Adventures of the ERB Ivy volunteers

Hi everyone!

Here are Milena and Danilo, two young Italian Ivy volunteers (lost) in Poland.

No, we didn’t know each other before and we are not doing the same project. Actually we don’t even live in the same city.

But last week there was a very interesting event in Gdansk, the “Communication Training for project manager”, organized by the South Baltic Interreg, and we have met there.

We couldn’t stop to talk about our different experiences:

I am an Interreg Project Partner the at International Permanent Secretariat Euroregion Baltic in Elblag, while Danilo is an Interreg Reporter at Joint Secretariat INTERREG SOUTH BALTIC PROGRAMME, in Gdansk.

What does it means?

Well, in few words, Danilo is mainly involved in communication and dissemination of information concerning INTERREG projects, cross-border cooperation and so on;

Regarding me,  instead, my tasks are more related to support and implement 2 INTERREG projects: CaSYPot, which aims is to find a common Youth Strategy among the Baltic Regions, and InterConnect, which focuses on new and more efficient public transport services.

Where do we live?

We are both in Poland; Danilo lives in Gdansk, one of the largest cities in Poland, on the Baltic Sea. It’s an international city, full of students, tourists and young people. There is a river that goes into the city centre, which reminds me of Navigli in Milano, just to give you an idea.

I live in Elblag, not far from Gdansk. Ok, we don’t have the sea, but we have beautiful parks and forests. When the weather is nice I go with my super-bike among trees and wild vegetation.

What’s next?

Honestly, we don’t know exactly, but for sure this experience has brought us a lot. We are both thinking of staying in Poland for the future, or maybe for a few years.

Danilo has even managed to learn a bit of Polish, which, believe me, is not easy at all!

We want to say thanks to IVY for this experience, thanks to Euroregion Baltic International Permanent Secretariat and Joint Secretariat Interreg South Baltic Programme to host us,

we are learning a lot from You, from the organizations and from the people are behind them.

Please use this link to register: registration.strategyforum2019.eu

The main topic of this year’s Forum is Circular and sharing economy as an answer to demographic changes and environmental challenges in the Baltic Sea Region.

The programme for the two-day event includes 19 seminars on a wide range of topics that support the thematic focus of the Forum. During the seminars, you will be able to see the potential for the development of the Circular Economy in the Baltic Sea Region in areas such as food, health, tourism, transport, cities, bioeconomy, industry, education, migrants, labour market and demography.

The Forum also offers the opportunity to participate in the Networking Village where participants can have a direct contact with those responsible for the work of EUSBSR.

Please follow the Forum’s website and see you in Gdansk!

And make sure you watch the clip inviting you to the Forum!

As a result of the 6th call for proposals, 9 projects have been selected for funding by the Monitoring Committee (MC) of the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014-2020. On 15th and 16th May 2019 in Palanga (Lithuania), the delegates selected for funding the following projects:
 
Specific Objective 2.2. Increased use of green technologies in order to decrease the pollution discharges in the South Baltic area
•    BSAM ¬ Baltic Smart Asset Management
•    Liquid Energy – Liquefied (bio-)gas as a driving force for development and use of green energy technology
•    WISA – Water Innovation System Amplifier
•    BAPR – Baltic Phytoremediation

Specific Objective 3. Improve the quality and environmental sustainability of transport services in the South Baltic area
•    Secmar – Secure Digitalisation for Sustainable Maritime Transport

Specific Objective 4. Increase the share of skilled labour force working in blue and green economy sectors of the South Baltic area through joint cross-border actions
•    JOHANNA – Joint staff Qualification in SB Destinations to increase the skilled workforce in the SBS and by that ensure a sustainable SCS development in the SBS
•    AquaVIP – Aquaculture Virtual career development Platform for the South Baltic region

Specific Objective 5. Improve the cooperation capacity of local South Baltic area actors through participation in cross-border networks
•    CROSSROADS – Crossroads in History
•    South Baltic Creative Clusters – Initiating a network of interacting creative clusters in the SB Region

The total eligible budget of the 6th call project selected for funding by the Monitoring Committee is 10 695 451,50 EUR.

