On 23 July, the first meeting of the Coordination Committee, bringing together the partners of the EUROACE Cross-Border Cooperation Observatory, took place at the University of Beira Interior (Covilhã).
The main objective of the EUROACE Observatory is to generate standardised data and carry out studies on cross-border flows and content, projections, etc., which will help the authorities in the three regions to assess the impact of their actions, identify new challenges and potential opportunities, and formulate cross-border development policies for the future. Furthermore, the data obtained will be made available to stakeholders, businesses and the general public, helping to democratise information so that it is of use to the entire population.
During the session, the topics for the five studies to be undertaken in the second half of 2026 within the project’s research areas were defined (Entrepreneurship and innovation: Barriers and drivers of spin-offs in the EUROACE region; Institutional aspects and public policies supporting entrepreneurship in a cross-border context; Creative entrepreneurship in the EUROACE region / Economy and energy: Energy transition in the EUROACE region / Competitiveness: University–industry collaboration and its impact on innovation ecosystems in the EUROACE region). Furthermore, cross-border teams were formed comprising researchers from the three universities, those responsible for each task were identified, and a schedule of deliverables was established.
The EUROACE Cross-Border Cooperation Observatory, led by the Directorate-General for European Affairs and External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, and involving the Universities of Extremadura, Évora and Beira Interior, is a project co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) programme 2021–2027.
