RegioStars Awards identify good practices in regional development and highlight original and innovative projects that are attractive and inspiring to other regions.
RegioStars Awards identify good practices in regional development and highlight original and innovative projects that are attractive and inspiring to other regions.
Think your project deserves to be known and rewarded? Then submit it! You can apply until April 15!
Please note that this year 2 projects can be submitted per programme by the project manager, with the endorsement of the managing authority.
The Award Categories for 2018 are:
RegioStars 2018 Application Platform
Europe experiences a period of momentous change. Globalisation, automation, decarbonisation, emerging and digital technologies all have impacts on jobs, industrial sectors, business models, the economy and the society as a whole. As a result of these changes in the industry and service sectors almost all European regions undergo a substantial regional economic transformation. The European Commission is committed to support regions in developing smart specialisation and economic transformation strategies to generate the innovation, resilience and growth needed to harness globalisation.
Nominations under this category covered a diverse range of issues from harnessing globalisation by providing appropriate answers to local challenges to supporting the region’s long-term smart specialisation strategy through developing strong regional partnerships to reinforce collaboration on the topic.
Europe's transition to a low-carbon society is becoming the new reality on the ground; the Energy Union, creating new jobs, growth and opportunities for investment, is one of the ten priorities of this Commission. By more than doubling the funds available to support the shift to a low-carbon economy, cohesion policy funding represents the largest allocation of the EU budget to be channelled into low-carbon investments in the period 2014-2020; the policy provides a structural and long-term response to the challenges regions face in relation to energy transition.
RegioStars 2018 encouraged nominations that respond to the necessary shift towards a low-carbon economy and society in order to recognize innovative regional efforts to ensure clear energy development, energy efficiency, develop renewable energy, smart grids, sustainable urban development and building construction.
Good access to public services is crucial for economic growth and functioning societies, yet the provision of public services faces new challenges through demographic changes, transitions in labour markets and an on-going digitalisation. Access to services should be delivered based on regional specificities and can be supported by eGovernment. The European Commission is committed to spur innovation and growth throughout the economy by offering a lead market and a platform for private services while reducing red tape and bureaucracy for all residents of Europe. Digital public services in Europe can contribute to more efficiency and transparency, and therefore strengthen trust in governments.
RegioStars aimed at finding projects which help adapt to demographic and societal challenges, are non-discriminative and inclusive, physically accessible, link services, pay special attention to children’s needs and/or offer digital solutions.
Today’s migration and integration challenges are an important factor in the development of European cities. Therefore, the Urban Agenda for the EU puts emphasis on measures to include migrants and refugees: Cities are places where both migrants and non-migrants interact, be it through working, studying, living or raising their families. Achieving an inclusive and integrated approach tackling urgent, medium and long-term challenges requires multi-level governance. Cities need to be ensured that regulations will have no negative impact on the integration of migrants and refugees, that opportunities are funded and that knowledge exchange on best practices takes place.
This year’s RegioStars competition aimed at recognising the efforts of projects that address the most pressing needs in the scope of integration of people with a migrant background, preferably using an integrated approach and linking integration challenges to economic growth and sustainability.
2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage. Cultural heritage and tourism, cultural and creative industries are an important part of Europe’s economy. In the current ERDF programmes, around EUR 6 billion are allocated for investments in the development and promotion of culture assets, services, and cultural heritage, creative industries, etc. with a strong focus on strengthening competitiveness and growth and jobs. The initiatives of the European Commission all acknowledge the direct and indirect economic potential that cultural heritage can imply for regions, through financing the creative sectors, including small and medium enterprises, sustainable and responsible tourism businesses.
This year, RegioStars showcases projects that ensure the preservation of cultural heritage, contribute to smart and sustainable development, provide cultural infrastructure and services, foster the cultural and creative industry, make culture attractive and use culture to unite communities.
This year, the independent RegioStars jury was co-chaired by Members of the European Parliament Kerstin Westphal and Lambert van Nistelrooij. The jury meet two times in person, once to determine the list of finalists and again to choose the winners from the shortlisted projects. Their expertise and in-depth discussions led ultimately to the selection of the most excellent projects of cohesion policy this year.
Member of the European Parliament
Member of the Committee on Regional Development
Member of the European Parliament
Member of the Committee on Regional Development
Prof. Philipp McCann
Professor of Urban and Regional Economics in the University of Sheffield Management School
Expert in RDI, socio-economic analysis, regional policies, smart specialisation and knowledge-economy.
Dr. Cristina Serbanica
Associate Professor at the Constantin Brancoveanu University
Expert in RDI, socio-economic analysis, regional policies, smart specialisation and knowledge-economy.
Ksenija Banovac
Spatial Planning and Business Analyst a the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lille
Expert in regional development strategies, infrastructure projects and marketing and media relations.
Prof. Simin Davoudi
Professor of Environment Policy & Planning and Director of Global Urban Research Unit (GURU) at the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape, and Associate Director of Newcastle University Institute for Sustainability
Expert in climate change, sustainable cities, resilience and local development.
