Being part of the SWAMED project as an IVY volunteer has given me the opportunity to experience European cooperation in a very practical way.
At Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, I have been able to see how an international project works behind the scenes and how different institutions and people cooperate around common challenges.
What’s SWAMED?
SWAMED focuses on smart agriculture, irrigation management and sustainable water use, which are especially important topics for Mediterranean regions. What I find most interesting is that the project does not only focus on technical solutions, but also on how these solutions can be shared with farmers, local institutions and other stakeholders.
My activities
As an IVY volunteer, I support different activities related to communication, visibility, training materials, events and project documentation.
I also have the chance to observe how the project connects researchers, local stakeholders and project partners. This has helped me understand that communication is a very important part of a project, especially when the goal is to make its results useful outside the project team as well.
Values
One of the things I value most about this experience is being able to work in an international environment and meet people with different backgrounds and perspectives. It has also changed the way I see programmes such as Interreg and European Territorial Cooperation. Before, these concepts felt quite formal to me, but now I can see more clearly how they translate into real cooperation and real activities.
My experience at IVY
For me, IVY has been a good opportunity to learn, contribute and gain a better understanding of how European projects work in practice. I am happy to be part of SWAMED and to contribute to a project that focuses on challenges that are very relevant for Mediterranean regions.
– Melda, IVY Project Partner at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, for the Interreg project SWAMED, under the programme Interreg NEXT Med.
