EPRC was well represented at the European Conference of the Regional Studies Association held in Tampere, Finland, on 5-7 May 2013.
In the first plenary session, John Bachtler discussed the implications of the current reform of Cohesion policy for the future use of Structural and Cohesion Funds in the next programme period. His paper 'Can Cohesion policy meet expectations in 2014-20' asked whether the policy reforms were losing sight of the core objective of the policy and whether the shared management system and funding should be reconsidered.
David Charles presented a paper on Regional innovation leadership and the evolution of institutions in North East. This examined the role of individuals as institutional entrepreneurs in the development and interpretation of innovation policies.
Steve Miller presented a paper about the anticipated role of Strathclyde's new Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) in Scotland. This focussed on the integration challenges which the TIC will face, and the strategic considerations it must account for in order to achieve success.
Kaisa Granqvist presented a paper on Financial Engineering Instruments in Cohesion Policy. She studied the ways in which Financial Engineering Instruments strive to deliver Cohesion Policy objectives through two case studies, Finland and Sweden.