Policy and Research
Policy Submissions/Reports
Over the past ten years the BMW Regional Assembly has been involved in the development, advocacy and articulation of regional development policy. Policy papers have been prepared in response to EU, national and regional public consultations, for meetings with An Taoiseach and Government Ministers as well as for a range of policy issues. All policy papers can be viewed in the Policy and Research Section of the BMW Regional Assembly's website: www.bmwassembly.ie
Major Research Reports
Audit of Innovation in the BMW Region
An Audit of Innovation of the BMW Region was commissioned under the 2002-2004 BMW Regional Programme of Innovative Actions (see European Programmes for more details) due to the significant gap in the level of technological innovation and research and development activity in the Region. The objective of this research was to help policy makers gain a greater understanding of the issues of competitiveness, research and technological adaptation and organisational change that was occurring in the BMW Region.
This research involved the development of a profile of the Region’s innovation levels, as well as benchmarking these levels against best practice elsewhere. The final report established a series of recommendations and pilot actions aimed at stimulating levels of entrepreneurship and in-company innovation in the BMW Region. The Audit of Innovation report has been widely cited and its findings were used extensively in subsequent studies and submissions by a wide range of public bodies and higher education institutions. It was launched by the Minister for Finance, Mr. Brian Cowen, T.D., on November 22nd 2004.
New Challenges New Opportunities BMW Regional Foresight Exercise 2005-2025
The report of the Border, Midland and Western Regional Foresight Exercise set out a twenty-year vision which detailed investment priorities for the BMW Region to complement the objectives of Ireland’s National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020 (NSS). This research was funded under the 2002-2004 BMW Regional Programme of Innovative Actions (see European Programmes for more details). Ten immediate investment priorities were identified as well as the measures and actions required in order to achieve the objectives as set out in the report. The report now forms a framework for investment in the BMW Region and was launched by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Dick Roche, T.D., on September 13th 2005.
Gateway Development Index 2008
The Gateway Development Index (GDI) which was commissioned in 2008 by the BMW and the S&E Regional Assemblies, examines the economic and social progress of the nine Gateways as identified under the NSS. These Gateways, five of which are located in the BMW Region, are identified as key catalysts to stimulate regional growth and their development is central to realisation of the regions’ potential. The Index examined a suite of indicators and the findings of this study were published and launched in April 2009. This is a significant piece of work and is the only report to date which examines in detail how Ireland’s Gateways are functioning against their roles as set out in the NSS. The GDI will be repeated again in 2010 in line with the mid-term review of the Regional Operational Programmes and the National Development Plan, and in 2013 at the conclusion of these programmes.
