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Austria
35projects 43 project partners 24 good practices transferred and policies improved HISTCAPE |
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Belgium
CASA Demographic changes in Europe make it necessary to organize the care and housing of senior citizens and chronically ill in a smarter way, using ICT. The CASA project focused on the development of regional policy and on the exchange of knowledge about up-scaling innovative ICT and services to enable people to live independently. Fabian Dominguez, from The Flemish Community (lead partner institution) said: “The possibilities for innovation in the healthcare sector are huge, and by building on its highly-developed healthcare system and industrial and technological competencies, Flanders could play a leading role in the modernization of healthcare. Interregional cooperation gives us the opportunity to further engage in networking activities, allowing us not only to learn from others, but also to share our experiences.” |
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Bulgaria
62projects 74 project partners 36 good practices transferred and policies improved CCIC The economic and financial crisis required public support for innovation in order to achieve sustainable development. CCIC focused on the role of local authorities from medium-sized and big cities in driving innovation to contribute to Europe 2020 strategy goals for economic modernization and increased competitiveness. In short: CCIC aimed to develop new ideas that create public value. Bulgaria set up a Municipal Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises (MGFSME) as part of this project. It helps SMEs to apply for funding from EU Operational Programmes and provides consulting services in an array of fields (legal, accounting, international certification). The initiative has been a great success, in spite of the economic crisis. As a result, Bulgarian SMEs have better credit opportunities and banks have been able to grow their customer base. |
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Cyprus
21projects 22 project partners 10 good practices transferred and policies improved REGIOCLIMA The majority of regions in EU Member States will be significantly affected by climate change. REGIOCLIMA aimed to produce concrete climate change adaptation policy recommendations and intervention measures that can be applied by all Member States. Moreover, REGIOCLIMA worked on the coordination of regional and local initiatives with EU and Member States’ action. The good practice ‘Water recycling Re-use schemes in Cyprus’ developed by the Cypriot authorities was transferred to the Region of Crete, Greece. As a result, the municipalities of Agios Nikolaos, Sitia and Heraklion have proceeded with investments in water recycling re-use schemes. |
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Czech Republic
39projects 43 project partners 24 good practices transferred and policies improved InnoFun InnoFun’s main objective was to improve regional policies concerning innovation funding in order to make selection criteria more flexible and reduce the communication gap between innovation and finance/market/people. This made access to information easier and helped to speed up the funding of innovative ideas. In the Czech Republic, a business park in Ceske Budejovice was designed to be a fully self-sustaining unit. The South Bohemian region covers any eventual losses and the building is managed by the University of South Bohemia. This ensures the cooperation of various stakeholders in establishing the business incubator. Ceske Budejovice’s evaluation system of applications for admission was developed specifically for the business park, but inspired by other facilities supporting start-ups in the Czech Republic. |
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Denmark
28
projects 33 project partners 8 good practices transferred and policies improved RTF Despite the benefits and technical maturity of its applications, the use of telemedicine services – the provision of healthcare services at a distance – is still limited in Europe. RTF provided a forum to exchange knowledge and good practices in order to develop policy recommendations addressing the main barriers to the wider use of telemedicine. In Denmark a pilot was developed to reduce the readmission of patients with acute exacerbation in COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) by using telemedicine video consultation. Since 2009 this has allowed hospitals to carry out consultations with COPD patients at home via the Internet, mobile phone networks or satellite technology. The patients are monitored for one week using daily 15-30 minute consultations. Feedback to the service has been very positive – the technology is easy to use, while the service is intimate and flexible. Moreover, early readmission has been reduced by 14%. |
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Estonia
34projects 37 project partners 21 good practices transferred and policies improved PLUS Lighting technologies have undergone major evolutions in the past decade, offering cities new perspectives and possibilities for the development of their urban lighting strategies. PLUS capitalized on existing urban lighting best practices in European cities. The project aimed to help cities develop their lighting policies and strategies in order to implement energy-efficient lighting solutions. Thanks to the project, the city of Tallinn was able to update its “Development axes for street lighting in the city of Tallinn for 2006- 2015” strategy, including a development plan for outdoor lighting. |
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Finland
48projects 69 project partners 25 good practices transferred and policies improved TOURAGE Demographic change brings many challenges but it can also create opportunities for regions. Tourism for senior citizens, for instance, is one of the fastest-growing industries in Europe. It could offer opportunities to enhance the regional economy of relatively remote regions. TOURAGE seeks to identify good practices on developing tourism possibilities for the growing segment of elderly travellers. Regional Council of North Karelia, in Finland, imported the good practice “Marketing and increasing visibility of senior tourism offer” from Border, Midland and Western Regional Assembly, in Ireland. It helps tourism enterprises, tour operators and regions to market their offer for seniors via the Internet, thus developing senior tourism markets. In the new Tourism Operational Programme 2014-2020 senior tourism is seen as one of the measures that will increase tourism sales in North Karelia, especially in the field of welfare tourism. |
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France
94projects 133 project partners 51 good practices transferred and policies improved R4R The overall aim of R4R was to facilitate the implementation of the EU Waste Framework Directive by enabling regional and local authorities to improve their municipal waste recycling performance. Project partners identified conditions and instruments for optimal recycling and exchanged good practices to help bring all EU territories to the same high waste management and recycling standards.
