The tailor-made, multidisciplinary, geographically balanced and comparative research will aim at exploring the interplay between:

1 – European regions with highly different administrative roles, civil participation, history, culture, creativity and identity.

2 – The application of cohesion, regional and urban policies in the EU, including the subsidiarity aspects and decentralised decision-making and the aims of smart specialisation.

3 – The contribution of regional policies to a positive identification with the value-based European integration project by European societies.

In analysing the potential of EU cohesion, regional and urban policies for fostering a more positive identification with the European project, it is crucial to also incorporate the interplay with regional policy regulatory implementation experiences, both positive and negative. Based on a critical review and assessment of the existing conceptual and methodological background supported by modern creative practice, the research should include a comparative analysis of genuine and innovative case studies from Members States with different current and historical territorial administrative frameworks and regional identities in order to identify the channels by which European regional policies impact the perception of Europe by its citizens. Finally, the research activities should consider the impact and effectiveness of communication efforts related to EU-financed regional development projects.