l.parks@westernmorningnews.co.uk

A £2 million European-funded programme which aims to develop an economic development model with universities at its heart is being launched in Cornwall today.

The launch of the University Collaboration in Regional Development Spaces (UNICREDS) scheme will be attended by delegates from countries including Hungary, Bulgaria and Finland when it is launched at New County Hall, in Truro, by Cornwall Council leader Alec Robertson.

Cornwall Council has been appointed to lead the scheme, which will aim to devise an economic development model using multi-centred universities, such as Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), as a catalyst for regeneration in peripheral parts of Europe.

Universities and local authorities from seven parts of Europe are taking part in the scheme including Scotland, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Hungary.

The project is being funded through the European Regional Development Fund, with each of the countries involved contributing some money through a match funding arrangement.

Updates on the progress of the three-year project will be given by five conferences, hosted in different parts of Europe, including a final event at the end of 2012, which will take place in Cornwall.

Councillor Carolyn Rule, Cornwall Council's cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: "UNICREDS is all about sharing information between European countries to help drive forward the role of universities in boosting regional economies.

"It is an exciting and important programme for both Cornwall and Europe."

CUC director Dr Sue Brownlow said: "Thanks to EU investment through Objective One and Convergence, Cornwall has pioneered a radical new approach to university education over the past decade, with the specific aim of using higher education to drive economic regeneration.

"We have learned a great deal along the way, but we are still navigating uncharted territory, so the opportunity to look in detail at how others have tackled similar challenges is welcome.

"I am particularly looking forward to sharing experiences of how universities and colleges can play a key role in supporting small businesses, which is an area where we have made progress but would like to achieve far more."

UNICREDS project manager Nicolas Wallet said: "UNICREDS brings together regions from across Europe, including Cornwall, that share similar characteristics – for example their geographical location and distance from key areas of economic activity, their population demographics or decline of traditional industries.

"The aim is to develop a model for regional development that is integrated into local, regional, national and EU policy structures."

Throughout the project, partners will share their knowledge and experiences with the aim of developing an economic development model and then lobbying for its implementation by the European Commission.

Fifty people are expected to attend the launch event this morning, with speakers including Dr Denis Gartside, of University College Falmouth, and Zoltán Karácsonyi, director of the centre for environmental management and policy at the University of Debrecen, in Hungary.

After the event, a selection of delegates were taken on a tour of the Tremough Campus, near Falmouth.