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EURADA’s contribution to the Consultation on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy

 

In light of the EU competitiveness compass and the announcement of the development of a new EU Startup and Scaleup strategy, the Board of Directors discussed, contributed to drafting and approved, on 12 March 2025, EURADA’s contribution to the consultation on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

In the contribution submitted to the European Commission, EURADA highlights the crucial role that Regional Development Agencies play in fostering startup and scaleup growth at the local level. Key points include: 

  • Adopting a strong place-based dimension: The diverging barriers encountered by startups and scaleups (difficulty accessing finance, talent, infrastructure) will be heavily influenced by regional and local contexts. The EU startup and scaleup strategy should take into account these specificities and adopt a territorial focus.
  • Aligning the strategy with EU place-based policies and instruments: Measures to support startup growth are implemented within specific geographical contexts and are often designed and implemented by local and regional actors. The strategy should be aligned with other EU, national and regional initiatives on place-based innovation. 
  • Avoiding a purely financial-driven approach: In order to foster European Innovation, financial indicators should not be the sole indicators taken into account to unlock financial support for startups and scaleups. Other market and impact indicators should be considered. 
  • Addressing long-term innovation funding gaps: through the creation of a structured financial instrument that allows public finance institutions to support startups and scaleups. 
  • Strengthening Europe's economic autonomy through innovation: EU innovation plans should be backed by a startup and scaleup ecosystem that empowers Regional Development Agencies to finance high-potential startups.
  • Tackling regulatory fragmentation: Regulatory fragmentation hampers startup growth in regions with fewer administrative ressources. Regulatory simplification is essential to foster the growth of startups across all regions. 
  • Enhancing cross-border cooperation: Strengthening cross-border regional cooperation is essential in helping startups scale beyond national markets. 
  • Strengthening regional talent retention and mobility programs: It is important to facilitate the valorisation of skills and qualifications across EU regions, incentivise skilled professionals to work in emerging regional innovation hubs and facilitate professional mobility. 
     

Click here to read EURADA's contribution to the Consultation on the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

From Specialisation to Transformation? The future of S3s amid uncertain times

 

EURADA launches its new think tank activities with a discussion paper examining five key dimensions of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). Authored by Francesco Molica, the paper reflects on the role of S3 within the evolving EU competitiveness agenda, its ability to leverage diverse funding sources, its connection to the conditionality mechanism, the scope for policy experimentation, and the broadening of its strategic focus.

The EURADA Think Tank serves as a platform for dialogue on regional development and innovation, with the view to fostering insights and debate among policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. This discussion paper series is one of the main strands addressing critical issues in territorial innovation strategies and policy implementation. Another strand involves meetings and events, which will see for instance the organisation of an event on the future of cohesion policy on 17 March.

 

Download the document as PDF.

 

 

Interregional Innovation Investment (I3) Initiative

 

This document reflects the opinion of EURADA and the members in the context of the public consultation on the Interregional Innovation Investment (I3) Initiative. This instrument seeks to help actors involved in smart specialisation strategies to cluster together, scale up and bring innovation to the European market, with an indicative budget of € 500 million. EURADA and the members welcome the I3 Initiative proposed by the European Commission, remarking that the new instrument should: be oriented to private companies; have structures that integrate all regions, including from non-EU countries; stimulate synergies in ESIF, and perhaps beyond.

 

Download the document as PDF.

 

 

Innovation Ecosystems

 

The purpose of this document is to present ideas to improve European regional innovation ecosystems. This position paper is a part of the strategic planning consultation process of the European Commission to design a programme aimed at improving innovation ecosystems’ connectiveness within the 3rd Pillar of the Horizon Europe programme. At this stage of the policymaking process, the Horizon Europe programme will likely have a budget of €500 million for the period 2021-2027.

 

Download the document as PDF.

 

Cohesion Policy

 

The importance of cohesion policy for our members and their societies, on which they have a positive and tangible impact, cannot be underestimated. For our members, cohesion policy is much more than a policy which dictates the allocation of funds and this is why this paper will make suggestions for its future improvement.

 

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COSME

 

This document reflects the opinion of EURADA in the context of the public consultation on the COSME programme. COSME is the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs, running from 2014 to 2020, with a budget of €2.3billion. EURADA’s overall assessment of the COSME programme is positive. In general, professionals of development agencies agree on the relevance of providing access to finance to private enterprises, facilitating access to markets, establishing a more favorable environment to do business, reducing administrative burden and fostering entrepreneurship.

 

Download the document as PDF.

 

 

Smart Specialisation Consultation

 

This document reflects the opinion of EURADA in the context of the public consultation on Smart Specialisation (S3) of the European Commission. There is a consensus among economic development practitioners about the suitability of the S3 tool to engage a multiplicity of stakeholders in a common transformation agenda. The process is inclusive, bottom-up and brings new actors to a shared decision process that is relevant for the economic growth of the countries and regions.

 

Download the document as PDF.