ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES AGENCESDE DEVELOPPEMENT

Their core work

EURADA is the European network of regional development agencies, bringing territorial governance and regional policy expertise into EU research and innovation projects. They specialize in translating technical research outcomes — in energy, circular economy, and digitalization — into actionable regional development strategies that work for local communities and SMEs. Their core contribution is bridging the gap between EU-level innovation agendas and on-the-ground implementation through their network of development agencies across Europe. They focus on ensuring that technological transitions (energy, digital, circular) account for socio-economic impacts on territories and local populations.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EURADA's early H2020 work (2017-2019) centered on SME innovation support, green public procurement, and establishing frameworks for open and inclusive territorial R&I systems — essentially building the governance architecture for regional innovation. From 2020 onward, they shifted toward applying those governance frameworks to concrete sectoral challenges: the social dimensions of coal region energy transitions, circular economy deployment in agrifood, and accelerating digital innovation hubs. The evolution shows a clear move from designing innovation governance models to deploying them in real transition contexts.

EURADA is moving from policy design toward hands-on deployment of circular and green transition strategies at regional level, making them increasingly relevant for projects that need territorial implementation partners.

How they like to work

EURADA operates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a European network that contributes policy expertise and regional reach rather than leading technical research. With 222 unique partners across 30 countries in just 9 projects, they work in very large consortia (averaging 25+ partners per project), which reflects their strength in multi-actor, multi-regional initiatives. Their value in a consortium is connecting EU-level project goals to a pan-European network of regional development agencies for on-the-ground implementation.

An exceptionally wide network of 222 unique partners across 30 countries from just 9 projects, indicating participation in large-scale pan-European consortia. Their Brussels base and development agency network give them reach into virtually every EU member state.

What sets them apart

EURADA's distinct value is that they are not a research institute or a company — they are the organized voice of Europe's regional development agencies. This gives them something few consortium partners can offer: direct channels to regional authorities and local economic actors across dozens of European territories. For any project that needs to move results from the lab to real-world regional deployment, EURADA provides the institutional bridge that technical partners typically lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FRONTSH1P
  Their largest grant (EUR 393,094) and a flagship circular economy deployment project covering bio-based economy, systemic solutions, and circular governance at territorial scale.
• POCITYF
  A long-running project (2019-2026) on positive energy city transformation, showing deep commitment to urban energy transition with focus on cultural heritage integration.
• ENTRANCES
  Uniquely examines the clean energy transition as a socio-economic-psychological process affecting coal communities — highlighting EURADA's strength in the human dimension of technological change.