European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme is closely aligned with the Regional Economic Strategy, covering:
innovation
enterprise
sustainable development
sustainable communities.
The key interventions funded by the programme should focus on:
creating more and better jobs
increasing innovation and entrepreneurship
promoting the region and its urban centres as attractive places to live and work.
There is a much smaller amount of funding available to Yorkshire & Humberside (Y&H) than from previous European Union (EU) Programmes. To avoid the programme being spread too thinly to make an impact, it is proposed to target a limited number of interventions with the greatest impact, where market failure is most acute and which use funds as a catalyst for activity which otherwise would not happen. This means larger, fewer and more transformational projects, which tend to have a greater economic impact.
The National Strategic Reference Framework sets out high-level priorities for spending Structural Funds in 2007-2013. The Government has taken a number of general decisions on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes. This includes the identification of three overarching themes that Programmes will need to give attention to:
Enterprise and Innovation, by promoting research, knowledge transfer and
commercialisation, encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting a thriving Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector;
Skills and Employment, building a skilled and adaptable workforce, tackling
disadvantage in the workplace and supporting employment opportunities for all;
Environmental & Community Sustainability, encouraging innovation to support sustainability, ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption and promoting social and economic cohesion in local economies in both urban and rural areas.
There are five priorities, including a specific priority (Priority 4) of relevance to the South Yorkshire phasing-in region only. Each priority contains proposals for targeting of resources, indicative activities and proposals for indicators to measure performance:
Priority 1 - Promoting innovation and Research & Development
To achieve a significant increase in investment in Research & Development and new Technologies by promoting the growth of the knowledge economy through increasing the rate of innovation and use of knowledge within the region’s base, increasing the number of high value added and innovative firms.
Priority 2 - Supporting and stimulating successful enterprise
To promote a more entrepreneurial culture and create a supportive environment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across Yorkshire and Humberside. This will provide integrated packages of support for Small and Medium Enterprises to enable business to grow more quickly by accessing new markets, process improvement and strengthening the management and leadership capacity.
Priority 3 - Sustainable communities
To facilitate better connectivity between people, places and economic opportunities, making the link between strategies for economic growth and social inclusion. The aim is to improve the life chances of those most excluded from the economy.
Agencies will need to work in a co-ordinated and focused way at neighbourhood level. It will include the development of neighbourhood learning plans to bring together key organisations to address employment and learning needs. This is targeted at the poorest neighbourhoods, generally those highlighted as Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) areas, and communities of interest e.g. British Minority Ethnic (BME) and disabled.
Priority 4 - Economic infrastructure for a competitive economy (South Yorkshire Only)
Will focus on physical developments in key urban areas activities supported will include the construction of buildings/premised directly linked to increasing opportunities for targeted businesses under Priority 1 and 2, the construction and improvement of business units, technology facilities, centres of excellence and managed workspace.
Priority 5 - Technical Assistance
This priority finances the management, monitoring and evaluation of the programme to enhance the impact of the programme.
Community Partnership Introduction
