Board of Regions

Regional authorities around Europe are now undertaking the process of developing and updating their Regional Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3) strategies for the upcoming Programming Period 2021-2027 and this is a crucial time to raise awareness on the potential role of CNH within such strategies.

The RURITAGE Board of Regions is composed of European regional authorities that have an interest in understanding how to integrate Cultural and Natural Heritage into their Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3), contributing to achieving sustainable growth in their territories. The collaboration of project partners with the RURITAGE Board of Regions aims at boosting the integration of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) with Regional Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3).

While RURITAGE organized an open Dialogue Breakfast webinar in November 2020, initiating a discussion around the potential relevance of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) within the upcoming regional innovation strategies (full webinar recordings here and report here), the selected regional authorities are having now the opportunity to receive, discuss and improve recommendations regarding Cultural and Natural Heritage integration into Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3), learning from other regions, and having the possibility of networking and exchanging with each other.

Specifically, regional representatives selected for the RURITAGE Board of Regions will be asked to join an online workshop to discuss Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) integration into Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3) that will take place in fall 2021.

In addition, RURITAGE will invite the selected regions (up to 30 participants) to join the RURITAGE final conference at expense of the project. The final conference, if the COVID-related restrictions will allow it, will take place at the UNESCO premises in Paris in May/June 2022. Eligible beneficiaries for the Call for Regions are regional authorities from the EU Member States and non-EU member states.

The Call for Board of Regions was open on the 22nd of April 2021. 20 Regions were finally selected by the RURITAGE consortium. See below under Outcomes of Selection for a full overview of the Regions.

The selected regions are listed below:

• Government of Canary Islands, Spain
• Junta de Castilla y León, Spain
• Údarás na Gaeltachta, Ireland
• Region of Crete, Greece
• Southern Regional Assembly, Ireland
• Galati, Romania
• Government of the Azores, Portugal
• Regional Development Agency West, Romania
• Saint-Martin, France
• Assessore Cultura e Paesaggio – Regione Emilia-Romagna, Italy
• Northern & Western Regional Assembly, Ireland
• Hauts-de-France Region, France
• Office of the Regional Government of Carinthia, Austria
• Opolskie Centre for Economy Develompent/Opolskie Voivodeship, Poland
• Strategická rada regionu Broumovsko (Strategic Board of Broumov Region), Czechia
• Gobierno de Aragón, Spain
• Regional Development Agency “Centru”, Romania
• Region Västra Götaland, Culture Development Department, Sweden
• Regione Marche, Ancona
• North-East Regional Development Agency, Romania