10:00 - 11:00

Ground floor

Why interregional cooperation matters

11:30 - 12:30

Ground floor

When Europe cooperates: results worth sharing

Diving deeper into the world of interregional cooperation, this session takes you on a journey around Europe to discover how Interreg Europe has impacted the regions.

• Hear the stories behind statistics
• Meet the people behind the numbers
• Learn what interregional cooperation is really about

Speakers:

• Nuria Pou Alvarez, Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia, BID-REX
• Diane Smith, Town & Country Planning Association, PERFECT
• Sara Minisini, Bretagne Développement Innovation, SET-UP
• Paulo Aguas, Município do Fundão, OSIRIS
• Magnus Ernstrom, Region Gävleborg
• Peter Heydebreck, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Moderator: Katrina Sichel

14:00 - 17:00

Networking zone

Experience interregional cooperation in action

During the afternoon, you will have a chance to explore and experience different dimensions of interregional cooperation. Join the activities that match your interests and make use of the various networking opportunities to build new contacts and meet peers from other regions. 

• Join or host a networking session in the networking zone
• Discuss your questions with the Interreg Europe staff and the Policy Learning Platform experts
• Learn more about policy learning activities, peer reviews and policy matchmaking
• Discover project results and good practices in a series of thematic sessions (see below)

Spotlight on stories

Networking and ideas

Interreg Europe corner

Policy matchmaking with peers

14:00 - 14:40

Thematic session: From digital nodes to virtual houses – improving the innovation capacity of SMEs through digital networks

Digitalisation opens new opportunities for SMEs to benefit from research, knowledge and technology thus preparing the ground for the commercial exploitation of new and emerging technologies, products, processes and services. Digital platforms represent practice-proven policy instruments in this context,  acknowledged for their potential to:

• trigger R&D partnerships between academics and businesses, 
• offer access to international partners, 
• provide tools for territorial marketing, and 
• drive regional innovation networks.

Following the INKREASE project and the interregional learning pathway, the session will focus on well-established good practices from France, Brittany and how they inspired the creation of similar initiatives in Austria. Aimed at providing the participants with practical advice and ‘policy lessons’ for the uptake of digital networking solutions, the session will put spotlight on the experience gained by the INKREASE partners when exchanging, transferring and implementing their policy instruments. 

Speakers:

• Claus Zeppelzauer, ecoplus. The Business Agency of Lower Austria
• Sebastien Chable, Bretagne Développement Innovation

Moderator: Marc Pattinson, thematic expert Research and innovation, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Research and innovation

14:45 - 15:25

Thematic session: Overcoming the business support jungle: the one stop shop initiatives

Successful business support policies are relying increasingly on flexible networks of local, regional and national players, which are able  to adapt to changing requirements through constant knowledge exchange and collective learning. Therefore, support institutions and their SME advisors are at the heart of regional business support. While most of the European regions have put in place some governance model for those ecosystems, it remains for many regional policymakers a challenge to implement an effective management and coordination of the relevant players and their activities.

‘One stop shop’ initiatives are an approach often used by policy makers to improve governance and management of their regional business support delivery systems. Although such initiatives bringing under one roof the expertise of different organisations is not a new idea, it remains clearly a challenge for regional policy makers to get it right.  

In this 40 minute session featuring PURE COSMOS project, we will answer the vital question of how to stimulate and support SMEs while reducing the weight of public administration? And how interregional learning and the exchange opportunities brought solutions to regions around Europe.

Speakers:

• Natalia Cantero Caldito, Generalitat de Catalunya
• Cristina Prunyonosa, Generalitat de Catalunya
• Davide Patrone, Studio Laudani Limited
• Davide Cheli, Municipality of Genoa
• Veronica Nenci, Municipality of Florence

Moderator: Rene Tonnisson, thematic expert SMEs competitiveness, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

SME competitiveness

15:30 - 16:10

Thematic session: Supporting sustainable mobility in European municipalities

European regions face a number of challenges in both reducing their carbon emissions from transport, and ensuring that public transport provision supports regional development and all parts of society. This requires a new approach to transport planning, including integration of different transport modes and different levels and departments of local governments. 

