Research and Innovation Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn outlined ways their departments could work together to improve the innovation output of Europe's regions and reduce overlap between their services.
Speaking at the launch of the Week of Innovative Regions in Europe (WIRE), held in Granada as part of the Spanish EU Presidency, they stressed that more "synergies" were required "to avoid any further multiplication and fragmentation of Community funding".
Big money is at stake, with regional funding accounting for a third of the EU budget, while the amount of Brussels money pumped into innovation and research has increased significantly in the past decade.
However, with the expiration of the EU's flagship Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs – which ran from 2000-2010 and by common consensus failed in its goal of radically improving European innovation – the pressure is on to produce better results with the 'Europe 2020' strategy, the European Commission's latest long-term policy blueprint.
The commissioners highlighted the need to find improved methods of cooperation between the bodies responsible for EU funding programmes, many of which fall under their remits.
Improving contact between managing authorities for structural fund programmes, national contact points for research projects (FP7) and the Enterprise Europe Network for the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) should help start to eliminate overlaps.
Ann Mettler, executive director of the Brussels-based Lisbon Council think-tank, told EurActiv that "we must urgently weed out potential duplication between research and regional projects, so greater coordination between these two areas is in order. In these times of crisis and budget constraints, EU funds must be used to maximum effect".
Regional money for innovation ideas?
While removing overlaps will be a key step, it was also suggested that the Commission's research directorate could pinpoint certain valuable projects which DG REGIO could then fund from the regional budget.
They also noted that they are preparing a joint communication – expected in the second half of 2010 – to "better align cohesion policy with the Europe 2020 strategy" for creating a knowledge-based economy.
"Business as usual is not an option and the closer cooperation between Commissioners Hahn and Geoghegan-Quinn is to be welcomed," Mettler concluded.
