Research projects

With the REGIONALEn, the NRW state government initiated a special format of cooperative regional development 25 years ago. Since its very beginning, the ILS has provided scientific support for this process, which has been successfully continued to this day, and has supported the state government in an advising capacity. The current project ties in with this tradition.

From 2021 to 2023, the ILS will evaluate the overall process of the REGIONALEs - starting with the first REGIONALE up to the three REGIONALEs currently taking place in OWL, BRL and South Westphalia. The REGIONALEs as an instrument are designed to respond flexibly to current needs for action. Changing framework conditions always require and allow an adaptation of the format structure. The accompanying research therefore aims to identify the need for adjustments and corresponding adaptations for the further development of the format. In the first phase of the accompanying research from April to December 2021, the ILS, in close cooperation with the MHKBG, the agencies of the three ongoing REGIONALEn and consulting experts from science and practice, developed a Memorandum 1.0, which was published in April 2022. The memorandum describes the continuous further development of REGIONALEn as an effective instrument of regional structural policy as well as the underlying steering mechanisms. Based on the interim results of the evaluation, Memorandum 1.0 identified initial needs for action that will be analyzed in greater depth in the next phase of the accompanying research (2022-2023) and translated into precise recommendations for action for a possible realignment of the format. These recommendations for action will be published in the form of a Memorandum 2.0.