Written - Project Approvals for the European Structural Funds Programmes 2007–2013

Last week (25 February 2008) in Brussels, I announced the first projects to be awarded European funding under the Convergence ERDF and ESF programmes 2007–2013 for West Wales and the Valleys.

Almost £50 million (including almost £23 million ERDF grant) will be invested by the Welsh Assembly Government in two new Knowledge Exploitation and Technology Transfer projects to help around 2,500 Welsh businesses benefit from research and development (R&D) in Welsh universities and further education, turning cutting-edge ideas and new technologies into commercially viable products. They will also help provide key academic staff with the commercial and innovative skills to equip them for the 21st Century, so that Wales can compete even more successfully on the world stage.

The projects will enable higher and further education to develop a culture of enterprise by strengthening their R&D capability and collaborative working with businesses and other partners to promote technological developments, share ideas and develop these into new exciting business opportunities.

Both of the projects will build on the investments made through Objective 1 Innovation and Technology projects, including the Knowledge Exploitation Fund (KEF) and Centres of Excellence in Technology and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC), which have already helped thousands of entrepreneurs and raised the level of R&D undertaken by Industry in Wales. Furthermore, with the current KEF activities coming to an end in June / September this year, these recent project approvals therefore mean that we are now in a very favourable position to hit the ground running, with the new projects expected to be fully operational this April.

I am also pleased to announce today (3 March 2008), that the Assembly Government will be investing around £60 million (including around £30 million of ESF grant) in the Convergence area to help up to 22,500 unemployed and economically inactive adults, including young people classed as NEET (Not in education, employment or training), gain the appropriate skills to move into employment.

The ‘Skillbuild’ project, also previously supported under Objective 1, will deliver structured preparatory work-related and skills training, including Basic Skills and NVQs, via workplace assessments and centre-based support to an increased number of adults and young people. It will also pilot new approaches to delivery and provision, which will focus on getting the systems right, supporting the development of more and improved skills related provision, and providing enhanced learning and personal support to enable young people and adults to move closer to the labour market.

These project approvals mark a considerable achievement for partnership working in Wales, which is essential if we are to achieve a greater focus on a stronger, strategic approach for the Structural Funds programmes 2007–2013, improved implementation arrangements and less duplication of activities. Since the summer of 2007 partners have been sharing their project ideas via the Welsh European Funding Office website and there has been wide spread collaborative planning and discussions among stakeholders across Wales; 140 of these project ideas are moving towards assessment.

More project approvals are anticipated soon, including those from local government, higher education, the voluntary sector and the private sector, which are moving quickly through the implementation arrangements that have been established to ensure that the Structural Funds in Wales are properly spent and accounted for.

The significant progress being made with the new programmes also complements another important Structural Funds achievement. Earlier this week in Brussels, the OpTIC Technium in St Asaph, North Wales was announced as the winner of a prestigious European Commission ‘Regiostars’ award for regional development and innovation.

Seventy-one projects across Europe were submitted for the Regiostars awards, 26 of which received nominations with only 5, including OpTIC Technium actually winning their class. Winning this honour is the equivalent of the OSCAR for regional development and it marks a significant achievement for Wales and our partners, and supports our increasing confidence that there will be many more achievements for the Structural Funds programmes in Wales yet to come during the years through to 2014.