Regional policy action
Regional policy action for increasing benefit from EU funding schemes.
Regional strategies are unanimous in the importance they give to EU funding as an initiator of food RTD infrastructure development. Especially in the new member states there is the expectation that EU will be the engine of modernization.
Further, it is striking that several regions seem to expect impetus from EU policy where regional research policy fails: regional and national funding schemes are associated with a high administrative burden and several SORs indicate that regional policy lacks a clear vision on technology transfer. As such, the EU is also considered important as a platform where regional policy-makers are stimulated to develop research policy.
To unlock this potential, the capacities of researchers to initiate and manage EU funded research projects should be enhanced. Furthermore, different SORs see an important role for regional policy makers to act as facilitators for attracting funding to their regions.
