28/03/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 28 March, the European Commission opened a call for expressions of interest for the European Regional Innovation Valleys which are included in the new European Research Agenda adopted by the Commission on 5 July 2022 (see EUROPE 12986/15). The initiative aims to establish communities of European regions and to strengthen and interconnect research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems in Europe. These communities of regions should help to better exploit the potential of R&I in advanced technology and reduce the disparities in R&I within the EU, notably by improving the coordination of R&I investments and policies. The initiative is supported by the European Committee of the Regions. The Commission hopes to identify 100 innovation valleys. The call is open until 18 September 2023. Link to the call: https://aeur.eu/f/63g (EV)