The GRIDS project is closely linked to previous EU initiatives, including both the INTERREG IIC projects on spatial planning, and the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP 1999) which identified principles of good practice in preparing Regional Development Strategies (e.g. polycentric rather than monocentric development). The GRIDS project involves sharing good (and bad) practice in preparing Regional Development Strategies. The interest in this subject is considerable and closely linked to EU Structural Funds. Achievements: Achievements so far GRIDS involved 7 partners from 5 partner lands and was led by Cardiff University in Wales. The project started in January 2004 and ran until December 2005. The overall objective of the operation was to examine good practice in relation to instruments of regional development and spatial planning in an enlarged EU. The main output of the project was a set of good practice guidelines on the subject. Information on the various approaches in the different partner lands was collected via 4 thematic templates. Partners filled in the templates on approach and process, content, principles and implementation of regional development strategies. The themes were then discussed at a series of 4 thematic workshops. The workshops in Ireland, Wales and Flanders took place in 2004 and the final thematic workshop took place in Lithuania early in 2005. The workshops gave partners a detailed insight into the approaches adopted in the other partner lands and enabled comparisson between approaches. As well as discussing the templates a number of stakeholders from the host region were invited to participate and various regional development related projects were visited. After the thematic workshops there was a synthesis workshop in Latvia in April where a synthesis of the good practice was presented and discussed. A revised draft of the guidelines was then prepared on the basis of these discussions. The guidelines were circulated to partners and other stakeholders before being presented to a much wider group of stakeholders at international conferences in Latvia (October) and Wales (November). Ultimately activities attracted participants from numerous non-partner organisations and countries. 4 Welsh associate partners joined the operation and 11 national, 13 regional and 20 local organisations as well as 9 universities and 5 other stakeholer organisations particpated in activities. The non-partner organisations were from partner lands as well as from Scotland, England, Portugal, Germany, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, Russia, Poland and China. The project website can be viewed at www.interreg-grids.org. An academic book based on the findings of the project will be published by Ashgate in summer 2006. 2 successful seminars have been organised to co-incide with the workshops at universities in Lithuania and Flanders. The GRIDS team have always been strongly committed to involving students in line with the principle of the students of today being the planners of tomorrow. The GRIDS team will continue to look for opportunities for future co-operation on both an informal and a formal basis. Cardiff University is setting up a Celtic-Baltic Research Institute. Co-operation is already underway with the GRIDS team advising the Latvian Ministry responsible for the preparation of the National Spatial Plan and National Development Plan. Plans are ongoing to organise a China-EU good practice exchange in the field and the GRIDS guidelines are being translated into Chinese.