• • All three of Ireland’s NUTS2 regions – Eastern and Midland, Southern and Northern and Western – were designated as Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) by the European Commission on 19 June 2024, joining a network of 149 similarly designated regions across Europe.
  • The RIV initiative, part of the New European Innovation Agenda, aims to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems, bridge the innovation gap in Europe and improve Europe’s overall innovation performance.
  • Being part of the RIV initiative unlocks new funding and international collaboration opportunities for Ireland’s regions, to enhance competitiveness and innovation.
  • Companies, research performing organisations (RPOs) and innovation hubs are encouraged to signal their interest in engagement to the relevant Regional Assembly.

All three of Ireland’s regions – the Eastern and Midland Region, Southern Region and the Northern and Western Region – have received the designation of ‘Regional Innovation Valleys’ by the European Commission. This label recognises the regions’ potential as hubs of innovation and economic growth within a network of 149 similarly designated regions across Europe.

A Regional Innovation Valley label connects regions with other designated ‘valleys’ across Europe to enhance their innovation ecosystems, fostering collaboration among European regions and cities based on their smart specialisation strategies (S3) and competitive advantage to address the innovation gap.

Being part of this network, designated regions are committed to collaborating on innovation projects with other European regions, reducing innovation gaps between leading and lower innovation performing regions, as well as creating new EU value chains in line with key EU priorities, such as food security, renewable energy, circular economy, digital transition and healthcare.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke, TD said:

“I welcome today’s announcement that the Southern Region, the Eastern and Midland Region and the Northern and Western Region are to join 149 regions across Europe as part of the European Commission’s Regional Innovation Valleys initiative. Being part of this initiative will unlock new European funding and international collaboration opportunities for our regions, while fostering an environment where innovation can thrive.”

The Minister also emphasised the long-term benefits for the regions:

“The inclusion of all of Ireland’s regions as part of this initiative is reflective of my Department’s commitment to ensure that Ireland’s innovation ecosystem at national and regional level is supportive of regional enterprise strengths and potential, driving our strategic priorities around the twin digital and green transition, and leveraging knowledge and insights from European partners through international collaborative initiatives. With our ongoing implementation of Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, my Department will continue to work with stakeholders in our three Regions to pursue further EU funding streams and opportunities for international collaboration with the European Commission that will emerge as part of this designation.”

Cathaoirleach of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said:

“The designation recognises the special characteristics of Ireland’s regions and our Eastern and Midland Region’s potential as a hub of innovation and economic growth. The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly is looking forward to engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and to connecting with other regions across Europe to learn from each other and collectively enhance our competitiveness and capacity for innovation.”

Regions selected to receive a RIV label are committed to:

• Strengthening their Research & Innovation (R&I) ecosystem
• Enhancing the co-ordination and directionality of their R&I policy and investment towards key EU priorities
• Engaging in R&I collaboration between more and less advanced regions with complementary smart specialisation strategies.

A key component of the Regional Innovation Valley initiative is its matchmaking process to facilitate connections between enterprise, research and public institutions, create partnerships, provide access to a pool of experts and mentors, and match innovation projects with potential investors and funding sources.

The European Commission will support these cross-regional and cross-sectoral partnerships by connecting various stakeholders within each region’s innovation ecosystem through matchmaking events and targeted communication actions.

While funding is not awarded to Ireland with this designation, it does enable regions to unlock new European funding sources and international collaboration opportunities. It also offers new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to access collaboration domestically and internationally to drive innovation.

Innovation agencies, companies, RPOs and innovation hubs are encouraged to signal their interest in engagement to the relevant Regional Assembly.

 

Notes to Editor

Smart Specialisation

Smart Specialisation is an innovation policy concept, developed by the European Commission, which aims to boost regional innovation by harnessing the inherent strengths of each region through fostering collaboration between businesses, research institutions, public authorities and civil society. Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy was developed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Smart Specialisation provides a roadmap for each region to address challenges such as embracing digital transformation, reducing fossil fuel reliance, achieving circularity, as well as enhancing global food security and advancing healthcare, while emphasising the importance of research and development, skills and entrepreneurship.

The development of a Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) is a requirement for EU Member States to access European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) moneys for 2021-2027. Accordingly, the publication of Ireland’s National Smart Specialisation Strategy for Innovation 2022-2027 was an essential requirement for drawdown of ERDF.

At a programme level, Smart Specialisation will be delivered by Ireland’s ERDF programmes, as required by the European Commission.

The New European Innovation Agenda

The New European Innovation Agenda, adopted on 5 July 2022, aims to position Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep-tech innovation and start-ups. It will help Europe to develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges, and to bring them to the market. Europe wants to be the place where the best talent work hand in hand with the best companies and where deep-tech innovation thrives and creates breakthrough innovative solutions across the continent.

The New European Innovation Agenda – European Commission (europa.eu)

A map of all 149 selected Regional Innovation Valleys can be found here:

Map of Selected Regions for RIV Status

Ireland’s three NUTS2 regions

The NUTS2 Eastern and Midland Region comprises counties Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, Louth, Offaly, Laois, Westmeath and Longford.

The NUTS2 Northern and Western Region comprise counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan.

The NUTS2 Southern Region comprises counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Cork and Kerry.

ENDS