ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I discuss the long-term effect of the Programme for Regional R&D and Innovation (VRI-programme) in the Agder region. The programme is also presented in Chapters 2 and 3 in this book, and referred to in other chapters. It has been discussed in several academic texts, i.e. Johnsen and Ennals (2012) and Johnsen, Knudsen and Normann (2014). The programme was initiated in the mid-2000s, following the discussions on globalisation during the 1990s. In practical terms, these discussions led in Norway (as in many other European countries) to new perspectives on regional development, with emphasis on regional advantages. The idea behind this is that regions have their own characteristics, and contribute to development differently. There is local knowledge that will be better utilised by means developed locally, compared to general policy tools developed at a national level. In theoretical terms the turn towards regionalisation was an answer to the ongoing discourse on globalisation at the start of the millennium, as outlined in the chapters in the first part of this book.
