Strasbourg, 22 February 2010

Today, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) launches its 5th Innovation Award. Since 2006, AER awards Europe’s most innovative regions.

In 2009, the Regions of Slaskie (P) and Västra Götaland (S) have received this prestigious prize from the hands of AER President Michèle Sabban. “These regions symbolise Europe’s future: they identified their potential and developed a strategy that helped them reaching new frontiers, achieving new performances, developing new concepts. This is a Europe of innovative regions, this is a Europe of dynamic territories, this is our Europe, the Europe AER has been fighting for since its creation”Mrs Sabban underlined. The region of Heraklion (GR) was also honoured with a special recognition prize.

This year, AER calls for all European regions to come and apply to the award, with always more daring, ambitious, innovative projects. The prize will be awarded at AER General Assembly in Istanbul on 11-12 November 2010, which will be dedicated to research and development.

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