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Hello everyone! My name is Anna and I am from Italy, the country where I am currently volunteering as an Interreg project partner. It has been a month and a half since I started my experience at my host organisation, the Metropolitan City of Turin, a public administration involved in many Interreg proposals including EcoRIS3, the main project I am collaborating for. EcoRIS3 is an interregional initiative developed in the framework of Interreg Europe, its general aim is to support innovation ecosystems within the regional strategies of smart specialization (RIS3), which leads to the implementation of several actions in peripheral areas in order to connect them to the urban core of innovation and knowledge. As an interregional project, EcoRIS3’s partnership is diverse and geographically wide. In detail, we cooperate with local partner organisations from Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland with the aim of creating a large community for a fruitful exchange of best practices. We are now jumping into the last semester of the project, which will be unveiled by the final partner conference in Riga (Latvia). Currently, most of my tasks have been related to the preparation for this event, but I also had the opportunity to have a look at the future projects submitted in the first call of application of the new Interreg Europe programme period (2021-2027). That means being able to take an overview of the different phases of the construction and implementation of an Interreg project. So far, my experience has been enriching and inspiring. During my Master’s studies, I had the possibility to focus on cohesion policies and territorial cooperation programmes but only from an academic point of view, while this volunteering opportunity is opening my eyes to the concrete management of an European project and to the importance of collaborating with the partner network. Here at Metropolitan City of Turin I have found a young and supportive team that helps me everyday to get familiar with the different activities they are involved in. Recently I have also met another IVY volunteer, this organisation is involved in so many projects that there is room for more than one volunteer! Days go by and new and challenging opportunities still await me, hope to learn and grasp as much as possible! Anna – Interreg project partner at Metropolitan City of Turin for the Interreg Europe EcoRIS3 project.

Hello! My name is Jade, and I have been volunteering as an IVY for the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) for 2 months (already!) in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Marseille. More specifically, I work with the Inter Mediterranean Commission (IMC) of the CPMR on two projects funded by the Interreg MED program: Blue Growth Community and Blue Bio Med. These two projects are both related to Blue Growth and the Blue Economy, but as I was starting my volunteering, I soon realised that their scopes were quite different: Blue Growth Community is a horizontal project aiming at capitalising on the results of other projects that are part of its community. In other words, it wants to make sure that the work of Interreg MED projects is visible and exploited to their full potential. On top of capitalisation, the Blue Growth Community also produces its own results related to Blue Growth, such as the Interreg Med Academy, a MOOC on Blue Growth that was launched on May 16 for a duration of 5 weeks. Blue Bio Med is a strategic project focusing on the niche sector of blue biotechnologies that recently launched a Mediterranean Innovation Alliance for Sustainable Blue Bioeconomy. This Alliance is special because it is co-designed by many different stakeholders during dedicated workshops. To be fair, I had never heard of the field of blue bioeconomy before starting my volunteering, so I am learning a lot! I feel extremely lucky be an IVY for the CPMR for several reasons. First, the IMC-CPMR team is very supportive and inclusive, and I am learning new things every day. Second, I started this IVY mission during a “momentum” of the Interreg MED programme: many projects (including the ones I am working on) are closing, while the first call for the new programming period (2021-2027) was just launched. Third, since the sanitary measures have slackened, I was able to travel for work two times already: first in Bari for the final event of the B-BLUE project, then to Barcelona for the capitalisation event “Fostering Circular Blue Economy in the Mediterranean” co-organised by my host organisation. The diversity of projects, stakeholders, and initiatives around the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean is impressive. Before my volunteering, I did not realise that so many actors and people were working daily to make the sea and coastal areas more sustainable places. Working in our Marseille office makes cooperation projects feel more “real” since our offices are part of the premises of Région Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur located at the heart of the euro-Mediterranean district. Before volunteering here, I thought that the programme officers of the Interreg MED programme were in Brussels. In fact, we are in the same building. Jade, IVY Project Parter at Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR/CRPM), for the Interreg Project BLUE BIO MED

Hi! I am Marco, an IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South Baltic in Gdansk, Poland! As IVY, I support office communication in promoting the work of the Joint Secretariat and the projects financed by the organization. As a graduate of Eastern European studies, I already had a certain knowledge of this area. However, what the Interreg Reporter experience has given me so far is a first-hand perspective of how the EU supports different regions of our continent. In particular, the diversity of projects focused on different branches of sustainable development – green technologies, sustainable tourism and infrastructure, SME development – that the programme funds makes my role in this organization extremely stimulating! What is unique about Interreg South Baltic is its multinational dimension. The programme backs projects coming from very diverse EU member states – Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Lithuania – that enhance cross-border cooperation in different fields: SME development, sustainable tourism and transport, green technologies, and cooperation capacity. Coming from a different European region certainly increases my curiosity about what kind of projects are developed through this programme across this region. For instance, I have recently taken part in the final conference of the ArchaeoBalt, an innovative project aimed at establishing a network to promote the touristic potential of archaeological sites along the coastal regions of Poland, Sweden and Denmark. The project gives a particular focus on the involvement of young people in both the excavations activities and the audience to reach, which was evident in the field trip we had to the archaeological sites in the Pomerania region of Poland. Marco – IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat of Interreg South Baltic

