My IVY experience in the heart of the European Union
Hello everybody, my name is Julia and since February I am an IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Atlantic Area project “SAFER” within the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) in their Brussels office. Following my Cross-border Cooperation Studies, I wanted to see how projects were implemented and nothing better than to experience it from the heart of the European Union. I am volunteering within the Atlantic Arc Commission for the SAFER project financed by the Interreg Atlantic Area program. SAFER is about Smart Atlantic Seafood Clusters and mainly promotes innovation in the aquaculture sector while also promoting international cooperation. In the project we work with four countries: Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal with some labs also located in Northern Ireland and partners form Canada (New Foundland and Labrador). It is a very interesting project that also shows the importance and resilience of the sector while actively contributing to sustainability. Having the opportunity to volunteer from Brussels has offered me the chance to not only get involved on an EU funded project but to witness the development of legislation that happens at the same time in the institutions. During my time with the SAFER project through the Atlantic Arc Commission, I have had the task of creating a Policy Toolkit with useful policy recommendations that will be taken from the project with regards of the development of Smart Specialisation Strategies and recommendations that can be given to institutions, governments, and regions to pursue the promotion of the seafood sector. Moreover, the project was granted the opportunity to participate in the European Maritime Days, a two-day event during which Europe’s maritime community meet to network, discuss and outline joint action on maritime affairs and sustainable blue economy, that have taken place in Brest. The first day, the project held a workshop, Industry 5.0 towards a responsible seafood sector, for which I had the chance to help with the organization and directly work with the partners. It was an honor to have the chance to experience an event such as this one while promoting such an interesting project. I am looking forward to the rest of my experience and I am very grateful to be able to have this experience. See you soon! – Julia, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Atlantic Area project SAFER at the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) – Atlantic Arc Commission Discover more about the Interreg project SAFER Click Here Discover more about our host organisation CPMR – Atlantic Arc Commission Click Here
Being an IVY Volunteer for BSB CIRCLECON
My name is Despina, I am 23 years old and I’ve been volunteering as an IVY Project Partner for the ENI CBC Black Sea project BSB CIRCECON at European Regional Framework for Cooperation (ERFC) in Athens Greece for 3 months already. This experience is so unique and interesting. I get to participate first hand in the promotion and management of BSB CIRCLECON project. The BSB CIRCLECON project is crucial, as it aims to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and business growth in the Black Sea Basin region through cross-border collaboration and knowledge-sharing. By supporting the development of SMEs and enhancing the competitiveness of the region, the project can contribute to economic growth and job creation, as well as strengthening the overall social and economic development of the area. All this with the main focus being on circular economy. BSB Circlecon is important outside of the EU as it fosters regional development, cooperation, and economic growth, which can have a positive impact on neighboring countries and beyond. Its focus on entrepreneurship and innovation can inspire and benefit businesses worldwide. Hopefully all this information makes you take the next step and apply to become an IVY Volunteer yourself, to get the chance to experience the European cooperation projects offered and promoted by all the partners collaborating within Interreg. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime experience ! – Despoina, IVY Project Partner for the ENI CBC Black Sea project BSB CIRCECON at European Regional Framework for Cooperation (ERFC). Discover more about the Interreg project BSB CIRCLECON Click Here Discover more about our host organisation European Regional Framework for Cooperation Click Here
My experience as an Interreg Volunteer
Hello everyone, My name is Marianne and it has been almost two months since I started my experience as an Interreg Volunteer. So far, everything is going well, being a volunteer is a very rich experience at both personal and professional level. Within the CPMR Intermediterranean Commission, I’m currently supporting the planification of activities for “Community4Tourism”. This project is a governance project of Thematic Community of the Interreg Euro MED programme. It belongs to Mission 4 of the programme “Enhancing Sustainable Tourism”. “Community4Tourism” aims at: facilitating the exchanges and the development of synergies between thematic projects at Med level; developing technical knowledge embedding the results of the projects and strategies; supporting the effective transfer of their results to other territories or stakeholders; The project will coordinate and work very closely with Dialogue4Tourism, the Institutional Dialogue project of Mission 4. In the framework of my mission as a volunteer I have already being involved in the current activities of the project. We are at this stage, launching the first activities of the project and planning the work for the next years. Previous Next I hope that this small overview made you want to follow our project and the mission. If so, note that soon our website will be available. There, we will be sharing on the progress of activities, main results, and events regarding the mission. -Marianne, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Euro-Med project “Community4Tourism” at CPMR Intermediterranean Commission. Discover more about the Interreg project Community4Tourism Click Here Discover more about our host organisation CPMR Intermediterranean Commission Click Here
