From Learning to Experiencing EU Cooperation First-Hand in Flanthers-Netherlands
My name is Brian Pattikawa, I am 23 years old, and I recently graduated from a Master’s in European Studies at KU Leuven in Belgium. After finishing my studies last year, I wanted to gain more practical experience within European institutions and projects. That is why I decided to volunteer for six months at Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland. At Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland, we monitor and support different projects that promote cross-border cooperation between Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) and the Netherlands. Although I have only been here for two months, I have already been involved in several projects and learned a great deal. These projects generally fall into four categories: social and labour market, environmental, innovation, and borderless cooperation. Each project has its own specific goals, but they all contribute to the broader aim of EU Cohesion Policy: reducing economic, social, and territorial disparities between regions. What all these projects have in common is their cross-border nature. They are based in the Flanders–Netherlands border region and involve both Flemish and Dutch partners working together towards shared objectives. One project I follow closely is CCAM Proving Region. Its main goal is to establish a centre of excellence in the border region focused on the research and deployment of automated vehicles. While the project started as a collaboration between Flemish and Dutch partners, its ambition goes beyond the region. It aims to connect experts from across Europe and contribute to the wider development of automated mobility within the European Union. This shows how Interreg projects not only support local communities but can also have a broader European impact. However, one challenge I have noticed is the limited visibility of Interreg among the general public. For example, during the kickoff event of CCAM Proving Region, it became clear that although Interreg helps fund these initiatives through the European Regional Development Fund, this role is not always widely recognised. I observed something similar with another project, “Otter across borders”, which focuses on reintroducing otters to the border region. While the project is well known in Belgium and the Netherlands and even featured on national television, Interreg’s involvement is often not mentioned in media coverage. My role at Interreg focuses on improving this visibility. I contribute by promoting projects through articles and social media on our Interreg channels. I also represent Interreg at project events and during interviews, aiming to present our work in a positive and accessible way. This helps people better understand what Interreg is and how it supports these initiatives. Through this experience, I have also realised that Interreg is sometimes seen simply as a funding source. However, it plays a much more important role. Interreg supports regional development through a bottom-up approach, bringing partners together and facilitating cooperation across borders. The success of these projects depends not only on funding but also on strong collaboration between partners. In this sense, Interreg acts as a bridge between local projects and the European Union. I believe that one of our key goals as Interreg Youth Volunteers is to make this role more visible. Whether through communication, maintaining relationships with project partners, or simply talking about Interreg in our daily lives, we can help people better understand its value. Interreg is not just about funding, it is about cooperation, connection, and building a stronger Europe from the ground up. – Brian, IVY Reporter for the Joint Secretariat Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland (Vlaned)
Financing a Resilient Mediterranean: My Journey with INFIRE
Hello everyone, My name is Alexandros Stefanakis, I am 22 years old and I am proudly collaborating with the Interreg Euro-MED INFIRE project as an IVY Volunteer. For the past few months, I have been hosted by Dynamic Vision, a dedicated project partner based in Athens that has warmly welcomed me into the intersection of green finance, climate planning, and regional cooperation. This experience has broadened my perspective on how intrinsically important innovative financing is; not only to meeting the EU’s 2030 climate targets, but also to the actual implementation of resilience strategies across the Euro-Mediterranean region. By way of introduction, the project INFIRE (Innovative Financing solutions for climate planning of REsilient and carbon neutral living areas) is concerned with addressing a pressing reality. The slow transition towards climate neutrality in our region is often stalled by a significant “funding gap”—the inability of public authorities to properly evaluate and mobilize the capital needed for large-scale green investments. My personal journey as an IVY with INFIRE has been inspiring and intellectually engaging. One of my highlights thus far has been contributing to the project’s communication and engagement strategies, ensuring that complex financial concepts are translated into a narrative that resonates with local stakeholders. Working with the team at Dynamic Vision, I have experienced how we act as the “Communication Manager” for the entire consortium, identifying dissemination opportunities that capture the interest of general audiences and encourage younger generations to take an active role in climate neutrality. It has been a pleasure to support the Region of Peloponnese in promoting the Kalamata Mobility Hub, which will provide solar-powered charging for e-bikes and scooters, directly benefiting the daily lives of citizens. My previous studies often focused on the “what” of climate change—the science and the policy. However, this interactive and professional platform at DYNAMIC VISION has been a welcome change, focusing on the “how”—the actual financial mechanisms that turn a plan on paper into a photovoltaic roof or a nature-based solution in a municipal