European and national officials met in Brussels on 21 May 2026 for the fourth gathering of the European Network of Research & Innovation Authorities of Cohesion Policy and Member States’ Research & Innovation Authorities (RIMA).
The meeting was chaired by Éva-Mária Szávuj from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Eva Nussmueller from the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, and Taňa Hálová Perglová representing the Czech Republic, the Commission informed on Thursday.
Participants discussed access to data on how the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) supports research and innovation, including the Cohesion Open Data Platform, which provides information on ERDF investments by Member State and policy objectives.
The Kohesio website, which includes descriptions of individual projects, was also highlighted as a source for tracking Cohesion Policy spending in research and innovation.
Smart Specialisation and regional innovation tools
The meeting also covered Smart Specialisation (S3) strategies for 2021 – 2027, with “key findings” presented from a recent study on the strategies, the Commission informed.
Smart Specialisation is the EU’s approach to regional innovation planning, where regions identify priority areas for investment.
Updates were presented on the Interregional Innovation Instrument (I3), linked to Smart Specialisation priorities, as well as Regional Innovation Valleys under Horizon Europe — the EU’s research and innovation funding programme.
RIMA includes 17 EU Member States, five associated countries, 11 stakeholder organisations and the Committee of the Regions, and it works under the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2025 – 27.