My Volunteering Experience for Interreg Alpine Space projects ADAPTNOW and X-Risk CC
Hey! My name is Julie, I from France and I started an interreg volunteer in Lyon 1 month ago. My host organization is a regional agency of energy and environment which is working a lot on European projects. They are part of two new projects that started in November last year: ADAPTNOW and X-RISK. The first one, ADAPTNOW, works on strengthening the adaptive capacity of Highly Affected and Exposed Territories to be able to cope with unpredictable climate events for the future. The second one, X-RISK, is similar but is focusing on extreme events. The goal of these two projects is to be better prepared for the natural risks that are changing with the climate change. Two topics that interest me a lot! My mission is to help with the first stage of each of the two projects. For that, I am doing the inventory of the risk management tools that already exist (with the aim then to see what can be improved), I will also interview some natural hazard actors about a storm in France that happened 4 years ago, and I already participated to some meetings. One of these meetings was a few days ago. I had the chance to go with some colleagues at the Eurac Research Center in Bolzano for a X-RISK meeting and to exchange with all the partners from the project. It was super interesting to see how people from the alpine space (Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Slovenia…) gather and work together to find solutions for the future! I am super happy to have joined the IVY community, it is a super experience, and I am glad to contribute at my level in environmental European territorial cooperation projects! – Julie, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Alpine Space ADAPTNOW & X-Risk CC at the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Energy Environment Agency – AURA EE Discover more about the Interreg project ADAPTNOW Click Here Discover more about the Interreg project X-Risk CC Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Energy Environment Agency Click Here
Volunteering for Interreg South Baltic
Hello! My name is Ancor and I am from Gran Canaria, Spain. I am currently an IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South BALTIC in Gdańsk, Poland! As an IVY Reporter, I support office communication in promoting the work of the Joint Secretariat and the projects financed by the organisation. Interreg South Baltic is a multilateral cross-border cooperation between the coastal regions of five EU Member States: Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland, with actions focused on the blue and green economy. Being an IVY Volunteer at the Joint Secretariat has been an exciting and gratifying experience since the very first day. With a background in Geography and Territorial Planning, and a specialisation in Environmental Partnership Management, I feel particularly passionate about EU Cohesion Policies, territorial cooperation, partnership working, and their interplay in ensuring policy change and implementation as a roadmap to resilient and sustainable communities along the South Baltic area. Thus, this is the right place to be. Moreover, this experience is allowing me to immerse myself in different domains in EU interregional cooperation and European Cohesion Policies, bringing me the opportunity to acquire new skills and network. I have found a great family and I have the opportunity to share my expertise and experience with a group of excellent professionals that guide me and mentor me. Thus, this experience is allowing me to growth professionally and it will boost my future career. At a personal level, the reception and constant support received facilitates my integration and development, making me feel integrated and comfortable in my daily tasks. Although I have just got started, I have had the chance to work on several different tasks, such as communication tasks, data revisions, drafting reports and social media content creation. I am becoming confident with communication, project management and the functioning of the European Regional Development Fund, and the overall intricacies of the EU Cohesion Policies. After the first month of this new chapter, I can say that I feel thrilled to be part of Interreg South Baltic in an stimulating, supportive and empowering environment to actively take part and be part in shaping Europe’s cross-border actions to tackle common challenges and find shared solutions. – Ancor, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South Baltic Discover more about the Interreg programme South Baltic Click Here
Volunteering for the VerdeVale project
Hi! My name is Anna, I am 22 and come from Italy, I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy; while working at my dissertation I came across Interreg program and eventually IVY… And here I am! I am now volunteering as an IVY Project Partner for the VerdeVale project with R3GIS, a software house based in Bolzano. I am currently working on the communication and dissemination aspect of the project. It is a pleasure to collaborate with many experts in the sustainability field and being involved in such a dynamic, inspiring and friendly environment. The programme aims to study urban green areas management and to find better solutions to tackle common issues related to environmental crisis effects for Bolzano and Lugano. -Anna, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Ialy-Swizerland project “VerdeVale” at R3GIS Discover more about the Interreg project VerdeVale Click Here Discover more about our host organisation R3GIS Click Here
