The EIB Institute is supporting the 57th ERSA (European Regional Science Association) Congress “Social Progress for Resilient Regions” to be held from 29 August to 1 September 2017 in Groningen, The Netherlands, and in which EIB Vice-President Pim van Ballekom will participate.

Vice-President van Ballekom will give a keynote speech at the plenary session during the Policy Day on August 31. Other keynote speakers will be Marc Lemaître, Director-General of the department for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), European Commission and Joaquim Oliveira Martins, Special Advisor, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship.

In a world of rapid economic and technological change, resilient regions with sustainable socio-economic structures and institutions are more important than ever for social progress and development.

The ERSA congress will host a large variety of themes in spatial, regional and urban economics, economic geography and regional policy topics like local governance and institutions.

With around 800 participants every year from all continents, the ERSA congresses have become the largest academic conferences in regional science worldwide.

The Institute is an institutional partner of ERSA.