My name is Doriane, I am French, and the 10th of May I have started my IVY experience in my beloved Turin (Italy). Well I did not chose the location without interest, I known and lived there since a year and half, but this is another story. Let’s focus on the experience. Let’s start by few words on the project for which I help my tutor to coordinate. The name is TOUR della Strada dei Vigneti Alpini / TOUR de la Route des Vignobles Alpins (TOUR of the Alpine’s vineyards road) ; abbreviated Vi. A TOUR. The main purpose of this lovely project is to develop another kind of tourism in the French and Italian Alps by promoting the Alpine’s traditional vineyards, and gastronomy of course! Three areas are concerned: Savoy, the Aosta Valley and the metropolitan city of Turin. During the first project the partners have identified roads of interest in their area the aim with this second project is to reach the latter by train or bicycle. The first day I discovered the offices, they are big ; I met my colleagues and the other IVY volunteer, who work in a different division. The second day my tutor brought me on the field to meet new wine producers in the Pinerolese. It is in the Piedmont countryside. It was very interesting because while speaking with them I understood better the reality of this specific area beside the beauty of the landscape and their needs. The principal objective of this day was to know these new producers and what kind of events they can offer at their visitors but also to understand their reality and their needs. More days out are planned and I am looking forward for them! At the moment I read a lot of documentation link to the project and the territory, I translate some documents from Italian to French and I contribute to the communication of the project. The days go by quickly and more opportunities will come in the next weeks, I have no doubt about it. – Doriane, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg project Vi.A Tour at Metropolitan City of Turin.

Hello everyone! I am Eva! And I am from Greece. I was born and raised in the island of Rhodes and I studied Journalism and Mass Media Communication in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. I graduated a few months ago and I have just started volunteering for the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg V-A Greece Cyprus Programme at the headquarters of the Managing Authority in Thessaloniki. Interreg V- A Greece Cyprus is a program that finances 52 projects in Greek islands of the Aegean and Cyprus. The main goals of the program are to: enhance competitiveness and entrepreneurship in the cross-border area, use energy efficiently and promote sustainable transport, as well as to preserve environmental and cultural resources. The 52 projects are indeed making so much difference in the life of the citizens. For example, our project Ey-kinisi has recently installed a new information system and digital signs in Rhodes buses in order to ensure that people at the bus stop know when a bus is coming. Therefore, three small islands (Rhodes, Santorini, Syros) and Limassol, Cyprus are already experiencing better passenger service quality . In addition, our project PAIONAS provides emergency medical assistance to people in need, even when they are found at the remotest islands; specifically, naval ambulances purchased are employed to transfer people in need of medical assistance to the nearest hospital. My experience so far is mind changing. My role is to assist in achieving the greatest possible public awareness for our projects and their results, through our website and social media channels; moreover, I will be fully playing out my role as an Interreg reporter mainly by producing articles, videos etc. Right now, I support the Programme’s Communication Officer for the organization of a new event that will increase visibility both for the program and for the projects. I will also support the organization of the European Cooperation Day of the Program for 2022. This is the best experience for me so far and I am very glad for working in an EU-like environment, alongside with some of the best colleagues under the Interreg umbrella. I definitely encourage everyone eligible to apply! If you have any questions or if you considering of applying to Interreg please don’t hesitate to reach me at evperganti@gmail.com or at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eperganti/ Also, do not forget to follow Interreg Greece Cyprus on our social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Interreg_GRCY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interreg_grcy/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSIAGANDE Site: https://greece-cyprus.eu/ Evangelia Perganti, Interreg Reporter, Managing Authority Interreg V-A Greece-Cyprus

My name is Gerasimos Papadopoulos and I am from Kavala, Greece. This is my first experience as an IVY volunteer and I have the opportunity to make new friends and support an interesting project related to my hometown Kavala. I have been volunteering for almost one and a half month and so far everything is going really well. Our team is working on a project about marine ecology and fisheries management. These topics are closely related to Kavala’s local tradition, as it is a seaside town and people are used to fishing here. The main goal of our project is show the right ways of fishing that are environmentally friendly. My role is to support the social promotion of the project in the local community. My colleagues are helping me with everything I need and they answer all my questions. We want the best for our society and we contribute for it. I am very excited to learn more about the European Cohesion and assist as much as possible my hometown. – Gerasimos Papadopoulos, Interreg Project Partner at Municipality of Kavala for the Interreg project CHERISH