Showcasing Innovative Greece

Abstract

The ability of regional economies to withstand competition and to manage change is related to their capacity to innovate. The increasing importance of knowledge in determining economic performance places innovation high on the regional development agenda. The Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions are seen as a catalyst which gives regions an opportunity to try more adventurous actions that are often otherwise postponed or ignored. It is particularly important for the least-developed regions, such as, among others, the thirteen Greek regions, that they have the chance to experiment in fields outside the norm of their structural funds programmes and develop greater co-operation and networking with more developed regions. The second publication of the Greek Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions, entitled Regional Innovation Excellence in Greece, deals thoroughly with the programmes themselves, notably by presenting a comprehensive inventory of each individual action as well as attempting to produce their first clustering categorisation. Clusters represent a different way of dividing the regional economy. Cluster policy is a ‘mature’ policy area in some countries, and one that is emerging in others.