1. Denmark

2. "Innovation and Knowledge" (in Danish: "Innovation og Viden"), Programme under Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

2a. Coverage: The programme covers the whole country.

3. The European Commission approved the operational programme on June 26 2007.
Peripheral areas are to receive at least the same share of funding during this programming period as they did in 2000-2006, ie, approximately one third.

European Community and Member State assistance amounts to 509.577.240 EUR for 2007-2013. Of this, the ERDF Operational programme investment is 254.788.620 EUR, approx. 90% for Lisbon Agenda (growth and jobs) objectives.

4. Aim of support
The Strategy's core targets refer to four "Growth Drivers" seen as crucial to promoting growth. They are listed below, together with the aspects to be addressed during this programming period:

* Human resources

a) targeting supplementary training to meet needs of enterprises

b) improving availability of research-based supplementary training

c) improving executive management education

d) assisting enterprises in planning training

* Innovation:

a) promoting interaction between academia and business/industry community

b) recruiting better qualified staff to enterprises

* Use of New technology (ICT):

a) promoting use of websites for advanced services (e.g. digital products, customer service)

b) promoting e-learning in enterprises

c) promoting wider use of ICT, geographically and in all age groups

* Entrepreneurship:

a) promoting sound growth

b) encouraging spin-offs from academia

c) creating more incubators, to catch up with performance seen in eg.

Finland, US, UK and Sweden.

The Structural Fund contribution is intended to complement the global Danish growth policy and overall national policy, with due consideration to the Lisbon strategy, EU legislation and Danish legislation, notably the Danish Law on Business Development. Funds will be deployed only where there is a lack of national funding, and where such intervention is crucial to improving regional competitiveness.

5. Priorities
ERDF OP
ESF OP
REDS Northern Jutland Region
REDS Mid-Jutland Region
REDS South of Denmark Region
REDS Zealand Region
REDS Capital area Region
REDS Bornholm

The ERDF programme will focus on three of the Growth Drivers identified above, with Innovation given priority. Funding will be divided as follows: Innovation 30%, Use of New Technology 20%, Entrepreneurship 20%, with the balance for technical assistance .

6. Managing authority
Danish Authority for Enterprise and Construction
Head of unit: Preben Gregersen
Vejlsøvej 29
DK-8600 Silkeborg,
Denmark
Tel.: +45 35 46 64 07
E-mail.: pgr@ebst.dk
Web: www.ebst.dk