Widening the innovation gap? The outermost regions in the European Research Area

Abstract In their quest for more resilient development models, the European Outermost Regions aim to transition into knowledge economies through a greater integration into the European Research Area. However, some view the advent of a unified research and innovation system as a cause of spatial polarization, leading to a growing “ innovation divide ” and, potentially, to the marginalization of peripheries. The spatial effects of the Framework Programmes have been a topic of ongoing debate, with several institutional publications highlighting the difficulties faced by the Outermost Regions in effectively participating in these programmes due to their geographical characteristics. In the absence of previous evaluation, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of their participation from FP7 to Horizon Europe, using available data from CORDIS, and to evaluate their performance in the programmes through interregional comparisons. Additionally, it aims to investigate the key factors influencing their participation, particularly their positioning within the networks that dominate the programmes, as well as the influence of regional policies. Against the grain of existing narratives, the study reveals a heterogeneous and surprisingly high level of participation, shedding new light on the geographic pertinence and political uses of “ultra-peripherality” and its influence on regional systems. Such uneven performance notably questions the undifferentiated approach that has so far guided EU policies regarding these regions and highlights the need to adopt both tailor-made and evidence-based interventions at the European level, and structural reforms at the regional level, to enable all Outermost territories to fully exploit the opportunities provided by the Framework Programmes and invigorate their research and innovation systems through outward-looking smart specialisation strategies.