Join us at EUSBSR Annual Forum!

Welcome to an interactive workshop session where we will explore appetite across Baltic Sea Region innovation actors for the macro-region to act as a front-runner in adopting a macro-regional approach to the new Regional Innovation Valley concept!

“Co-creating the vision and foundations of a BSR innovation valley” workshop builds on the New European Innovation Agenda flagship of accelerating European Innovation Ecosystems through Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) and explores the concept of a (macro)regional innovation valley, building on the innovation strengths of the Baltic Sea Region. The workshop will present experiences from regional, network and EU initiative perspectives, draw out audience interest and commitment to RIVs and seek new ways forward to support long-term BSR engagement with EU RIVs.

The idea is to convene regional actors from across the BSR, committed to investing in innovation collaboration to share views, experiences, and ideas, and to explore if and how BSR innovation actors and organisations can create the building blocks for a macro-regional innovation valley. The workshop will combine elements of a seminar, expert exchange and participatory methods to make the discussion interactive.

Speakers include Ms Sari Nurro (Chair of the CPMR BSC Maritime Working Group, Member of the Board of the Regional Council of Oulu Region, Finland), Ms Marta Bahta (Coordinator, Region Västerbotten, Sweden), Mr Petteri Partanen (Business Manager, Regional Council of Southwest Finland), and Mr Petri Koistinen (Policy Coordinator, Unit D1 – Macro-regions, Transnational, Interregional Cooperation, IPA, Enlargement, DG REGIO). The discussion is moderated by Ms Alison Hunter (Economic and Public Policy Consultancy).

The workshop is aimed at regional innovation actors, regional authorities, municipalities, research institutions. The organisers especially want to target those stakeholders who don’t traditionally see themselves as innovation actors, since they bring a crucial voice to the challenging tasks of energy and digital transitions.

The workshop is organised by the Regional Council of Southwest Finland and Region Västerbotten representing the Baltic Sea Region S3 Directors’ Network, in collaboration with CPMR Baltic Sea Commission and EUSBSR Policy Area Innovation, as part of the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2023.

Registration has been closed

Registration to the workshop has been closed.

If you are interested in hearing more about the workshop or the collaboration behind it, please send us an e-mail (contact details can be found below).

Share your view!

Let us know what your region thinks about the potential of a marco-regional innovation valley! Is your region considering to join the intiative on RIVs? Answer our quick and anonymous pre-workshop survey and help us discuss the relevant pros and cons! We warmly welcome answers also from those not able to attend the workshop but willing to let us know their take on the idea of a macro-regional innovation valley around the Baltic Sea!

More information

• Regional Council of Southwest Finland: Development Manager Salla-Maria Lauttamäki, salla-maria.lauttamaki@varsinais-suomi.fi, +358 40 520 0761
• Region Västerbotten: Coordinator Marta Bahta, marta.bahta@vasterbotten.se, +46 70 616 57 73