European Award for Innovative Regions
And the Winners are: Aragón (E), Vorarlberg and Steiermark (A)

The Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia-I and the Assembly of European Regions (AER) have issued the 1st European Award for Innovative Regions. This Prize aims at honouring European Regional Authorities' actions, which have stimulated, fostered and implemented innovation in their territory. Its goal is to promote best practices, as well as to demonstrate how regions can contribute to regional economic welfare.

The 2007 Winners of this competition are the Spanish Region of Aragón with the project 'Innov100: starting Innovation activities in 100 companies', and two Austrian Länder, Vorarlberg with its ' Office for future related issues' project and Steiermark with the 'Regional Internationalisation Strategy' project.
A total of 18 regions handed in their applications, among them 11 applied from Western Europe, 7 from Eastern European countries within and outside the European Union. The topics covered a wide range of activities, from promoting the entrepreneurial spirit to internet projects and the setting up of new structures to foster innovation.

Riccardo Illy, President of Friuli Venezia Giulia and President of the AER, together with Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, the Italian Minister for Economics and Finances, will officially grant the European Award for Innovative Regions to the three winners in the framework of the international fair on creativity, knowledge and ideas 'InnovAction' starting on Thursday, February 15th in Udine-I.

The international Jury was composed by the Secretary General of the AER, Klaus Klipp, Isaac Getz, Professor for Innovation Management at the European School of Management in Paris as well as of Professor Peter Heydebreck, founding partner and Managing Director of the innogroup AG in Karlsruhe.
 
The full list of the projects can be emailed on request s.vonhayek@a-e-r.org

The Assembly of European Regions-AER (www.a-e-r.org) is the political organisation of Regions in Europe and their spokesperson at European and international level. Its vocation is to defend the Regions' interests In the political process and develop interregional cooperation. AER brings together 250 Regions from 32 European Countries and 14 interregional organisations.