This Europe INNOVA Conference is being organised by the Belgian Presidency of the European Union and, in particular, the Region of Wallonia in close collaboration with the European Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry. In the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the conference will address policy priorities for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and reflect on how innovation can support the transition towards a resource efficient and competitive economy. The conference will bring together the Europe INNOVA Community and key innovation stakeholders from the worlds of politics, academia and business. Together they will discuss three key themes that are crucial if Europe is to respond to the societal challenges with which it is currently confronted: Unlocking Europe's Creative Potential, Greening Industries and Supporting Innovative Entrepreneurship.

The high-level "European Cluster Conference 2010" will address the role of world-class clusters in renewing European industry in light of the Europe 2020 strategy. It will gather key policy-makers from the European Commission, Member States, regional authorities and high-level speakers from academia and industry to discuss how better policies can be formulated to make full use of the economic potential of excellent clusters. The event is organised under the chairmanship of the Belgian EU Presidency by the European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry.

The Seminar will examine how regional branding can contribute to economic growth and competitiveness in the context of the EU 2020 agenda. The main objectives of the seminar include: identify the key elements of the EU 2020 Strategy; tackle EU global challenges through entrepreneurship, education and innovation; outline the context for the development of a regional brand; provide comparative analysis for assess regional branding as a development approach to attract employment, businesses and people; discuss on the role for public administration to facilitate the uptake of regional branding and determine best practices in regional branding.

Registration for the 2010 Regions for Economic Change conference on 20-21 May is now possible. Under the heading, "Regions For Economic Change - Building sustainable growth", the conference will have three main themes:
a) sustainable energy;
b) sustainable ICT solutions and
c) greening Europe's cities.
The conference will include a high-profile political event with keynote speakers, politicians and practitioners discussing the future of European cohesion policy within the new EU2020 framework.

The Spanish Presidency is organizing the "Week of Innovative Regions in Europe" in Granada, on 15-17 March 2010. The aim is to focus the attention of political leaders and social stakeholders on the competitiveness of European regions.

The Conference will cover issues related to: a) the efficient and effective use of budget earmarked in the Structural Funds for RTD and Innovation, including their synergies with the FP and the CIP, b) the assessment of the results and the identification of best practices of the Research Potential (REGPOT) calls within the FP7 Capacities Programme, c)the assessment of the results and the identification of best practices of the Regions of Knowledge (REGIONS) calls within the FP7 Capacities Programme, aimed at fostering regional cooperation through "research-driven clusters" by means of a comparison of the different regional strategies and joint action plans defined.

Intercluster '09, a conference on cooperation and building information exchange platforms, will be held on 3 and 4 December in Brussels, Belgium. The main aim of the event will be to provide a meeting place for leaders of European knowledge clusters. The conference includes workshops, roundtable discussions, presentations, etc.

3rd ITMED FORUM The Forum aims to establish contacts between the clusters and technology parks active In the medical industry In Poland and other European countries particularly Central and Eastern Europe and to identify the areas of their possible cooperation. The Forum shall also be a perfect opportunity for creation of new enterprises and projects in particular as part of FP7 and EUREKA Initiative.

The conference is part of a series of four, all with the aim of opening up a dialogue on regional development.

The objective of the conference is to build on the Lisbon agenda-declaration by bringing the work implemented at regional level to the attention of policy-makers. The main focus is to examine the best practices with regard to innovation and cluster development.

The conference will examine new ways in which Europe can create regional innovation and growth in the face of the current economic climate, and how we can work together to encourage growth in the global economy. The question: Are there innovative forms of collaboration that can produce the results desired? will be discussed.

The conference is focused on examining best practices in the field of knowledge transfer and development of innovation and clusters, with particular attention to strategies and projects developed within a triple-helix context. The conference will discuss the role of cluster collaboration for sustainable development and highlight challenges and possibilities for the future transport industry.

With an interactive format consisting of key note speeches, round table discussions as well as a series of labs showcasing concrete results of cluster collaboration, the emphasis is put on achieving increased insights in the functioning of clusters and how to achieve successful outcomes, as well as producing recommendations and building alliances for the future.

The Conference (Triple Helix VII) will be held from 17-19 June 2009 at the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. The theme reflects the interaction between academia, the private and the public sector. The Conference will provide a platform for: show-casing best-practice, exploring new models for knowledge transfer and exchange, analysing the complex roles of universities in regional and national development, appraising the success of the third mission of universities; and visioning the future of triple helix alliances in the context of the global agenda for sustainable development.

The conference and exhibition will provide first-hand information about priorities, objectives and participation rules and in special sessions. The topics include, among others: 7th Framework Programme, Structural Funds, Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP).

The IRE workshop 'New Generation of Regional Innovation Strategies' is intended for IRE member regions that developed their innovation strategies long time ago and need readapt their strategies, but also for the regions based in new EU Member Countries that have recently performed RIS projects in order to perceive how their long-term plans of action to enhance regional innovation capabilities might evolve in the future. The event will present examples of regions that are involved in the preparation and implementation of a new innovation strategy, and will examine a number of key issues and trends related to the development of recent Regional Innovation Strategies

A seminar on EU-Japan cooperation 'Clusters and R&D internationalisation' will be held on 29 October in Brussels, Belgium. Intended for managers of Japanese and EU companies and clusters as well as representatives from research and development (R&D) centres and EU and Japanese officials, the seminar aims to:
- inform Japanese and EU companies of the clusters network in the EU;
- get updates on cluster internationalisation and R&D cooperation;
- inform companies of regional and national incentives in specific sectors;
- enable companies to find R&D partners or highly expert subcontractors.

Regional clusters as innovation drivers

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy (DG REGIO) are organising the "Open Days 2008: European Week of Regions and Cities" event, on 6-9 October 2008, in Brussels. The event will host 120 sessions on the following topics: Innovating regions: Promoting research, technological development and innovation, Sustainable development: Regional responses to climate change, Cooperation and networking: Exchange of best practice in regional development, Looking forward: A European cohesion policy for tomorrow.

The International Conference will take place 22-23 September 2008 in Berlin. It aims to provide the participants with information on current development of European cluster initiatives and efficient cluster management policies. Topics that will be covered include: funding of European clusters, new initiatives, management tools for clusters, national programmes and the role of national authorities in regional development. The Conference will bring together important actors of cluster management from public institutions, research institutions, universities and private sector.