schoolyard. As an Interreg Volunteer Youth, my role is centred on stakeholder engagement and communication. I take part in project meetings, co-creation workshops, and discussions related to the development of the Nordic Bridge digital portal. I help review and reflect on the feedback gathered from these sessions, which I find particularly interesting to be part of. Alongside this, I engage directly with youth organisations, and other non-academic stakeholders to help build community engagement around the Nordic Bridge concept, making sure young people become active partners in shaping the platform rather than passive users. I am looking forward to the next half of my journey and eagerly await to see what the rest of the year brings in terms of new learning experiences within the IVY journey. Every day brings new knowledge, new perspectives, and new motivations, as I help build the INFIRE Transfer Kit to share our solutions with regions across Europe. I am grateful for the journey thus far and the opportunity to contribute to a project that not only recognizes the urgent need for a greener Mediterranean, but also actively builds the financial bridges to make that sustainable future a reality. – Alex, IVY Project Partner at Dynamic Vision, for the Interreg Euro-MED project INFIRE – INnovative FInancing solutions for climate planning of REsilient and carbon neutral living area
Adapting Alpine Cities to Climate Change
I came to IVY looking for a way to make a positive impact. When I heard a volunteer discuss how the project had changed how she sees the city, I knew I had found the right place. I am currently an IVY Project Partner at COMMONAIR, an Interreg Alpine Space project led by Politecnico di Torino. Our main focus is monitoring and improving how people experience heat in their neighborhoods. Europe at large is affected by climate change more than average, and the Alpine Region is one of the fastest heating regions in the continent, and the latest heatwaves have shown us just how heavy its impact can be. This is why the project feels so important: I am helping four different cities (Torino, Grenoble, Zurich and Vienna) build the technical infrastructure and collective knowledge to adapt to these conditions. Although I can only be in one place at a time, I have already visited two partner cities, and I constantly keep up with the others’ initiatives. When I help install new measurement stations, and see my own city adopting measures to improve climate adaptation, I know I am contributing towards improving cities for everyone. – Francesco, IVY Project partner at Politecnico di Torino (Polytechnic of Turin), for the Interreg Alpine Space project COMMONAIR – COMmon Measurements ONsite in the AlpIne Region
Interreg project “Šumava Fish Jewels” Experience
Hello, my name is Anna, and I’m currently volunteering as an IVY Project Partner at the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences. I am part of the Interreg project “Šumava Fish Jewels – Living jewels under the water surface of Šumava”, a cross-border collaboration between the Czech Republic and the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. What are “Šumava Fish Jewels”? The project focuses on monitoring the beautiful brown trout (Salmo trutta) in its natural habitat. Many mountain streams on both the Czech and Bavarian sides were heavily affected by acid rain in the past, which led to the disappearance of fish populations in higher altitudes. Today, the project works on monitoring these populations and their environment. It combines field surveys with genetic analyses of brown trout and the use of environmental DNA to detect the presence of their parasites. My experience: As an IVY Project Partner, I am directly involved in scientific fieldwork, where I can build on my background in hydrobiology while continuing to learn new academic and practical skills. I also have the opportunity to collaborate with project partners from both the Czech Republic and Bavaria, which gives me valuable insight into how large international projects funded by the EU operate in practice. Beyond research, I take part in organising public events aimed at raising awareness about the project and its importance. It is especially rewarding to see how scientific work can be communicated to a broader audience and contribute to the protection of these unique aquatic ecosystems. I help review and reflect on the feedback gathered from these sessions, which I find particularly interesting to be part of. Alongside this, I engage directly with youth organisations, and other non-academic stakeholders to help build community engagement around the Nordic Bridge concept, making sure young people become active partners in shaping the platform rather than passive users. Anna, IVY Project Partner at the Biology Centre CAS – Biologické centrum AV ČR, for the Interreg project Sumava Fish Jewels – Living jewels under the water surface of Šumava
Cooperating for better cross-border mobility: my IVY experience in the CROSUSMOB project
The most valuable lesson I have learned through my IVY experience is how European cooperation steps in to solve very concrete problems, especially when it comes to cross-border mobility. It is easier and easier to travel across Europe by public transport, but travellers may still face difficulties when crossing borders, depending on how well neighbouring countries and their national railways work together. Ticketing systems have to be harmonised, timetables coordinated to have reasonable waiting times for connections and technical issues addressed, like the different voltage systems used on each side of the border. These problems are shared by many European countries. That’s why seven partners from six different countries joined forces to launch the Interreg project CROSUSMOB, within the Interreg Europe Programme. Their countries don’t border one another, but each of them has border regions where crossing the border can be difficult. By sharing their experiences, the project aims to improve public policies on cross-border mobility at different levels, to meet local needs and make public transport