R4R was the first European project managed by ORDIF
– Observatoire Régional des Déchets
d’île-de-France and gave the
organisation valuable experience. |
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Germany
99projects 137 project partners 53 good practices transferred and policies improved Chemclust Chemclust was set up to respond to acknowledged problems in chemical regions. Interregional exchange was used to identify and exchange successful practices in innovation and cluster policies. In this way, partners aimed to increase the innovation capacity and the pace of innovation. The pilot project “Chemical Parks as knowledge Sites” was implemented from March 2011 until May 2012. Project Partners from Saxony-Anhalt and North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, and Usti region, Czech Republic, discussed possibilities for the further development of chemical parks, especially strengthening their innovation potential by including an innovation and research infrastructure on-site. |
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Greece
90projects 134 project partners 42 good practices transferred and policies improved CycleCities CycleCities aimed to encourage the exchange and transfer of experiences and good practices among European cities regarding the integration of cycling in a sustainable mobility management scheme. In addition, CycleCities aimed to build a knowledge database on cycling in cities and the improvement of traffic conditions and city environments. Thanks to CycleCities, the Greek municipality of Piraeus was able to integrate cycling infrastructures in its city planning. More precisely, 16 km of new cycling routes were planned as part of an integrated and complete network. |
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Hungary
81projects 111 project partners 30 good practices transferred and policies improved Health4Growth Health4Growth aimed to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies regarding the operational environment of economic players within the health sector. The partnership also promoted cooperation in order to exploit the growth and innovation potential of the health sector, especially for SMEs. As part of the project, the Hungarian University of Debrecen founded UDGenomed Ltd., an innovative R&D SME and service laboratory offering large-scale clinical genomics studies and molecular testing as well as related consulting and training services to both academic parties and the industry. By doing so, the university aimed to commercialize its genomic technology expertise and provide additional, related services that were previously exclusively provided by another company. |
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Ireland
40projects 54 project partners 19 good practices transferred and policies improved CO2FREE CO2FREE aimed to give regional and local authorities specific instruments to address the challenge of energy efficiency and sustainable transport. They did this by jointly developing Action Plans in close cooperation with regional stakeholders, to be implemented using the mainstream Structural Funds (SF) available in each participating region. Thanks to interregional cooperation Donegal County Council’s Regional Action Plan centred on developing an energy-monitoring system for public buildings, based on the good practices developed in Derry City Council, UK and San Sebastian, Spain. The action plan was successfully submitted to the Better Energy Workplace fund 2012 with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and awarded €175,000. |
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Latvia
34projects 38 project partners 11 good practices transferred and policies improved REGIO-CRAFTS Many European regions have a long tradition in crafts, contributing to their uniqueness and appeal to visitors. However, the crafts sector faces many challenges, such as competition from cheaper products. REGIO-CRAFTS aimed to strengthen the craft industry as an economic sector and to raise its importance in the economy and development of each participating region. As part of the project, the Zemgale Planning Region in Latvia created crafts centres to support local craftsmen and inhabitants and to increase the economical and tourism capacity of the region. A total of nine Crafts Centres were created in properties owned by municipalities. Some were created in existing crafts studios, but others were created in other, often empty buildings that were totally renovated and made suitable for the needs of craftsmen. The Centres are used as meeting points for craftsmen, and as a place where workshops and master classes are organized. At least five centres have become a municipality centre and attract tourists. |
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Lithuania
35projects 40 project partners 22 good practices transferred and policies improved CITIES The creative and cultural industries are one of the most significant growth sectors for the European economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product and added value. However, many countries do not view them as a separate sector or develop policies to encourage activities. CITIES aimed to improve regional and local policies addressing the promotion and support of creative and cultural industries. Local preparations for the Lithuanian creative incubator “Cultural factory” were very much influenced by experiences from study trips to Seville (Spain) and Lisbon (Portugal) and visits to the incubators established there. Among others, the conditions for incubation, pricing and the support concept for future residents, as well as selection criteria were adopted. |
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Luxembourg
