Cooperation networks
Cooperation with other regions of the European Union is an opportunity to gain new experiences and exchange skills, but also to promote Małopolska internationally and build the best possible image of the region in Europe and around the world.
Avant-garde Initiative
The Avant-garde Initiative for New Growth through Smart Specialization is a unique organization aimed at supporting the revival of industry in the European Union through economic cooperation in the areas of smart specializations. Małopolska was one of the initiators. Its main goal is to support economic development and employment in member regions through interregional cooperation at the European level. Currently, the Initiative brings together 39 regions from the European Union, and Małopolska is the only representative from Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.
The Initiative works to strengthen the industry, among others through development of strong clusters that cooperate with each other in the areas of smart specializations in different regions and countries of the EU. This method of cooperation is expected to lead to a synergy of potentials, strengthening regional smart specializations and transforming regional clusters into European clusters operating in the most innovative EU industries. The burden of cooperation within the Initiative lies with companies, research institutions and clusters.
BERRY+
BERRY+ is a new interregional partnership in the field of smart specializations, addressed to regions involved in the development of innovation. It was launched in November 2020, and its geographical scope and substantive scope remain under development. The three key goals that underlie the operation of BERRY+ are to support interregional investments, integrate innovations implemented by partners into existing or new value chains, and establish an interregional cluster focused on the processing of renewable natural resources. Małopolska is the only region in Central Europe that is part of the agreement, which currently has 10 partners. The decision to cooperate was made due to common interests with the BERRY+ thematic areas in relation to smart specializations, which were listed in the key assumptions of the Regional Innovation Strategy of the Małopolska Region 2030.
European Regional Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN)
A network set up to support regions co that they could participate more fully and effectively in the European Research Area (ERA). It promotes the exchange of knowledge, joint activities and partnership projects between its members in order to strengthen the regions that are the network’s research and innovation partners. The network achieves its goals by organizing regular thematic workshops, seminars, briefings regarding announced calls for projects and information exchanges for practitioners from the region in order to search for project partners.
NEREUS Association
The NEREUS Association has been operating since 2007 and is the only thematic network in Europe that represents the interests of European regions using space technologies. The Association’s key role is to explore the benefits of space technologies for European regions and their citizens, and to promote the use of space and its applications. NEREUS operates as an international non-profit association, which is financed exclusively from the annual membership fees of its members. The network achieves its goals, among others, by organizing conventions, research seminars and educational activities for the Association’s members, and by promoting and educating the public about the potential and benefits of space exploration.
Currently, the full members of the NEREUS Association include 22 European regions, including three from Poland: Małopolska, Mazowsze and Podkarpacie.
