Brussels, 20/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - In Lyon, on 20 November, the European Commission handed out the first "prizes of excellence for innovative regions" to 15 European regions selected on the basis of their per capita GNP, the level of spending into research and development, infrastructures, the cost of telecommunications, and other criteria. Out of 35 candidates, the Commission selected: Oxford, Karlsruhe, Lyon-Grenoble, Emilia-Romagna, Alpes-Maritimes, Helsinki, Turin, Southern Sweden,...