Wielkopolska Region Brussels Office is a part of the regional administration and represents the region in Brussels. Its main aim is to follow the EU policies and legislation, as well the EU funding programmes and liaise with the relevant partners in the region, including local and regional authorities, universities and research centres, enterprises and civil society organisations. It also represents the interests of the region before the EU institutions and coordinates the work of the Polish delegation in the European Committee of the Regions. The office works closely with other regional representations based in Brussels and is a member of selected regional networks.
Wielkopolska Region is one of the largest regions in Poland and with an area of 30 000 sq. km and a population of 3.4 mln inhabitants. It is a dynamically developing region with a favourable geographical location on the main transport axis between the East and the West. Its strongest industrial sectors include agrifood, machine and electrical engineering, furniture and chemical industry. Wielkopolska strives to support the regional innovation ecosystem by enhancing its research potential and supporting entrepreneurship with a special focus given to the areas of smart specialisations and environmentally sustainable solutions.
rue Montoyer 21
1000 Brussels
Belgium
The current Regional Innovation Strategy was adopted in December 2020 and it presents the region's innovation policy for the period up to 2030. It strives to develop innovation policy based on a systemic approach to boost entrepreneurship, open innovations and internationalisation and respecting sustainable development of the region.
It consists of the following strategic goals:
As well as 2 horizontal goals:
Wielkopolska's 6 areas of regional smart specialisations are:
In addition to the regional areas, the following areas are included in the subregional specialisations: energy-efficient construction; renewable energy sources and modern energy technologies, incl. hydrogen; tourism; aviation and space technologies; textile industry.
The project focuses on implementing regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) in a local context by actively involving local authorities, innovation actors and companies. RELOS3 (From Regional to Local: Successful deployment of the Smart Specialization Strategies) is a unique opportunity to develop local RIS3 strategies.
WEBSITE>‘Compete In’ looks to improve the effectiveness of regions and cities as facilitators of internationalisation processes. The expected outcomes are improvements of internationalisation policies through local action plans and cooperation processes.
WEBSITE>BSW-H2 (Building a support system for high-quality R&D&I projects by developing low and zero-emission technologies, with particular emphasis on hydrogen) project aims to create a framework to implement the entrepreneurial discovery process regarding hydrogen economy solutions. It involves activities in the implementation and support for R&D projects developing low and zero-emission technologies.
The project aims to shape and promote the H2Wielkopolska brand in the area of the hydrogen economy and strengthen the international competitiveness of Wielkopolska's SMEs and industry in the field.
Following our extensive and ongoing advocacy for a place-based dimension and ecosystem approach in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and 10th Framework Programme (FP10), ERRIN was pleased to meet with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, responsible for Research, Innovation and Startups. With the Commission's proposal for the next budget period just around the corner, ERRIN welcomed the opportunity to share insights, gathered from our 120+ regional ecosystems, on how the EU can create the right conditions for R&I to thrive for a competitive Europe post-2027.
On June 17, ERRIN members and regional stakeholders from across Europe gathered in Brussels for the network's Spring Annual General Meeting (AGM) – an opportunity to take stock of recent achievements, reaffirm shared priorities and engage in timely discussions on the territorial dimension of the EU’s research and innovation funding landscape post-2027. This year's AGM was generously hosted by Wielkopolska Region, Emilia-Romagna Region, the Representation of the State of Hessen to the EU and Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and strategically held in connection to the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice (S3 CoP) 2025 Conference, organised the following day in Brussels.
ERRIN alongside several ERRIN Members have joined more than 80 cities, towns, regions and 11 networks across Europe to call for a new era of EU policy making – one that acknowledges local and regional authorities as equal partners in shaping Europe’s future. Initiated by the cities of Malmö (Sweden) and Freiburg (Germany), in their respective roles as ICLEI’s Global and European Presidents, this joint letter emphasises that local and regional governments, who are responsible for implementing nearly 70% of European Green Deal legislation and 60% of climate-related public spending, are pivotal in driving tangible changes and should not be sidelined in European policy processes.
The St Barbara's Secondary School in Chodzież (Wielkopolska Region, Poland) is looking for a partner school in Spain to organise a bilateral student exchange for 20 students in the age 15-18.
The ERRIN high-level event on "Connected regional innovation ecosystems – key for Europe’s competitiveness" took place on 28 January, bringing together Members of the European Parliament and regional voices. We invite you to have a look at the key takeaways from this important meeting.
The consortium is looking for a project partner to cooperate with a project related to digital solutions to foster participative design, planning and management of buildings, neighbourhoods and urban districts under the Horizon Europe programme.