The North-West Regional Development Agency, as the Managing Authority for the North-West Regional Program 2021-2027 (REGIO North-West), publishes today, July 20, 2023, the Applicant's Guide for the call for projects 132.A.1 –Supporting the development of smart specialization parks.
The call for projects is competitive, and funding applications can be submitted through the MySMIS 2021/2021+ computer system during: August 18, 2023, 10:00 a.m. – February 14, 2024, 10:00 a.m.
Download – Applicant's Guide PRNV/2023/132.A.1/1 – Supporting the development of smart specialization parks.
Smart specialization parks are considered a strategic operation in the context of smart specialization, as they are a concrete way to promote and develop the key sectors and areas of smart specialization of the North-West region.
Smart specialization refers to the concentration of resources and skills in specific areas, where the region or area has competitive potential and can achieve significant economic and innovative advantages. In the North-West Development Region, these areas are identified within the Smart Specialization Strategy of the North-West Development Region (RIS3), as follows: health, cosmetics and food supplements, agri-food, new materials, advanced production technologies and Information and Communication Technology.
Smart specialization parks will support and stimulate development and innovation in the areas identified above, by facilitating collaboration between companies, higher education and research institutions, local public authorities and other interested parties, to create an ecosystem favorable to innovation and development in order to increase the competitiveness of the business environment.
There are eight categories of MANDATORY ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES that can benefit from funding within the projects related to this call:
A. Acquisition and/or development of the land necessary for the creation and development of intelligent specialization parks;
B. External connection works of utility systems necessary for the intelligent specialization park;
C. Building the road infrastructure inside the intelligent specialization parks;
D. Construction/extension/rehabilitation/modernization of access roads to smart specialization parks;
E. Creation/development of basic utilities inside smart specialization parks;
F. Activities with the purchase of specific installations/equipment in order to obtain an energy saving, as well as systems that use renewable/alternative energy sources for the efficiency of the activities for which funding was requested, for own use;
G. Acquisition of intangible assets: rights related to patents, licenses, know-how, computer programs, other rights and similar assets, as well as investments in the creation of tools for online marketing of own services/products;
H. Activities financed by de minimis aid, including:
1. Design and technical assistance activities
2. Information and publicity activities related to the project
3. Activities regarding the external audit of the project
4. Activities related to the selection process of the SMEs that will become residents of the park, and with which concession contracts (with a suspensive condition) will be signed for the plots inside the smart specialization park
5. Activities related to the process of providing specific services in innovation/technological transfer/intellectual property to park residents.
The North-West Regional Program 2021-2027 proposes interventions for the development of research, development, innovation and digitization capacity, increasing the energy performance of the existing public and residential building fund, capitalizing on degraded spaces at the city level, sustainable urban mobility, investments in the network of county roads and in the educational infrastructure, as well as actions to capitalize on the cultural, touristic and spa potential.
In the financial year 2021-2027, public authorities and institutions, the business environment, the academic and research environment and NGOs can obtain funding.
The Northwest Regional Program benefits from a total allocation of 1,437,252,471 euros.
- Priority 1: A competitive region through innovation, digitization and dynamic enterprises - total value: 327,904,956 euros
- Priority 2: A region with smart localities - total value: 60,332,872 euros
- Priority 3: A region with environmentally friendly localities - total value: 210,666,112 euros
- Priority 4: A region with sustainable multimodal urban mobility – total value: 305,155,751 euros
- Priority 5: An accessible region - total value: 184,978,708 euros
- Priority 6: An educated region - total value: 77,386,100 euros
- Priority 7: An attractive region - total value: 210,363,134 euros
- Technical assistance – total value: 60,464,838 euros
More information about the Northwest Regional Program for 2021-2027 is available here, and the program can be consulted here.