The 2012 edition of the Week of Innovative Regions celebrated on 4-5 June in Poland, focused on smart regional development based on knowledge and innovation. The main event of the week was a Conference addressing main current issues related to the effective implementation of EU headline targets at the regional level.

WIRE2012 (the Week of Innovative Regions) focused on this occasion on smart regional development based on knowledge and innovation; it addressed main current issues related to the effective implementation of the Innovation Union at regional level for the next period 2014-2020. The Conference dedicated special attention to the regional dimension as the regions are at the core of the Cohesion Policy and create a significant stakeholders of the EU main documents as the Strategy Europe 2020 and the Horizon 2020. Recently, local and regional authorities highlighted that they could help to achieve an innovative Euro-Mediterranean cohesion policy.

In addition, the delegations discussed how to implement the Innovation Union at the Regional level. Delegations discussed how work innovative regions in the Horizon 2020, it will investigate the role of regions in smart specialisation, the role of cities as innovation hubs, and regional innovation ecosystems within Horizon 2020; Stairway to Excellence that will focus on the future of research and innovation at the regional level, on synergies between Horizon 2020 and the Cohesion Policy, and on smart specialisation in convergence regions and Centres of Excellence; and Networking for ERA at the Regional Level that will discuss the European Territorial Cooperation, networks of clusters, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation, networks of research infrastructure and Multiregional Knowledge Partnerships (e.g. Danube, Baltic).

The event was organised in close cooperation with the European Commission and took place in Krakow, Poland on 4-5 June 2012. WIRE2012 therefore addressed main current issues related to the effective implementation of the Innovation Union at regional level for the next period 2014-2020.