BRIDGE2GEO · Bridging Innovation-driven GIS Research and Development to Create a GEO-Society

The provinces Salzburg (AT) & North Rhine-Westfalia (GE) are collaborating at political level and through economic partnerships. BRIDGE2GEO intensifies the existing links and initiates science-business partnerships within and between the regions in order to enhance S&T-based development. The cross-cutting topic is Geographic Information. Building on earlier joint actions, technological developments & recent trends in advanced visualisation and social interaction in web2.0 will be bridged (social nets, Wikis, Second Life). Within five Strategic Networks the benefit of GI-technology will be brought to different economic sectors with affinity to selected competence priorities of the two regions. Strategies, communication & business models will be elaborated via the challenging “GIS 2.0 window” to promote implementation of GI-services. Special regard will be given to the European GMES initiative. Universities, research institutes and SMEs in both regions are strong players in the standardization initiatives OGC and INSPIRE. In BRIDGE2GEO the regions strengthen their structural support of RTD activities intensifying the role of RTD in EU economic development. Impacts of BRIDGE2GEO are: 1. intra-cluster (science–industry–regional policy) 2. intra-regional (coherent research policies, development of “USPs” in both research and industry, complementing measures within regional structural funds) 3. transnational (structures & instruments for sustainable co-operation & improvement of market access) BRIDGE2GEO will promote synergies between regional and research policies of the two regions. Through intensive involvement of the regional development agencies RTD strategies will be integrated into the economic development strategies as a basis for more focused use of the Structural Funds for R&D activities. SMEs and research will benefit from jointly prepared relations into emerging markets. Collaboration with RTD initiatives in convergence countries will be developed.