ERNACT members have virtually met for the second time this year. The next EU programming period 2021-2027 is around the corner and the network is getting ready to continue cooperating towards the digital transformation of ERNACT cities and regions. The virtual session took place in two different sessions, on the 17th and 18th November, to review progress in approving the new EU programmes and the new digitalisation projects, to discuss how the network is responding to the impact of COVID-19 on operations and welcome ERNACT's new member, the Irish
Gaeltacht region.
A major focus of the session was the revision and discussion of the evolution of the EU programmes for the period 2021 - 2027 that can assist member regions and cities in their digital transformation efforts, with a special focus on the proposed new
Digital Europe programme. ERNACT partners have identified a series of digital transformation priorities and needs and some project ideas were brought into the interregional discussion,
an update of the exercise started during the Interrional Management Committee meeting that took place in Brussels in 2019. With this initial picture, ERNACT members will now focus on reviewing more in depth Digital Foundations, Digital Innovation, Digital Transformation Technologies and Smart City & Region categories, including, Digital Innovation Hubs, disruptive technologies (AI, VR, IoT) and smart energy, among others.
On this occasion, some guests joint the online session. These attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the procedures of the network and, at the same time, they were invited to share their views on the next EU programming period. Among them, David Minton and Brendan Mooney, Director and EU Programmes Executive of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (Ireland); Aitor Mintegui, representative of the Delegation of the Basque Country to the EU; Hannu Koponen, representative of the West Finland European Office; and as a guest speaker, Jeannette Nilsson, AI Ecosystem Driver at RISE Research Institute of Sweden, in Luleå. Miss Nilsson gave a presentation on the new Digital Europe Programme and shared her views on the future opportunities.
Finally, ERNACT reflected on how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the work of the network and its constituent regions and how we are adjusting to it. Members also reviewed project management status, administration activities and the Communication Plan for the next period. Furthermore, the new virtual ERNACT office was presented to core partners, an innovative space (developed by Laval Virtual World, France) in which members will discover how the experience of meeting feels using virtual reality tools.