The workshop aimed to help cities and regions better navigate the Horizon Europe programme and explore opportunities for participation.

During the workshop, Peter Hošták, GlaCerHub Office Manager, delivered a presentation entitled “Engaging Cities and Regions in Building the GlaCerHub Innovation Ecosystem.” The session provided an overview of the project’s objectives, key activities, and insights from the proposal preparation phase.

The presentation highlighted the important role of cities and regions in strengthening regional innovation ecosystems. Within GlaCerHub, representatives of municipalities and regional authorities are involved in the project’s governance through the Hub Board, contributing to strategic discussions and co-decision-making, even though they are not direct budget beneficiaries.

On the Slovak side, the City of Trenčín and the Trenčín Self-Governing Region actively support the project’s ambitions and, together with Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, have formalised their commitment through a Memorandum of Cooperation. On the Czech side, the City of Brno and the South Moravian Region have also expressed their support for the implementation of GlaCerHub. Together, these commitments strengthen cross-border collaboration in innovation and regional development and underline the shared ambition to build a strong and sustainable innovation ecosystem.

Through their involvement, cities and regions gain more than symbolic partnership. GlaCerHub offers them a platform for strategic co-decision-making within the Hub Board, participation in Local Hub Chapters, access to training and capacity-building activities, and opportunities to engage in international networking events such as Melting Days. The project also strengthens their connections to research institutions, innovation centres, and businesses, enhancing their ability to align regional strategies with European innovation initiatives.

Peter Hošták also highlighted the important role of regional innovation organisations such as JCMM Brno, JIC Brno, and the Creative Institute Trenčín, which closely cooperate with public authorities and contribute to the development of strong regional innovation ecosystems.

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