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