The economy of knowledge, innovation and competitiveness

Advancing towards the economy of knowledge, improving companies’ competitiveness and helping them have access to new markets, fostering cooperation… supporting the education system, and research and innovation centres of the territory… are some of the Euroregion’s priorities.

The objective of the Strategy is to improve mutual knowledge and communication between companies from the three territories, and the agents and facilitators of research, development, technological innovation (increase cross-border start-ups), training (vocational and university) and employment.

In this field, the Euroregion is working on 3 lines of action:

Research, Innovation and Economic Development

6 key sectors have been identified:

• Aeronautics, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and automobile
• Health / Bio-health, the Silver Economy
• Agriculture and agrifood industry
• Sustainable construction, timber
• Renewable energies
• Marine and coastal resources

In all these fields, we hope to create Euroregional value chains through the “Economy of Knowledge” call for projects.

Reinforcing economic and social cohesion of the cross-border space is also achieved through strategic cooperation. COMPETITIV’EKO proposes 3 cross-border poles (BIG DATA, INNOV’MEDIA and ADDITIVALLEY), and the collaboration among the Chambers of Commerce of the three regions focuses on proximity internationalization.

Employment

We want to develop a Euroregional source of employment that will generate a dynamic zone of economic opportunity both for companies and for the active population of the three territories.

To this end, we have developed the EMPLEO AE European project whose aim is to analyze the cross-border labour reality (diagnosis). We have a communication portal that contains useful information both for the business fabric, and for workers and job seekers. In parallel, we foster close collaboration with the administrations to reduce existing obstacles, and we organize workshops and information days about cross-border employment.

Higher education and vocational training

We are working to give a renewed impetus to cooperation between universities, vocational training centres and other agents from the field of innovation.

We favour a policy aimed at reinforcing collaborations between the 11 universities of the territory. To favour and foster cross-border mobility of students, a “Euroregional grant” has been created, with the idea of completing the Erasmus grant for university students. Further, the collaboration generated with EUSKAMPUS/Bordeaux University guides us in the structuring of a Euroregional campus.

The actions we carry out, within the area of vocational training, are aimed at developing a solid and sustainable cooperation between vocational training centres, and at identifying the obstacles and expectations of the target public. The CoP Transfronteriza strategic cooperation has drafted a Euroregional map, and we are working to accelerate the cross-border mobility of students through the KOMPAR strategic cooperation, as well as through the “Euroregional Citizenship” call for projects.

The purpose of the POCTEFA FORMA-NAEN project is to develop a cross-border vocational training offer.