Programme managers between Etruscan remains and the splendours of the Medici: the 16th IQ-Net meeting at Artimino, Toscana

The 16th meeting of the IQ-Net network was held in Artimino, in the province of Prato, Toscana, Italy, on 8-10 November 2004. The meeting was hosted by Regione Toscana, DG Economic Development, which manages the Toscana Objective 2 Structural Fund programme. It involved more than 50 representatives from the network's partner organisations, the European Commission and a guest from Slovenia. <p> The meeting started with an introductory presentation to the region and its Objective 2 programme on the evening of the 8th. The plenary sessions the following day were launched by the region's Minister for Economic Development, Assessore Ambrogio Brenna, who discussed the region's economic environment and the role played by research, innovation and technological transfer in Toscana's economic development strategy. The discussion then turned to current programming concerns - such as the new programme management and implementation arrangements being introduced following the mid-term reviews - as well as to more strategic issues arising from the Commission's proposals for the 2007-13 period (with a presentation by Professor John Bachtler). <p> Following on from this, the delegates' attention turned to the main theme of the conference: cohesion policy funding for innovation and the knowledge economy, one of the key priorities for the current programming period. Prompted by the presentation by Dr Sara Davies, the plenary discussion was followed up in two parallel workshops. Veronica Gaffey, from DG Regio, also presented findings from the recently concluded mid-term evaluations. <p> The province of Prato is well known for its textile industry, and the study tour on the final day of the meeting reflected the district's industrial specialisation. The group visited Tecnotessile, a reference point for research and technological innovation in firms operating in the textile and textile machinery sectors, and the Museo del Tessuto (Fabric Museum), an industrial archaeology project.