2projects 3 project partners 1 policy improved CERTESS CERTESS aimed to establish and share a common methodological framework on how to develop, manage and enhance European Cultural Routes. Partners combined good & best practices and governance instruments to formulate 10 Route Implementation Plans, all targeted at fostering sustainable cultural tourism in their reference areas. During the entire project, partners saw the European Institute of Cultural Routes (Luxembourg) as a methodological and content reference point regarding cultural routes related issues. This mentoring activity also involved the main stakeholders and the technical experts engaged in the partner Route Plan formulation. It proved to be beneficial to both the project coordinator and the mentored partner. |
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Malta
23projects 23 project partners 7 good practices transferred and policies improved BOO-Games The European games industry contributes more than 3.5 billion euro to the economy and employs more than 100,000 people, including 60,000 skilled jobs. Games could represent a new source of growth for European economy but many regions still lack adequate policies and funding schemes to sustain this market. The BOO-Games project aimed to support regional development authorities in understanding the importance of the games industry for the European economy. Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit, the Maltese partner, imported a good practice from the UK, called the 'Serious Games Institute' to support the regional gaming sector. The implementation of the pilot was financed by INTERREG IVC. |
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The Netherlands
64projects 83 project partners 39 good practices transferred and policies improved Regions4GreenGrowth Difficulties in acquiring finance are an important obstacle for the widespread introduction of renewable energy production capacity and energy efficiency measures. Regions4GreenGrowth aimed to equip regions with regional policy instruments, mechanisms and approaches to improve access to finance for and speed up investments in sustainable energy projects (e.g. renewable energy generation capacity, energy efficiency measures) in their territories. Jan Nico Appelman, Deputy King’s Commissioner, Province of Flevoland & Chairman of the Regions4GreenGrowth Monitoring Board in the Netherlands, was enthusiastic about the project: “For a politician it is quite valuable to get recommendations from an international team of experts. Our peer reviews have proved to be an effective way to gain knowledge on how to boost investments in sustainable energy. It is impressive that some of our partners have already started to put the peer review advice into practice, for example by creating new financial instruments.” |
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Norway
19projects 22 project partners 10 good practices transferred and policies improved TOOL QUIZ The development of a knowledge-based economy is based on new job sectors, new working methods and new professional skills and competences. It requires new policies to reinforce the employability of the workforce. The cultural and creative sector has a key role to play in this framework but it remains underexploited. TOOL QUIZ aimed to develop, in each partner region, suitable strategies, policies and tools on the link between cultural and creative sector, knowledge-based economy and employability. The project thus contributed to strengthening the cultural and creative sector, and to identifying it as an economic sector in its own right, and more importantly, as a key sector for a knowledge-based economy. Norwegian initiative The Cultural Rucksack aimed to increase the appreciation of cultural and creative sector. It offers all children aged 9-19 the opportunity to attend and experience a wide variety of cultural expressions. The productions cover visual and performing arts, film, interaction of different art forms, cultural heritage and literature. Each pupil attends at least one production each year, in addition to two concerts financed and partly produced by Concerts Norway. The programme increases job opportunities in the region for local, national and international professional artists and culture workers. In the long term, society as a whole benefits from having more culturally capable citizens. |
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Poland
99projects 122 project partners 50 good practices transferred and policies improved CAPRICE CAPRICE promoted the exchange of knowledge and experience regarding integrated public transport systems, leading to improved energy usage. It identified good practices and defined recommendations for the national and European level, providing excellent guidelines for developing a sustainable mobility policy. The exchanges strengthened the Partners’ conviction that strong authorities, which are responsible for public transport systems in European metropolitan areas, are essential. These authorities are better qualified to implement integrated and high-performance transport systems that focus on their users and respond to their needs. In Poland, the Warsaw Public Transport Authority, the municipal bus company and private bus operators worked together on the gradual implementation of regulated competition between local public transport operators. This involved a combination of direct awarding and tendering and a gradual increase of services tendered to private companies. Passengers benefitted from the increase in quality and the municipal budget from the decrease in cost. The practice enables a better management of the public transport (bus) services. It sets transparent criteria, and the long-term contracts both directly awarded and tendered provide a good base for investments. The tendering can help to decrease the necessary costs and contracts with well-defined quality indicators can increase the quality level. Both ways of contracting are in line with the current EU legislation. |
