On Tuesday 29 April, the European Commission launched its ‘preparatory action’ to support innovative policies in the regions, entitled ‘Innovation for place-based transformation’. The programme involves 200 EU territories or national and local authorities in third countries associated with the European Horizon Europe programme. Working directly with the Joint Research Centre (JRC), these participating regions will develop their own experimentation journey, with the goal of producing a policy outcome. For example, the Ostrobothnia region in Finland will be exploring regulatory sandboxes to advance their efforts to achieve ‘net zero’ emissions. Malta will also be working to establish a more resilient food system, focused on sustainability and security for both consumers and producers. (LM)