Lluís Viñé (p), Maria Zaragoza

Santino Piazza

Emerging from the ERA_FABRIC project, this study delves into the common characteristics and key factors that underpin successful regional innovation policy instruments. Using a mixed-methods approach—combining participatory workshops with over 140 stakeholders from nine European regions and an extensive literature review of 33 innovation instruments— four transformative domains were examined:
1. Promoting a unified market for green and digital transitions: Evaluating how innovation instruments can support market integration and drive sustainable growth in emerging technologies.
2. Leveraging smart specialization complementarities to connect territories: Analyzing the role of regional strengths and specializations in enhancing inter-territorial collaboration and competitiveness.
3. Enhancing the local impact and synergies of EU-Funded Research and Innovation projects: Assessing how regional instruments can amplify the benefits of EU investments by creating synergistic effects at the local level.
4. Deepening the human centricity of R&D and innovation policies: Exploring strategies to ensure that policy instruments remain responsive to the needs of local communities, thereby fostering greater inclusivity and social well-being.
Findings reveal that the success of regional innovation instruments hinges on several interrelated factors. Active multi-stakeholder engagement is critical, as it promotes co-creation and builds the local ownership necessary for long-term sustainability. Equally important is the capacity for contextual adaptation—tailoring instruments to the unique socio-economic, cultural, and geographical characteristics of each region. The study also highlights the need for targeted capacity building that equips both policymakers and local stakeholders with the skills required to navigate the complexities of innovation. Finally, the design of flexible financial mechanisms emerges as a vital enabler, lowering entry barriers and ensuring that support is accessible to grassroots initiatives. These insights contribute to refining the ERA Hub concept, providing policymakers with a robust blueprint for fostering transnational collaboration and resilient innovation ecosystems within the European Research Area.

Santino Piazza (p)

Xinmeng Ye

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Export Promotion Programs (EPPs) in Italy’s Piedmont Region, revealing heterogeneous impacts across different firm sizes. The research finds that EPPs increased export propensity by approximately 10%, primarily benefiting small and small-medium enterprises, while showing no significant effect on micro firms. The analysis demonstrates a delayed positive impact on export resilience, particularly for small-to-medium firms, and 18% increase in export intensity.
However, the programs showed weaker results on intensive and extensive trade margins, impacting only medium-sized firms. This analysis is particularly relevant given the growing importance of SME internationalization in the public policy frameworks of small open regional economies.

Xinmeng Ye (p), Anping Chen

Akis Kalamaras

Industrial robots are a pivotal force driving the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Based on panel data from prefecture-level cities in China, this study employs the Broadband China pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment and constructs a multi-period difference-in-differences model to evaluate the impact of network infrastructure construction on the application of industrial robots in Chinese cities. The findings indicate that network infrastructure can effectively promote the application of industrial robots in cities. The mechanism test reveals that this effect operates through talent agglomeration and technological innovation. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of network infrastructure on urban industrial robot adoption is more significant in resource-based cities, northeastern regions, and cities with lower technological levels. Furthermore, the driving effect of the Broadband China pilot policy exhibits significant policy synergies with initiatives such as the National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone, Smart City Construction, and the Made in China 2025 national demonstration zones. The conclusions of this study provide theoretical insights for the government to promote network infrastructure development, facilitate the adoption of industrial robots in cities, and maximize the multiplier effects of related policies.

Akis Kalamaras (p), Pantoleon Skayannis

Marco Di Cataldo

The successive crises of recent years have shaped an environment of uncertainty that tends to constitute a new permanent reality. The radical changes that AI will bring to the entire social process will create a highly competitive economic field. In this new situation, Greek Regions are called upon to transform the methods of developmental policy and to completely reconstruct their structures. The development of the Region’s strategic intelligence is a crucial element in order to cope with the present and future challenges.

Adopting Foresight (OECD, 2021) can provide early warnings of challenges and opportunities, as well as the ability to study the present big picture and to envision the possibilities of the future. It enables Regions to identify and prioritize critical areas of intervention, allocate development resources effectively and make informed decisions based on comprehensive analysis. Cultivates collective intelligence, enhances strategic thinking and incorporates views and opinions of local actors and citizens. Creates the conditions for the alignment of regional development with knowledge (Foray, 2004) and mission economy (Mazzucato, 2021).

European Committee of the Regions states that local and regional authorities (LRAs), as well as other local bodies and citizens -especially young people- should play a primary role in the practice of Foresight, thus actively contributing to the choices that will determine their future.

The aim of our research is to explore if the elements of Regional Foresight exist in the developmental procedures in the Region of Thessaly. Through semi-structured interviews with representatives of the quadruple helix we investigate the utilization degree of Anticipation, Participation, Networking, Visioning and Action (European Commission et al., 2001) in the established developmental functions of Thessaly region. Grounder Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 2017) methodology aids us to build a middle-range theory which represents a coherent, applicable and effective framework for the utilization of Regional Foresight by Greek regional governance. This paper presents some initial findings of our ongoing research.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR RESEARCH & CENTRE, J. R. 2001. A Practical Guide to Regional Foresight, STRATA Programme: FOREN, Foresight for Regional Development Network, EUR-OP.

FORAY, D. 2004. Economics of knowledge, MIT press.

GLASER, B. G. & STRAUSS, A. L. 2017. Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research, Routledge.

MAZZUCATO, M. 2021. Mission economy: A moonshot guide to changing capitalism, Penguin UK.

OECD 2021. Foresight and Anticipatory Governance in Practice. Lessons in effective foresight institutionalisation. Strategic Foresight Unit. Office of the Secretary-General. OECD.

Marco Di Cataldo (p), Elena Renzullo, Andres Rodriguez-Pose

Lluís Viñé

This study presents the first analysis of how the quality of local institutions affects the distribution of EU resources to private beneficiaries, public entities, and local governments. We use high-quality Italian administrative data on instances of city council dismissals due to collusion between local politicians and organised crime to assess whether the local level of corruption affects the amount of EU funds managed by local authorities. We apply a staggered difference-in-differences model in combination with event studies to uncover the impact of local corruption on the distribution of EU funds. The results show that corrupt local governments that are colluding with criminal groups are allocated fewer resources for their own use in comparison with their non-corrupt (or less corrupt) counterparts, particularly for projects dedicated to local transports and other essential public services. Corrupt local governments appear to avoid pursuing larger EU projects, which are subject to stricter regulations by Italian laws designed to fight organised crime. This distortive behaviour seems to depress local economic development.