ROP ERDF Abruzzo 2014 20 Action I.1.1 I.1.4 ABRUZZO Region Daniele Antinarella, Alessandro Mucci 1st HIGHER Peer Review, 10 November, Stockholm
Policy Instrument Body Responsible: Abruzzo Region Geographical Coverage: Regional
Aims and Objectives of Policy Instrument: 1. The key innovation issue the instrument aims to tackle: The purpose of the on going call for proposal is to improve the planning, quality and sustainability of investments in research and experimental development of enterprises, in order to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of the regional productive system according to the priorities established by "Europe 2020" strategy and the "Horizon 2020" program. The challenge is to enhance the skills and knowledge, strengthening collaboration and synergy between businesses and research organizations, including the creation and consolidation of international networks, clusters and public-private partnerships. The aim is also to facilitate the transfer of technologies in production processes, enhancing the professional qualification of human capital through the attraction and absorption of researchers in enterprises, young graduates talents or technical graduates and apprentices in higher education and research. Operation eligible costs (by private sector - Art.25 EU REG n. 651/2014): a) personnel costs: researchers, technicians and other supporting staff, for the period they are employed for the project ( highly qualified human capital ); b) costs of instruments and equipment, for the period they are used in the project; c) cost of contractual research, knowledge and patents bought or licensed from outside (at market conditions), d) costs for consultancy services (or equivalent services) used exclusively for the project, as well as costs for project management; e) additional overheads and other operating costs. All the procedure is going to be managed on a web based platform; The results of all the operations financed are have to produce a relevant economic impact in the Region.
Instrument s links to RIS3: 2. Key objectives: This instrument aims to provide support for collaborative R & D activities in order to develop new sustainable technologies, products and services. In particular, the new call for proposal (now opened) aims at co-financing, through the Abruzzo Region s ERDF, in collaboration with enterprises, research institutions, Universities, and existing public private aggregations, such as Public and Private Laboratories and the Innovation Poles. Additionally, the policy instrument aims to promote the establishment of international partnerships in order to strengthen regional enterprises operating in cutting-edge technologies. In this sense, the policy instrument will encourage the development of regional enterprise consortia in projects funded by programs directly managed by EU.
3. Implementation channels: The policy instrument is implemented through public calls aiming to select the best R & D projects related to new products, processes and services. A set of criteria has been designed in order to select the operations to be submitted to the Supervisory Committee, which will cover: - the formal admissibility (correct submission of applications, eligibility of the proponent, compliance with national and European State aid regulation, etc.); - the substantial eligibility related to the compliance of the project proposals with the purpose of the instrument. The whole evaluating process is managed by the regionale offices in charge of supporting the coordination of EU funding innovating project.
Stakeholders & investors: a. Key actors for design and implementation: - Abruzzo Region (as Managing Authority); - National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (as co-financing body); - EU Commission (as main financing and monitoring body); - Regional Stakeholders (formally involved during the call preparation process); - National CLUSTERS (as networks of innovating regions).
b. Beneficiaries: - The main beneficiaries of this action (for.16.000.000) are large, medium and small regional enterprises aggregated in partnerships with research centers, universities, Science Parks, Innovation Poles etc., and operating in domains of specialization included in RIS3 process; - In order to foster international cooperation, also actors outside the regional territory may be involved in the project consortium, for no more than the 35% of the budget; - The joint Project must have a minimum budget of. 5.000.000; - The maximum ERDF contribution for each joint Project is. 4.000.000;
c. Private investors targeted: The present policy instrument supports those small businesses that have demonstrated a real aggregative capacity and effective propensity to develop new technologies, new products and new organizational processes, offering them qualified real services in terms of extra-regional partnerships to encourage investments and research activities.
Challenges and needs for improvement: - regional and national hinders: The share of spending on public and private R&D regional GDP stood at 0.92%, below the national average of 1.26%, and far from 3% European target outlined in the Lisbon Strategy. The strategy of the ROP aims at encouraging R&D, especially the private sector, promoting and supporting the growth of joint innovative projects. - how to further improve the instrument in order to cope with challenges and threats? We are working at a new call for proposal (. 5.000.000 - to be published by the end o f the year) especially dedicated to support SMEs research projects.
Link to the call for proposal: http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/xeuropa/index.asp daniele.antinarella@regione.abruzzo.it alessandro.mucci@regione.abruzzo.it rita.dimatteo@regione.abruzzo.it