#OCTA Innovation in the EU’s Overseas Countries and Territories moves up a gear

The drive for Innovation in the European Union's Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) has moved up a gear following the finalization of innovation strategies drawn up by Individual OCTs under the OCTA Innovation project. 

Innovation strategies in each OCT detail the innovation landscape, the scope for innovation by sector and outline action plans to achieve the new goals. The strategies are a key feature of OCTA Innovation, a four-year EU-funded project that is leveraging economic diversification and improved regional and global competitiveness in the EU's inhabited OCTs. Among other places, Greenland, Curaçao, Anguilla, French Polynesia and the Cayman Islands.

Innovation Managers, appointed by the governments of the respective OCTs at the start of the project in April 2014, have been in the driving seat of all of the project's activities. OCTA Innovation Team Leader, Milan Jezic von Gesseneck said: "All segments of society in the OCTs were involved in drawing up the strategies-government, public bodies, businesspeople, academics, scientists, banks, investors, NGOs and individuals from every sector - agriculture, construction, the creative industry, energy, financial services, fisheries, food processing, IT, administration, tourism, trade and transport."

"A great job has been done, but a lot of the work to apply innovation strategies lies ahead. Progress made thus far shows that OCT governments understand the crucial importance of innovation for their countries, and are ready to make the systemic innovation undertaking required to implement innovation across all segments of the economy and society" he added.

In parallel with actions to develop systemic innovation, the project is directly funding innovation initiatives. It has already secured 1.5 € million of EU funding for pilot projects as a first step towards implementing the strategies. "The European Union understands the importance of keeping the momentum of our innovation strategies" said von Gesseneck.

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