The EoRPA Consortium is a group of government ministries and agencies from eleven European countries which fund a research programme on regional policy developments in the EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland. The research includes an ongoing comparative assessment of changes in regional policy, set in the context of the EU Regional Aid Guidelines and the EU Structural and Investment Funds. The Consortium also funds thematic studies on selected regional policy issues.

It was established in October 1978 when government departments responsible for regional policy in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom decided to fund a comparative study of regional incentive policy in the European Community. The focus of the research was on policy change and the reasons for change over time, with the aim of gaining comparative policy lessons. In addition, an annual meeting of senior policymakers from the sponsoring countries was held to facilitate the exchange of views on policy developments in an informed yet informal atmosphere.

The first annual meeting was held in January 1980; the 2017 meeting will be the 38th annual meeting.

The European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) is a leading institute in Europe for comparative research on public policy, with a particular focus on regional development policies. Established in 1978, EPRC is part of the School of Government & Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, whose research and scholarship are very highly ranked in the UK’s periodic Research Excellence Framework assessment of higher education institutions. Spanning 30 European countries, EPRC research programmes have a strong emphasis on applied research and knowledge exchange, including the provision of policy advice to EU institutions and national and sub-national government authorities throughout Europe.