Assistant Prof. Fabian Faller
Assistant Professor at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel at the Geography Institute in the Working Group Economic Geography
Expert in energy transition, environmental economic geography and green economies.
Sorin Cebotari, Phd
Research Assistant at the Marie Curie Action, ITN Regional Polarization, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj
Expert in comparative politics, energy management and social networks.
Associate Prof. Eduarda Marques Da Costa
Associate Professor of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of University of Lisbon
Expert in spatial planning, regional and urban planning, evaluation of public policies, data collection and monitoring systems and Health Cities.
Dr. Alois Humer
Research Fellow at Aalto University
Expert in services of general interest and territorial cohesion.
Miko Weckroth
Postdoctoral researcher in H2020 project IMAJINE
Expert in geographies of wellbeing and development, regional and urban development and social sciences.
Prof. Peter Scholten
Professor Public Administration, specialized in the Dynamics of Migration and Diversity Policies, at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam
Expert in migration, social integration, public policy, migration development and cities of migration.
Prof. Alessandra Faggian
Professor of Applied Economics, Director of Social Sciences and Vice Provost for Research at the Gran Sasso Science Institute, L’Aquila
Expert in regional urban economics, demography, migration and human capital.
Anastasia Panori
Senior researcher at IntelSpace Innovation Technologies S.A.
Expert in spatial segregation, migration, smart specialisation, sustainable urban development and online communication.
Associate Prof. Ana P. Roders
Associate Professor in Heritage and Sustainability at the Eindhoven University of Technology
Expert in sustainability, cultural heritage, historic urban landscapes, urban design and architecture.
Associate Prof. Antonio P. Russo
Tenured Associate Professor at the University Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona
Expert in tourism geography and cultural development.
Joanna Zielińska-Szczepkowska
Assessment of projects implemented within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Instrument and Polish Regional Operational Programmes
Expert in economy and food technology and human nutrition.
102 applications have been submitted this year to the RegioStars Awards 2018. The expert jury is working on determining the most excellent project per category based on merits such as innovative character, impact, sustainability and partnership.
The ranking shows the preliminary results, based on the votes received through the InfoRegio website and does not contain the additional social media votes of the last week. The final winner of the public choice award will be announced during the award ceremony at 19:00 9 October 2018!
Business and Shared Services Centre - Centro, Portugal
Conceived as a driver of local innovation and investment strategy, the Business and Shared Services Centre has attracted 14 TICE companies and created 500 highly-qualified jobs in a rural city of less than 15,000 people. In 4 years, the project has propelled the development of an integrated ecosystem that has generated 68 start-ups and supported over 200 private funding projects, investing in R&D, pioneering initiatives of professional retraining and digital skills.
TeKiDe – textile fibre recycling - Helsinki-Uusimaa, Finland
A platform to demonstrate new ways to recycle poor quality post-consumer cotton textile waste has been established. The cotton waste is dissolved and spun as new good quality textile fibres. This can revolutionize the whole concept of textile industry making waste yards to sustainable ”cottonfields”. This new textile recycling demonstration platform will strengthen the science and innovation hub of Helsinki-Uusimaa region by creating a core for a commercialization ecosystem with global impact.
Social Housing in the City of Ostrava - Moravia-Silesian Region, Czech Republic
The City of Ostrava has prepared the project to focus on the key issue of inclusive activities: social housing. We believe home, living in a flat and the support of social workers is the basis of the new social housing system and a prerequisite for the stabilisation of families in a difficult socio-economic situation. From the beginning of the project, we focus on piloted and time-limited activities becoming an integral part of the city’s inclusive agenda.
Labour Integration and Social Inclusion of Refugees - Murcia, Spain
This project aims to offer a close, coordinated and egalitarian response to facilitate social integration of refugees with special and extreme difficulties that have been received in the Region of Murcia. A solidarity strategy with medium and long-term measures is being developed to achieve this purpose in a sustainable manner. It is the basis of those commitments and actions taken for the coordination, profiling, support and awareness of the local community institutions, NGOs & economic sector.
Nant Gwrtheyrn - West Wales and the Valleys, United Kingdom
Nant Gwrtheyrn is located in a deep valley overlooking the Irish Sea in north west Wales. An abandoned quarry village has been renovated as a centre to promote Welsh culture and language. A range of partners enabled a 7 million EUR project to provide a new access road, accommodation, function suite, café, shop and heritage centre to tell the stories of the quarries and life in this remote region. The village transformed and now employs 30 staff and welcomes over 40,000 visitors a year.
Vista Alegre heritage museum - Centro, Portugal
An amazing masterplan to revive 2 centuries of historical porcelain, starting with its crown jewel – Vista Alegre Museum – and spreading the intervention to the entire surroundings: the theatre, the factory, the chapel, the hotel, the workers neighbourhood and the precinct. A profound rehabilitation, aiming to show reindustrialization in porcelain industry. This integrated project allows preservation of an international cultural heritage site, saving the brand from ruin and increasing tourism in the region.
