There Calabria was inserted by European Commission between Regions recognized as Regional Innovation Valley (RIV) within the scope of New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA). This initiative aims to connect different European regions with different levels of innovation, strengthening innovation ecosystems and improving Europe’s overall innovation performance.
The CLOSER Project: a step forward towards European strategic autonomy
In this context, the Calabria region proposed the CLOSER projectacronym for “Circular raw material for European Open Strategic autonomy on chips and microElectronics Production“. This project was selected for funding under the European Instrument for Interregional Investment in Innovation, aligning with the priorities of the smart specialization strategies (S3).
CLOSER aims to contribute to the production of microchips in Europe through recovery, recycling and reprocessing of raw materials from electronic waste, reducing dependence on imports. The project, with a total budget of 14 million euros, of which 9.8 million financed by European Commissionis the first to answer both the Chips Act that al Critical Raw Materials Act of the European Union. The partnership includes 31 key European actors coming from 18 Regions from 8 different countries, in addition to Switzerland as an associated country.
The strategic importance for Calabria
The importance of this result goes beyond the allocated budget, demonstrating Calabria’s attention towards innovation and industrial experimentation. This project represents a significant step for the Region, which is working on various partnership initiatives to propose the new STEP Program. This program was announced by President of the Council, Roberto Occhiutoduring the Supervisory Committee.
The President Occhiuto underlined the importance of positioning oneself on virtuous paths of growth and competitiveness, highlighting that the development processes of a Region must go beyond traditional production sectors. The President reiterated the need for a broad vision that embraces the new themes and opportunities offered by European markets and institutions. This dossier was followed by the Planning Department of the Calabria Region using exclusively the Brussels office resourcesdemonstrating a change in relational models and an openness to new courses of development.
