The European Commission has identified a number of regions, including Calabria, as Regional Innovation Valleys (RIV), as part of the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA).
What are the Regional Innovation Valleys: there is also Calabria
By bringing together a range of regions across Europe with different levels of innovation and connecting their key players, RIVs aim to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems, bridging the innovation gap and improve Europe’s overall innovation performance.
Don’t miss our updates, follow our channel Telegram: GO TO THE CHANNEL
In this scenario, in recent months, the Calabria Region has proposed the CLOSER project “Circular raw materiaLs for European Open Strategic autonomy on chips and microElectronics pRoduction”which was selected for funding under the European Instrument for Interregional Investment in Innovation, according to the priorities of the smart specialization strategies (S3).
The innovative Calabrian idea: producing microchips through the recovery of electronic waste
CLOSER has the objective of ccontribute to the production of microchips in Europe through the recovery, recycling and reprocessing of raw materials from electronic wastethus reducing the dependence on the import of raw materials in strategic sectors for European industry.
TO KNOW MORE: How much (and how) a season of innovation is important for Calabria
With a budget of 14 million euros, of which 9.8 million are financed by the European Commission, CLOSER is the first project that responds simultaneously to both the Chips Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act of the European Union. The partnership, directly participated by the Calabria Region, is composed of 31 key European actors (SMEs, large companies, clusters, research centers and universities, as well as circular economy facilitators) from 18 European regions of 8 different countries, in addition to Switzerland as an associated country.
Europe: innovation and industrial experimentation can be done in Calabria
The importance of this result, which goes well beyond the allocated budget, shows the attention that Calabria places towards new areas of innovation and industrial experimentation. This process must necessarily correlate with all the partnership initiatives that the Region is putting in place to arrive at the notification proposal for the establishment of the new STEP program, already announced at the Supervisory Committee by the President of the Council, Roberto Occhiuto.
Occhiuto: «a Region that participates in development processes»
The same president Eyed, in commenting on the news, observed how «today a Region like Calabria, which has the ambition of placing itself within virtuous growth paths, has the obligation to be an active, or rather proactive, part towards the proposal of new areas in which to face the challenges of competitiveness. The processes of growth and attractiveness of a Region must be calibrated well outside the traditional boundaries of traditional production sectors. There is a need to give, and have, a broad vision that lands on the new themes and new opportunities that the European markets and institutions offer.”
Now we are also upWhatsappDon’t miss our updates: GO TO THE CHANNEL
Again, President Occhiuto wanted to highlight the fact that «this dossier was entirely followed by the Programming Department making use exclusively of the resources of our headquarters in Brussels, participating there in Belgium in the preliminary meetings, in the lobbying activities and in everything that was necessary to reach the result. I want to highlight this aspect because it is the sign of a Region that is changing, that is re-evaluating relational models, and that is opening up to new courses of development.”
