Regions for Economic Change

Press Release 25-02-2008

There were 3 categories for the 2009 RegioStars Awards and within the first two categories there were three subcategories:

1) Research, Technological Development and Innovation.

a. Projects that are part of a succession of projects that are sequentially funded by one of the European Union financial instruments;

b. Projects that have been demonstrably inspired by a good practice in a region of another Member State;

c. Other projects

2) Adaptation to or mitigation of climate change.

a. Projects that are part of a succession of projects that are sequentially funded by one of the European Union financial instruments;

b. Projects that have been demonstrably inspired by a good practice in a region of another Member State;

c. Other projects

3) Radio or television spot or programme that highlights the contribution of Cohesion Policy

• Innovative character of the project
• Impact or expected impact of the project in terms of initial objectives

• Expected sustainability of the project
• Project’s results in enhancing local, regional and interregional partnerships
• In the case of a project inspired by good practice elsewhere: demonstration that the project was inspired by another region’s project/programme or shared with another region
• In the case of a project that forms part of a sequence: demonstration that the project has been part of a succession of projects sequentially funded by other EU financial instruments

Chairman of the jury: Mayor Job Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam

Members:
- Ms Anita Bhalla, The BBC, UK  (missing from group photo)
- Mr Clément Cohen, Expert in Climate Change matters, France
- Ms Lourdes Cruz, Red de Espacios Tecnológicos de Andalucía, Spain
- Prof Knut Koschatsky, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Germany
- Ms Urzula Machlarz, Marshal Office of the Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
- Ms Vanja Rangus, Creativity for Innovation, Slovenia

The RegioStars Jury met on 26 October 2008 and decided on the 25 finalists for the 2009 RegioStars Awards. You can find more information on the finalists here:

Presentation of the Finalists

The winners were announced on 16 February 2009 during the Regions for Economic Change conference. The winners received a trophy awarded by the Commissioner of Regional Policy and the president of the jury.

DG Regional Policy also produced a film on the winning projects in categories 1 and 2 which they may use in publicising and disseminating their good practice.

And the winner is…

Five projects have been awarded in three main categories:

Category 1: Research, Technological Development and Innovation

• DIPLE Printing Technologies from Wales, UK
  The printing industry plays an important role in the Welsh economy. The Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC) in Swansea undertook a project entitled DIPLE, the main aim of which was to develop case studies, undertake research on innovative uses of printing and transfer this knowledge to industry, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
  Watch the video
  
• Cenaero Recherches from Hainaut, Belgium
  This centre of excellence in aeronautical research has played an important role in Wallonia's economic development. The centre bases its success upon a well-developed cooperation between universities and industry, and is a recognised leader in Europe in the field of numerical simulation, in particular for aerospace applications.
  Watch the video

Category 2: Adaptation to or mitigation of climate change

• Centrale de production d'électricité photovoltaïque en milieu tropical, Ile de la Réunion, France
  This station produces photovoltaic electricity from panels located on three buildings connected to one transformer. In adapting techniques in a tropical environment, it has helped the island towards self-sufficiency in electricity production, and created local employment.
  Watch the video
  
• EnergyAgency.NRW, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
  In times of volatile energy prices and supply, it is vitally important to develop innovative energy technologies and provide impartial guidance to companies, local authorities and individual citizens on sound energy management and renewable energies. This is the role of EnergyAgency.NRW, the new central contact point in Düsseldorf for all energy issues in North Rhine-Westphalia.
  Watch the video

Category 3: Audiovisual spot or programme highlighting the contribution of Cohesion Policy

• "Do you know about ESPA?", Greece
  The spot entitled "Do you know about ... ESPA?" was conceived by the Greek Ministry of Economy and broadcast on main Greek public TV channels. In the spot, the famous actor Thodoris Atheridis explains the meaning of "ESPA" which is the "National Strategic Reference Framework" defining the priorities of Cohesion policy in Greece.
  Watch the video of the winner
  Watch the video of the finalists

Two other projects received special mentions from the RegioStars 2009 Jury:

• ROADEX – Interreg project, Lead partner Västerbotten, Sweden
  This project involves trans-national collaboration between Sweden, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Iceland and Greenland. The ROADEX network focuses on research on a wide range of issues affecting rural roads (roads engineering, health, environmental issues etc.). This has led to the development of a range of new technologies and practices that address the particular needs of northern regions and their users.
• SpaceInnovation SAAR, Saarland, Germany
  Although Saarland is not a traditional "space region", it has developed a particular know-how which is useful for the space industry. In harnessing its expertise in nanotechnologies, IT, automotive, and biomedical technologies through this project, innovative industries, SMEs, research institutes in Saarland have became partners of the European Space Agency.