a more attractive, competitive and sustainable option. Those who benefit most from smoother cross-border connections are everyday workers and students who commute between countries, especially those who live in less well-connected areas, as well as tourists. The keywords of CROSUSMOB are interoperability and coordination at multiple levels. On the one hand, the project partners work with local stakeholders and with political and technical actors on both sides of their border to make medium- and long-term plans concerning infrastructure and transport service. On the other hand, the partners collaborate closely and regularly among themselves. To see first-hand the cross-border transport services in place and to talk face to face, the partners organise one field visit per semester, each time hosted by a different partner. The partner organising the field visit welcomes a delegation of the other partners and stakeholders and takes them on a cross-border trip by bus or train, to show the difficulties of its border region, the solutions found so far and future projects to improve mobility across the border. In this way partners get to know each other’s situations and can be inspired by solutions that could work in their own territory. As an IVY project partner, I collected and analysed data on cross-border mobility in the territory between the Alpes-Maritimes, Monaco and the Province of Imperia. Gathering data on each side of the border was essential to understand the importance of connections in a context where several borders meet. The territory was challenging because the coast is heavily trafficked and served by trains used by French and Italian commuters and by tourists, especially towards Monaco. Monaco is a major employment hub, yet its only railway station is served by the French line, hence the Principality relies entirely on another country’s railway service to bring its workers in. The French railway also serves Ventimiglia station, so it actually connects three countries. To complete the picture, I interviewed municipalities, local stakeholders and commuters to understand their views on the transport service provided. I also took part in the last field visit in Nice, hosted by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and it was a great chance to meet partners and stakeholders in person, join the trip and attend the meetings. Behind the scenes, I helped organise the event in the weeks before. I stayed in touch with partners and stakeholders, prepared the agenda and the paperwork and worked on the translation of the speeches so that everyone could follow the discussions. I am grateful for the IVY experience which let me take part in this event and see European cooperation from the inside. – Anna, IVY Project Partner at Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – SUD, for the Interreg Europe project CROSUSMOB – Fostering Crossborder Mobility
Building bridges from Bodø: My IVY Journey with Nordic Bridge
Hi everyone! My name is Elisa, and I have been volunteering as an IVY Project Partner in Bodø, Norway, within the Nordic Bridge Project, part of the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme, hosted by Nord University. It has been two months since I arrived, and it has already been an inspiring learning experience! What is Nordic Bridge project about? Nordic Bridge is a challenge-driven digital portal connecting academia, students, and local stakeholders across the Northern Periphery and Arctic region. In practice, this looks like the following: challenges are posted on the platform by public, private and community organisations, to which students and researchers can respond. This can lead to thesis, joint research projects and internships that are grounded in the actual needs of a region. This way, it gives municipalities and businesses access to fresh perspectives and research capacity that they might not otherwise have, while providing students and researchers with access to real-world challenges to work on, something that can otherwise be difficult to find independently. As an Interreg Volunteer Youth, my role is centred on stakeholder engagement and communication. I take part in project meetings, co-creation workshops, and discussions related to the development of the Nordic Bridge digital portal. I help review and reflect on the feedback gathered from these sessions, which I find particularly interesting to be part of. Alongside this, I engage directly with youth organisations, and other non-academic stakeholders to help build community engagement around the Nordic Bridge concept, making sure young people become active partners in shaping the platform rather than passive users. What cooperation looks like Through this mission, I have also seen, very concretely, how much groundwork goes into building genuine cross-border cooperation, from partner coordination and stakeholder mapping to the more human side of building trust between people who do not yet know each other. What I find most valuable about Nordic Bridge is that it does exactly this: it connects students, researchers, and organisations from Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Ireland, giving them a shared space to work together on challenges that matter, even though they may never have crossed paths otherwise. And honestly, it is exactly the kind of platform I wish I had access to as a student, especially when finding a thesis topic was never straightforward! A learning experience Beyond the daily tasks, I have also had the joy of discovering a new place to live, and the Arctic light and landscapes that come with it – along with the people who have welcomed me here. This is only the beginning, and I cannot wait to see where the coming months and this project will take me. I encourage you to seize any opportunity to take part in an IVY experience: it is one of the most direct ways to understand what European cooperation is really about and also become part of it yourself. – Elisa, IVY Project Partner at Nord University, for the Interreg project NORDIC BRIDGE, under the programme Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic
