Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology 12th November nd Brussels Workshop on the Future of the European Cohesion Policy IT-Offensive Oberpfalz as a Bavarian Best-Practice Example Armin RUDOLPH Managing Authority for the ERDF Operational Programme Bavaria 2007 – 2013

Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology  Overall Objectives of the Bavarian OP:  Creation of equal (not uniform!) living and working conditions throughout Bavaria  Strengthening of competitiveness, sustainable growth and employment in particular in the border and structurally weaker areas  Regional Orientation:  60 % of the budget dedicated to the three administration regions close to the border to the Czech Republic (27 % of population)  Munich region excluded  Structure of the Bavarian OP (EU contribution: 576 million €, total investment: million €)  PA 1: Innovation and knowledge-based economy (115 million €; 20 %)  PA 2: Competitiveness and employment of SMEs (174 million €; 30 %)  PA 3: Sustainable urban development (103 million €; 18%)  PA 4: Risk precaution and resource protection (94 million €; 16%)  PA 5: Sustainable economic development of the border areas (84 million €; 15 %)  PA 6: Technical assistance (5,6 million €; 1%) ‘Operational Programme Bavaria 2007 – 2013 ERDF’ under the RCE objective

Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology Operational Programme Bavaria 2007 – 2013 ERDF: Promotion of IT-activities  IT-cluster projects:  IT-cluster is one of 19 Bavarian-wide cluster platforms co-financed with regional funds  ERDF-funds can be used for cooperation projects emerging from the cluster work  Only support of projects in cooperation of SMEs and R&D-institutions outside the Munich area  Initial Funding of applied sciences in research institutions:  Application range: nano, microsystems, information and communication technology  Mainly for university institutions who want to cooperate with especially SMEs  Additional funds for Bavarian technological programmes:  R&D-program IuK (information and communication) – more software-oriented  R&D-program MST (microsystems technology) – more hardware-oriented  only SMEs can benefit  50 % of the funds must be used in the three eastern administration districts  Promotion of technology-based founders:  Support of regional IT-initiatives  Focus on rural structurally weaker areas

Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology Best-practice examples from Bavaria: IT-Offensive Oberpfalz  Background information:  Administration district Oberpfalz is mainly a structurally weaker area with Regensburg as a growth pole  Existing well-introduced regional IT-cluster in Regensburg (technology and founder center, business support for start-ups, creation and management of IT-networks like the Bavarian IT Security and Safety Cluster)  Funding project: IT initiative Upper Palatinate  Expand the activities of the Regensburg IT-cluster to the whole Oberpfalz and stimulate the founding of IT-start-ups  Total cost: mio. € (50 % ERDF funding, 50 % by the city of Regensburg)  Duration: – (option for prolongation until the end of 2013)  Objectives:  120 start-ups in the IT-sector  over new jobs

Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology Best-practice examples from Bavaria: IT-Offensive Oberpfalz  Main activities:  Recruiting potentail IT-founders  Providing office workspace for students in the pre-seed phase  Business consultancy service  Establishing contacts to experts, investors and clients  Creating IT-networks with founders and established companies  Enabling networks to qualify for nation- or EU-wide programmes  Results:  15 start-ups already identified  17 seminars for potential start-ups held  Effects:  Support of a structurally weak area (according to cohesion policy)  Transfer of good-practice from a well-developed to an underdeveloped area  IT-project in line with EU-policy (Lisbon-strategy, innovation etc.)  Promotion of an initiative with little chances of other funding in the early stage