THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS - considers it vital to, on the one hand increase the Community research budget and on the other, to better integrate national programmes and the European Research Framework Programme; - states that industrial, social and environmental innovation, together with innovation in services, is crucial for leveraging European competitiveness which will help to strengthen territorial cohesion; - recognises that starting points on innovation vary greatly across Europe, and that regional policies with their own specific characteristics could complement EU research policy in line with smart regional specialisation strategies; - welcomes the efforts made to simplify procedures, such as the publication and update of a "Practical Guide" setting out possibilities for accessing EU funding; - calls for local and regional authorities to be closely involved in the preparation of legal frameworks and funding programmes related to public procurement; - calls for local and regional players to be usefully involved in technology platforms; - notes the potential role of the European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC); - emphasises that cooperation between clusters in the EU is absolutely crucial, but that inter-cluster collaboration at international level should also be encouraged.