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Portugal
48projects 61 project partners 29 good practices transferred and policies improved MiSRaR The MiSRaR project focussed on protecting the environment, people and property against the destructive impact of natural and technological hazards. MiSRaR addressed the issue of mitigating relevant hazards through the inclusion of risk assessment and risk management in spatial planning. The project aimed to develop an integrated approach for this to assist regional and local governments in the EU in developing their spatial mitigation plan for relevant risks. In Portugal, an interdisciplinary team of civil engineers, environmental economists and geographers was formed, to estimate the historical (1975-2006) ecosystem service value losses from coastal erosion, and assess the costs and benefits of a wide range of types, locations and combinations of coastal protection investment options. The project, which focused on the Central Portuguese coast, illustrated that coastal protection interventions reduce the rate at which land is lost due to erosion and that those areas that are not yet lost due to coastal erosion provide significant ecosystem service values. The results and the knowledge of this project were transferred into regional and local policies and into the specific municipal civil protection plan in Aveiro. |
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Romania
84projects 99 project partners 52 good practices transferred and policies improved ERCIP The ERCIP project aimed to improve the integration between regional environment agencies, water boards and local government regarding both the protection and future development of geographically sensitive river corridors. In addition, it also aimed to promote the exchange and improvement of current experience regarding jointly produced River Corridor Improvement Plans (RCIP). An RCIP is a jointly-developed document outlining a shared responsibility and approach to managing river corridors. During an Exchange Visit to Romania, the ERCIP partners were given a presentation on the potential for developing Harsova’s natural resources; the river Danube and the thermal springs. This was followed up with a site visit that showed how the proposed development had been carefully tailored to the local situation. The plans were backed by the Constanta County Council regional authority, which gave the project a clear path to obtain initial funding. With a clear RCIP in place and interest from the local to European level, Harsova developed a feasibility study addressing the sympathetic use of their abundant natural resources. The final result was a new, thermal springs tourism facility employing 35 people during construction and providing 25 permanent jobs on completion. |
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Slovakia
28projects 31 project partners 11 good practices transferred and policies improved PERIURBAN PERIURBAN used the interregional exchange of experiences to improve policies on the management of natural suburban areas. The project focused specifically on policy and management solutions to mitigate pressures on biodiversity. Its focus was on the creation and management of parks in natural suburban areas, in line with European environment policy and redevelopment in suburban areas, to create a positive impact on the environment and on halting biodiversity loss. In Košice Vychodne Slovensko in Slovakia, specific attention was paid to promoting recreational and sporting, cultural, social and educational activities for residents. Communication took various forms and attention was paid to raising awareness of existing cultural resources and nature. Educational activities at schools received extra focus. Funding came from local council resources. Results achieved include forging a link between the social, recreational use of the park and ongoing economic forestry functions, and the increased emphasis on nature conservation areas. Thanks to the solid management strategy and awareness-raising activities, tree species retained their original composition and health, despite increasing anthropogenic pressure and the negative impact of human activities. |
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Slovenia
56projects 64 project partners 30 good practices transferred and policies improved INOLINK The overall objective of INOLINK was to increase the reach of regional innovation policies in European regions, through better connections between actors within the regional innovation system, especially those in the most peripheral and inexperienced regions. In Slovenia a pilot module for artists/artisans was developed to help them to consider ways to transform their artistic work into a business model and start or enhance their own business venture. The module involved training sessions to develop business ideas, model business and marketing plans, and gain basic economic knowledge. The module also included individual expert consultations and a web-learning tool. This was the first web-based tool in Slovenia dedicated to supporting artists in setting up their own business. |
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Spain
