SMEPlus Project manager (Gabor), Finance manager (Malin) and Communication manager (Darijus) attended the Interreg Europe project seminars in Budapest, 21-23 January 2020. It was great to meet other managers, to learn that we all face similar challenges, discuss solutions and receive good advice from the Interreg Europe Secretariat. The main takeaways from the seminars will help us in the current and next reporting periods.
Management
- Lead partner should supervise the work of partners when filling out FLC report and progress report, especially in the first semester
- Inform partners about Interreg´s tutorials and guidance
- Lump sum is all or nothing, meaning partners shall be aware that all activities must be fulfilled to get the lump sum
- Involve stakeholders, especially managing authorities to learn their top needs. Without addressing the needs, achieving policy change is more difficult
- Important to ensure all partners understand the action plan from the very beginning. It will make completing progress report much easier, too
- Use good practice database to help understand what is a good practice and how to identify one in your region
- Word café format can be useful in SMEPlus meetings
- Travel to other Interreg Europe projects´ events to increase cooperation between Interreg Europe projects
Finances
- Send financial report to First Level Controller early so there is time for correction rounds
- Sound reporting is important for project progress. Follow the reporting workflow in iOLF
- Think about eligibility rules when spending money
- Make sure procurement is done right
Communication
- Tell what you are doing, otherwise nobody will know
- Make sure all tasks from the Interreg Europe communication Checklist are implemented
- Media appearances & website performance are to be reported in the progress report
- Follow the branding guide when creating own visuals
- Use materials (images, texts etc.) with clear copyright
- Tell stories by the means of press release, website news, Twitter, LinkedIn & progress report
- Use easy and simple language
- News jacking: screen web to find similar topics relevant to what we do in SMEPlus
