Interregional Exchange in Lille

Partners met in Lille on 7-8 February 2024 for an informative 2-day programme of interregional exchange. Host partner Hauts-de-France Regional Council organized a busy agenda of presentations and site visits to illustrate aspects of programs and activities in the region’s SME support ecosystem.

On the first day, attendees were welcomed by representatives of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council and by Erwin Siweris, Interreg Europe’s Programme Director. The morning’s speakers described a range of public initiatives and private organizations supporting regional businesses as well as some good practices. In the afternoon, the partners were inspired by visits to Euratechnologies, a thriving startup incubator and accelerator, and to the CITC – European Digital Innovation Hub.

The next day, the group met at the offices of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lille, learning about the activities and projects promoted by the Chamber.

InnoCom foresees an intensive cooperation between partners and their stakeholders; this meeting demonstrated the value of stakeholder involvement, through the presentations by Hauts de France stakeholders and visits to some of their premises. Further, the impact of the meeting was multiplied thanks to the participation of stakeholders from partner regions who travelled to participate in the meeting.