Creating Innovation Strategy in Bilateral Environment

Due to the European Union (EU) accession of our countries the trans-regional collaborations become more and more fashionable way of networking. Those factors like the significant financial assistances of the EU (through the Territorial Cooperation Actions: INTERREG; and the Joint Research Programmes: FP6 and 7) and the decreasing political, economic importance of the borders (as Schengen Agreement came in to force) jointly result in more and more trans-regional and even trans-national programmes in Central Europe as well. The cooperation in the field of regional development and innovation among regions is essential in such a part of the EU as Central Europe. In the NORRIS Project North Hungary and Košice region collaborated with the financial and methodological assistance of the EU in order to create Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) both separately and jointly. In this paper the methods and process of the strategy building and experiences of the almost completed project have been summarized. This project represents a unique opportunity to test and implement the RIS process in a cross border environment, which greatly assist the construction of a European area of research and development where cross border linkages between SMEs and research structures are greatly facilitated. The conclusions of many RIS projects frequently comment on the lack of regional linkages, the difficulties of internationalization etc, the NORRIS project will therefore provide the EU with a pilot project that tackles head on some of the most important issues confronting the EU today, using innovation and technology as a means of breaking down these barriers