152projects 222 project partners 70 good practices transferred and policies improved PADIMA PADIMA aimed to understand the forces that lead inhabitants to move away from mountain areas, despite the good quality of life and growing job opportunities (thanks to broadband connections) in the regions. PADIMA’s project partners aimed to address the problem at policy level, especially on a national and regional scale. They shared experiences and practices in developing the human potential of mountain regions. In Spain a supranational exports consortium was created, Ovie-Spain. Farmers from Aragon, Extremadura and Andalusia collected their sheep in communal feed yards for export. They also studied other projects like the possibility of commercializing wool production and creating a composting plant. The birth of two lambs per ewe increased the profitability for stockbreeders without complicating the management of the farms. This increase of this sector’s competitiveness created direct positive effects for the region: it generated wealth and contributed to maintaining activities that may have otherwise disappeared due to the lack of yield. |
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Sweden
75projects 102 project partners 36 good practices transferred and policies improved CLUE CLUE tackled the challenges modern sustainable cities are facing. Its objective was to increase the local and regional capacity in policy development aimed at implementing and assessing new solutions and technologies for a low-carbon economy in urban areas. CLUE explored best practices in planning and implementation of systems, solutions and technologies for climate-neutral urban districts as well as methods for measuring, monitoring, reporting, verifying and assessing climate-mitigating efforts. In 2009, the City Council of Stockholm decided that the area of Stockholm Royal Seaport should become one of Stockholm’s new environmental profile areas. 236 hectares of industrial harbour were transformed into a sustainable city district with 12,000 new dwellings and 35,000 workspaces. One of the ambitious overall goals was to become fossil fuel-free by 2030. Other goals were related to climate adaptation, minimising the use of resources, introducing a circular economy, enhancing participation processes and creating a limited impact on health and environment. |
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Switzerland
3projects 3 project partners 2 good practices transferred and policies improved Brain Flow Economic growth can be hampered or slowed down by a lack of skilled human capital. Shortages of highly-skilled labour force are of particular importance in border regions as the human capital can easily move to more favourable economic environments, which creates the so-called 'brain-drain / brain-gain' phenomenon. In the Brain Flow project regions affected by this phenomenon looked for new ways, instruments and measures to tackle this problem, minimising brain-drain and simultaneously fostering brain-gain. Regio Basiliensis, the partner from Basel, Switzerland, focused on bringing together employers and students from the region to retain human capital in the area. A job fair organised once a year allowed students at the universities in the region of Basel to meet HR managers from big companies in Life Sciences, IT, Logistics and other sectors. This recruiting possibility has proven very successful; 73% of the graduates still work in the region 5 years after finishing their studies. |
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United Kingdom
120projects 159 project partners 71 good practices transferred and policies improved EuroScreen The representation of cities and regions in audio-visual media (films, tv series, adverts, internet, etc) is important in strengthening and sustaining the diversity of different EU states’ culture, and increasingly, has a substantial economic impact on tourism. EuroScreen aimed to maximise the economic synergies between the screen and tourism leading to the sectors’ increased innovation, competitiveness and growth in eight regions across the EU. Interregional cooperation in EuroScreen has enabled Film London to showcase the advantages that screen tourism brings to regional development. This was instrumental in the inclusion of screen tourism in the Mayor of London’s Cultural Strategy. |
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Italy
158projects 261 project partners 119 good practices transferred and policies improved URMA Metropolises and metropolitan regions are nodes of innovation and economic development. Interaction between urban and rural areas is common (i.e. commuter flows, provision of food production or leisure activities) but there is a need to define, develop and test further fields of urban-rural partnerships and to widen the territorial dimension of co-operation. The URMA project created new impulses for a concept of decentralized cohesion, enriched the European discussion on large-scale urban-rural partnerships and served as a laboratory and test-bed for innovations in supra-regional cooperation. BuonMercato is an Italian example of this. It is an association (of citizens, farmers, stakeholders and local institutions) as well as a physical market/ point of organic food distribution, undertaken with the collaboration of the Corsico municipality and the District of Sustainable Rural Economy-DESR. BuonMercato provides a ordering and delivery service for food (and other products) inspired by the principles of enhancing high-quality, local production and promoting sustainable consumption, land conservation, as well as ethical and responsible relations. The initiative owes its success to, among others, a large network of consumers and farmers, and to the integration between 'food market' aspects and 'general sustainability' goals. |
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