It’s a big year for the iEER project. By the end of 2017 we’ll have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of our regions’ startup ecosystems, we’ll know how our peers have tackled common issues with startup support and most importantly, have a plan ready to make our regions better places for startups to launch and grow.
To reach this goal the next months are dedicated to intense studying and peer-learning. This year we’ll organize three learning camps, each dedicated to a specific startup related issue, where we’ll learn about local best practices and brainstorm how to best support startups. We’ll also conduct three peer review visits and share what we have learned during the project in a workshop at the European Week for Regions and Cities.
Here’s a tentative list of what’s to come this year
January-February
At the beginning of the year iEER project partners are conducting ecosystem mappings, structural fund interviews and SWOT analysis to find out where their regions stand with startup support.
In February iEER project’s High-level steering committee is meeting in Brussels in connection to the Committee of the Regions’ plenary session.
March
At the end of the month iEER partners and their local stakeholders are traveling to Belfast in Northern Ireland and Kerry in Ireland. This learning camp combines two regions in two different countries and highlights best practices in supporting entrepreneurship in rural areas.
April
In April iEER heads to West Region Romania for a peer review visit.
May
At the end of May iEER partners are gathering in Southern Denmark to study how smart specialization can be connected to entrepreneurship. The high-level steering committee will also join us in Southern Denmark.
September
After the summer break iEER partners are meeting up for a learning camp in Marche Italy to start drafting their local action plans.
October
Brussels traditionally hosts Europe’s largest event for cities and regions in October when the European Week for Regions and Cities takes place. This year iEER is part of activities by organizing a workshop to share the learnings of the project. In addition we’ll travel to West Pomerania in Poland for a peer review visit.
November
Our final peer review visit takes place in Hauts-de-France in Lille, which wraps up iEER peer learning activities.
December
By the end of the year iEER partners will have the first drafts of their local actions plans ready. In 2018 we'll move from learning to implementation and put our findings into practice.
You're very much welcome to contact the project lead partner Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council if your organisation is interested in joining any of the iEER activitivies: iEER project coordinator Ms. Christine Chang [email protected]
