finalidad es promover estrategias de gestión sostenibles para los entornos urbanos históricos. Nota a los redactores La conferencia está organizada por la Comisión Europea, en colaboración con el Comité de las Regiones. El objetivo de la iniciativa «Las regiones, por el cambio económico» es conseguir que la experiencia y las buenas prácticas de las regiones de Europa se generalicen al máximo y se aprovechen plenamente para favorecer la competitividad, el crecimiento y el empleo. Para el período de 2007-2013, y en el marco de la política de cohesión, se dispone de 375 millones de euros destinados a actividades de creación de redes y de aprendizaje, dentro del capítulo de «cooperación interregional». Puede obtenerse más información sobre la iniciativa «Las regiones, por el cambio económico» y los premios «RegioStars» en el siguiente sitio web: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/interregional/ecochange/index_en.cfmEn él figuran también interesantes casos y ejemplos sobre el mejor uso de las inversiones de la UE para la modernización de las regiones. Finalists for REGIOSTARS 2009- The Awards for regional innovative projects The finalists are listed here (in no particular order): Category1: Research, Technological Development and Innovation ROADEX – Interreg project, Lead partner Västerbotten, Sweden This project involves trans-national collaboration, networking and research on a wide range of aspects affecting rural roads which maximises their potential and contributes to the sustainability of local communities. (EU contribution: €488 333) Lahti Cleantech Cluster, Päijät-Häme, Finland The aim of this project was to strengthen the development work between companies and development organisations specialising in recycling, materials and energy efficiency, water management and soil decontamination. (EU contribution: €1.5 million) Berlin Adlershof – City of Science, Technology and Media, Berlin, Germany This project was the development of a campus (Adlershof) into a leading Science Park improving the links between science, research and technology with innovative business and efficient services. (EU contribution: €87.6 million) Proof of Concept, North East of England, UK The Proof of Concept Fund, an early-stage technology investment fund, is at the heart of science and technology SME development investing at the very earliest stages of business creation and growth. (EU contribution: €5.6 million) Science Park Potsdam – Golm, Brandenburg,Germany As a result of a regional strategy scientific and academic institutions have settled at the Science Centre in Golm, this in turn has become one of the most significant engines of innovation in the region. (EU contribution: €74.3 million) LOFAR, Northern Components, The Northern Netherlands Provinces, The Netherlands The LOFAR project is aimed at developing and constructing a sensor network for the collection and processing of real-time streaming data in support of a very sensitive radio telescope for an array of geophysical sensors and in the field of precision agriculture. (EU contribution: €10.8 million) DIPLE Printing Technologies, Wales, UK The main aim of DIPLE was to perform case study projects with partner companies, develop best practice methodologies and innovative uses of printing to create high quality value added products. These could then be used as the basis for knowledge transfer. (EU contribution: £1.13 million or €1.26 million) Cenaero Recherches, Hainaut, Belgium This project aimed to start up new a centre of excellence in aeronautical research dedicated to advanced simulation and modelling for multi-physics applications, virtual manufacturing, multi-scale material and structure modelling, multidisciplinary optimization, and high performance computing. (EU contribution: €4.12 million) ISFOC, Castilla la Mancha, Spain Focussing on field tests, standardization and know-how in a developing market, the Institute for Concentration Photovoltaic Systems aims to assist, through collaborative projects, companies and universities to adapt their supply to the technological demand in the field of Concentration Photovoltaic. (EU contribution: €5.6 million) West Midlands Technology Network, West Midlands, UK The aim of WMTN was to make university expertise more accessible to companies and to use that expertise in a practical way to make a strategic difference to the region's productivity by increasing the competitiveness of regional companies. (EU contribution: £9.9 million or €11 million) REGENERGY, Interreg project, Lead partners Berlin and Brandenburg Germany This is a Europe-wide network of pioneering communities and regions working on innovative organisational, regulatory, policy and financing solutions in the area of heating and cooling. (EU contribution: €831 000) SpaceInnovation SAAR, Saarland, Germany This initiative organises the innovation process between the European space community and non-space, high-tech, sectors in Saarland, providing a spin-in approach that generates new and high quality collaborations. (EU contribution: €79 826) Lasers for Micromachining and Diagnostics, Lithuania This project brought together four Lithuanian laser technology and photonic enterprises for the purpose of developing top quality industrial lasers intended for particularly subtle micromachining. (EU contribution: €1.09 million) Centre of Excellence "Nanoscience and Nanotechnology", Central Slovenia This R&D project on nano-electronic devices for nanotechnology has combined research facilities at public research units with those in the business sector, providing closer cooperation and better utilisation of research results for economic development. (EU contribution: €829 369) Ashfield Skills Centre, East Midlands, UK This project delivered five discrete, but philosophically linked, learning environments over the course of four years, delivering high quality vocation courses to meet the skills shortages identified by local employers. (EU contribution: £2.25 million or €2.5 million) Corallia – The Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative, Attica, Greece This project facilitates the advancement of industry-driven innovation clusters in knowledge-intensive and exports-oriented technology segments where there is capacity to build a worldwide competitive advantage and a sustainable innovation ecosystem. Corallia has supported the emergence of the first cluster in Greece in the area of Microelectronics and Embedded Systems. (EU contribution: €3.29 million) ESTIIC: Fostering competitiveness through Innovation and Information Society, Interreg Project, lead partner Asturias, Spain The aim of this interregional project has not only been to improve regional cooperation in specific technological areas but to harness the knowledge obtained through collaborative projects for use in the future. (EU contribution: €3.1 million) Category 2: Adaptation to or mitigation of climate change Photovoltaic Electricity Production – Ile de la Réunion, France This project involves photovoltaic electricity production from panels located on three industrial buildings connected to one transformer, thereby increasing the autonomy of the island's electricity production, adapting techniques in a tropical environment and creating local employment. (EU contribution: €623 691) The Northern Maritime Corridor, Interreg project, lead partner Rogaland, Norway The overall aim and vision of this interregional project is that the Northern Maritime Corridor should be a means of efficient, safe and sustainable transportation, connecting costal areas and enhancing regional development in the North Sea Region and the Northern Periphery Region. (EU contribution: €5.3 million) EnergyAgency.NRW, North Rhine-Westphalia,Germany This service provider acts as a strategic platform with wide-ranging competence in the energy domain, from funding of research, technical development, demonstration and market launch to energy consultancy and continuous vocational training. (EU contribution: €6.3 million) Category 3: Radio or television spot or programme that highlights the contribution of Cohesion Policy "The EU Funds (The Dog)" from the Czech Republic "Do you know about ... ESPA?" and "Now, you know about ...ESPA" from Greece "It's good to be proud" from Hungary "The European Union and the Province Zuid-Holland" from The Netherlands "National Cohesion Strategy Image Campaign" from Poland For more information: http://ec.europa.eu/inforegio/innovation/regiostars_en.htm