The end of June brought representatives of the Innovation Center of the Ústí nad Labem Region to Brussels. Tereza Okurková and Zdeněk Hušek participated in four different events within the Inforegio platform – S3 Thematic Platforms and Partnerships over the course of several days. The topics varied, but the message was always the same: the Ústí nad Labem Region has something to offer in the European innovation space.
S3 Community of Practice: where is European innovation policy heading?
The main event of the entire stay was the S3 Community of Practice (S3 CoP) conference, which brings together regions working on their own smart specialization strategies. This year's edition brought a clear signal about the direction of European RIS3 policy in the coming years: the emphasis is shifting from creating strategies to their actual implementation. Regions are encouraged to show concrete impacts and investments, not just prepare documents.
A key theme was also better linking of European, national and regional initiatives and strengthening international cooperation. This creates a clear task for the Ústí nad Labem Region: to make more active use of European instruments – especially the I3 programme – and to further strengthen the region's role as a partner in the European industrial transformation.
Negotiations with EBN: education and new partnership
The trip also included a meeting directly at the office of the European Business Network (EBN). Tereza and Zdeněk discussed with its representatives the possibilities of cooperation linked to the RIS3 strategy of the Ústí nad Labem Region - specifically in the area of education and networking with similarly focused partners across Europe. EBN represents one of the key networks for supporting innovative entrepreneurship and the contacts established in Brussels can open up new avenues for the Ústí nad Labem Region to share experiences and joint projects.
Regions as engines of change: Zuid-Holland on Course for a Competitive Europe
The third stop was the conference of the province of South Holland, held on June 24 at the Residence Palace on Rue de la Loi in Brussels. The topic was the place of European regions in building a resilient, innovative and competitive Europe.
South Holland is not an unknown address for ICUK – it is a partner in the chemical platform and home to TU Delft, which is a partner in the strategic project SYNERGYS within the framework of the Operational Programme Just Transition. The meeting therefore had a specific context: the exchange of experiences between regions undergoing industrial transformation. The Minister of Economy of the province of South Holland was also present at the event, whose participation underlined the political dimension of the topic.
Meeting with ECRN: chemistry, industry and representation on the main board
The last event was a meeting with representatives of the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN), of which the Ústí nad Labem Region is a member. The discussion revolved around the methodology for the so-called chemical critical sites, i.e. industrial locations that are key in terms of chemical production, and the possibility of representing the Ústí nad Labem Region directly on the main board of the network. Other possibilities of cooperation within this specific regional network were also on the table.
All four meetings together created a consistent picture: the Ústí nad Labem Region is not just a recipient of European impulses, but an active player building its position in key networks and platforms. The outputs from Brussels will be incorporated into the further development of the region's RIS3 strategy and into the planning of specific project steps.
