ERRIN's Spring Annual General Meeting 2025 focusing on the territorial dimension of the EU’s research and innovation funding landscape post-2027

ERRIN's Spring Annual General Meeting 2025 focusing on the territorial dimension of the EU’s research and innovation funding landscape 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.

Formal business and strategic updates

During the formal business of the AGM, chaired by ERRIN Management Board Co-Chair Joanna Kubiak, members voted to approve the 2024 audited accounts and the 2025 budget. Find the documents on the event page.

Pirita Lindholm, ERRIN Director, then delivered an engaging update of the network's achievements so far, including:

  • The extensive and on-going advocacy for the place-based dimension and an ecosystem approach in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the 10th Framework Programme (FP10), such as the completion of the four-part paper series 'Towards the 10th Framework Programme'
  • ERRIN's activities centred around ERRIN's long-standing network wide priorities: Widening and the EU Missions
  • ERRIN's new Competitiveness Workstream, which facilitates dialogues between members and the EU institutions on the territorial dimension of the EU's new competitiveness initiatives.
  • The new EU projects that ERRIN are strategically positioned in as of 2025, spanning across ERRIN’s priority areas. Find the projects already launched on ERRIN's project page. When all the new projects are launched, ERRIN will do a campaign to inform about the projects and how these will strengthen the role of regions in the EU Missions, support better policy coordination across governance levels and provide opportunities for members to strengthen their regional innovation ecosystems.

Updates from the ERRIN Management Board

Lucia Huertas, Region of Murcia, reporting from the ERRIN Management Board, emphasised the Board’s strategic focus on advocating for a place-based, ecosystem approach in the next MFF and its commitment to mobilising members, strengthening connections with EU institutions and reinforcing ERRIN’s voice at the policy table. Her message to the members was clear: Stay vocal, stay visible and use every available channel and connection to amplify ERRIN's key messages on the next MFF.

Networking reception focusing on the territorial dimension of the EU’s research and innovation funding landscape post-2027

Following the formal proceedings, ERRIN members and their regional stakeholders – many also attending the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice (S3 CoP) Conference the following day – gathered for an evening networking reception alongside friends of ERRIN from European networks and EU institutions. More than a celebration, the reception served as a strategic moment to exchange views on the territorial dimension of EU R&I funding post-2027, while kicking off informal discussions on the future of Smart Specialisation (S3) ahead of the main conference.

Representing the host organisations, Joanna Kubiak, Head of Office (Wielkopolska Region), Lorenza Badiello, Head of Office (Emilia-Romagna Region), welcomed everyone to the reception. With the Commission's proposals for the next MFF around the corner, the reception centred on the territorial dimension of the EU’s research and innovation funding landscape post-2027.

Setting the tone, Lorenza opened her speech by noting the critical decisions ahead:

We find ourselves at a crucial time for the future of Europe, wondering if the upcoming decisions will make our world brighter or darker

In a video message, Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto underscored the urgent need to address the persistent innovation divide between EU countries and regions as a barrier that holds us back from realising our full collective potential. Innovation should not be the privilege of a few, but the promise of all, where every region, no matter its size, has a role to play in building a more competitive and resilient European Union.

Fitto highlighted the critical role of a place-based, territorial approach in ensuring the EU’s response is inclusive and rooted in all regions. He pointed to Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) as a cornerstone of these efforts but noted that further ambition is needed to turn local capacities into global solutions.

He closed by recognising the strategic role ERRIN plays in driving this transformation:

ERRIN is a crucial partner in these efforts. You foster trust and create the foundation for effective cooperation.

Another highlight of the evening was a keynote address by Alexandr Hobza, expert at the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, who reflected on how the next MFF must empower territorial innovation ecosystems to drive competitiveness. His message was clear and forward-looking:

  • Europe’s competitiveness is deeply rooted in its regions – local strengths must be the starting point for EU-wide strategies.
  • Innovation ecosystems, not isolated breakthroughs, are what sustains long-term growth.
  • Enhancing competitiveness isn’t just about more funding – it’s about smarter coordination, stronger connections, and inclusive innovation.

ERRIN at the S3 CoP Conference 2025

The following day, the ERRIN Secretariat alongside many ERRIN members continued the conversation by joining fellow S3 practitioners, experts, policymakers and key stakeholders at the S3 CoP Conference 2025, organised by the European Commission's DG Regio and the S3 CoP Secretariat, where ERRIN is a partner. Discussions focused on the development of the Smart Specialisation policy concept and how it can remain relevant and impactful in a shifting global landscape, with increased priorities centred around European competitiveness. A key input to these discussions was the draft report that ERRIN’s Smart Specialisation Working Group have been working on this spring and will soon publish. The report is based on insights gathered from ERRIN members and reflects ERRIN's key messages on the future of S3. 

Thank you to all our members, partners and friends for these two days of discussion, networking and strategy-building. The core message from the two events is clear: the territorial dimension must stay at the heart of EU R&I policy.