To this end, the European Union has supported the creation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which set out a long-term vision for transport policy in a region. However, take-up has been slow, with municipalities and regions often struggling to achieve cross-administration co-operation and create supporting governance frameworks, requiring, in particular, technical know-how and data on regional transportation.

This 40 minutes session will present the challenges related to sustainable mobility, particularly focusing on SUMP development. The success of the REFORM project in developing a Sustainable Urban Development Observatory for providing support to municipalities in Central Macedonia, Greece, is a great example of how beneficial interregional learning is. 

Speakers:

• Ben Brisbourne, Transport for Greater Manchester
• Konstantina Bessa, Region of Central Macedonia

Moderator: Katharina Krell, thematic expert Low-carbon economy, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Low-carbon economy

16:15 - 17:00

Thematic session: European regions taking the circular economy road

Circular economy is an increasingly relevant topic on the regional policy agenda. While many Member States adopt national circular economy strategies these can become instrumental only through translating national targets and approaches on regional level and into regional actions. Since the launch of the Interreg Europe programme, 17 of the ongoing projects target resource efficiency and circular economy which illustrates the growing interest of Europe’s regions to move in this direction. 

Following BIOREGIO project experience, we will see that one of the most promising ways for success ‘on the ground’ is the integration of circular economy policies into regional and urban planning. In order for policy change to happen, instead of defining the roadmap top-down, authorities include local stakeholders in the definition of a common vision, goals and concrete actions. 

Speakers:

• Susanna Vanhamaki, Lahti University of Applied Sciences
• Eleonora Marisova, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra
• Maarit Virtanen, Regional Council of Päijät-Häme
• Martin Maris, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

Moderator: Venelina Varbova, thematic expert environment and resource efficiency, Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Environment and resource efficiency

09:00 - 10:15

Ground floor

Designing successful action plans

The day kicks off with brief introduction and a presentation of the agenda. Participants will also have a chance to share their ideas on the questions to be addressed the most relevant issues to be tackled during the day.

The morning session is focused on action plans, covering:

• The programme requirements for action plans
• Tips and tricks for designing successful action plans
• Questions and comments from the participants

Speakers:

• Erwin Siweris, Interreg Europe
• Charo Camacho, Interreg Europe
• José Maria Romero Fidalgo, TITTAN
• Mariagiovanna Laudani, RESOLVE
• Chris Ashe, ZEROCO2

Moderator: Petra Polaskova, Interreg Europe

10:45 - 11:15

Ground floor

Mobilising stakeholders

In small groups, the participants will discuss:

• What are the main challenges and/or solutions to keep stakeholders involved?
• How to build a sense of ownership and maintain the interest of the stakeholders?
• How to work with the policy responsible body if not directly involved as a partner?

11:15 - 12:00

Ground floor

Transferring good practices and experiences

In small groups, the participants will discuss:

• How to identify good practices from others that could work in your region? 
• What are the key steps for transferring a good practice between regions?
• How to address differences (e.g. legal, cultural) when adapting practices?

12:00 - 12:45

Ground floor

Designing successful action plans (continued)

In small groups, the participants will discuss:  

• What kind of measures are included and how do they impact the policy instrument?
• What funding sources can be used to finance the measures?
• Was it difficult to finalise the action plans? What changes (if any) were needed to have the action plans approved by the joint secretariat? 

14:00 - 15:30

Ground floor

Achieving results through implementing action plans

To close the day, the participants come together for a concluding plenary session focused on implementing action plans and managing phase 2. The session will cover questions such as: 

• How could the monitoring during phase 2 be carried out?
• How to ensure stakeholder involvement in monitoring and implementation?
• What difficulties may be encountered in implementing the measures? 
• Has success already been achieved?

Speakers:

• Nicolas Singer, Interreg Europe
• Eleftherios Loizou, HoCare
• Joaquin Villar, BUILD2LC
• Colette Marie, PASSAGE

Moderator: Petra Polaskova, Interreg Europe