We are especially proud, that the CROSSROADS project received the funding, as it was one of our #UMBRELLA project beneficiaries, who received our support via microactivity and further expert help while preparing the application.

 The Minutes of the 7th Monitoring Committee meeting of the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014-2020 (pdf) 223.0 KB

During the last month meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Interreg South Baltic Programme taking place on Bornholm, the Committee decided to approve 10 new projects for funding.

The following project were approved:

Specific Objective 2.1. Increased development of the South Baltic area’s natural and cultural heritage assets into sustainable tourist destinations

• ArcheoBalt – Laying fixed foundations for innovative Archeotourism – a new “green” Archeoroute in the Southern Baltic Sea Region
• SB WELL – Wellbeing Tourism for the South Baltic Region – Guidelines for best practices and Promotion
• SOUTH BALTIC MANORS – Valorisation of manors for tourism development in rural areas of the South Baltic area

Specific Objective 2.2. Increased use of green technologies in order to decrease the pollution discharges in the South Baltic area

• COASTAL Biogas – Cluster On Anaerobic digestion, environmental Services and NuTrients removAL
• WASTEMAN – Integrated Sustainable Waste Management Systems decreasing pollution discharges in the South Baltic area

Specific Objective 3. Improve the quality and environmental sustainability of transport services in the South Baltic area

• Connect2SmallPorts – South Baltic Small Ports as Gateways towards Integrated Sustainable European Transport System and Blue Growth by Smart Connectivity Solutions
• INCONE60 – Inland Blue Transport Connector E60
• PARKING GETS SMART – Improved & digitalised parking management as tool to foster green and multimodal transport in the South Baltic area

Specific Objective 4. Increase the share of skilled labour force working in blue and green economy sectors of the South Baltic area through joint cross-border actions

• BFA – BALTIC FOR ALL
• SB BRIDGE – building bridges for green-tech future

The resources from the European Regional Development Fund to be allocated to these projects amount to 15 066 852,69 EUR (19% of the Programme financial capacity).

The Monitoring Committee decided also to open the 6th call for proposals from 1 October until 18 December 2018 for the Specific Objectives: 2.2, 3, 4 and 5.

Please visit the Programme’s website for more detailed information about the results of the call.

An interesting year ahead for Interreg Baltic Sea Region. As underlined by Susanne Scherrer, Director of the Managing Authority/ Joint Secretariat, in the course of 2018 projects of the first call will deliver their main outputs, project platforms will pick up their work to maximise the effects of projects’ results and the vast majority of the Programme’s funds will be allocated to the third call project selection. From 5 October 2017 to 15 January 2018, Interreg Baltic Sea Region was accepting new project ideas for a more innovative, better accessible and sustainable Baltic Sea region in the third call for project applications. As many as 269 project idea forms have been submitted throughout this time period.

As for the Baltic Sea cooperation with Russia, the Financing Agreement between the Russian Federation and the European Commission has successfully been concluded and signed. A total of EUR 8.8 million of EU and Russian funding is now available to enable full participation of Russian partners in our cooperation projects and thus closes the circle of countries bordering the Baltic Sea. According to the Financing Agreement, the European Commission allocated EUR 4.4 million from the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to Interreg Baltic Sea Region for Russian beneficiaries. In parallel, Russia earmarked EUR 4.4 million for the Programme budget. The funding rate for Russian partners is up to 85%. All funds will be implemented based on the same set of Programme rules.

At the same time, the foundation of Transnational Cooperation funding after 2020 is being laid. The document is a good opportunity to take a look at the role that Interreg transnational programmes actually play in the context of the EU’s cohesion policy and at the added value of transnational cooperation from the Baltic Sea region and across Europe.

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The kick-off meeting of the INTERCONNECT project took place in Karlskrona (Sweden) on 4-5th October 2017.  Organized by Region Blekinge, the project’s Lead Partner, the event aimed at organizing the work of the partnership while promoting its practical objectives dedicated to the establishment of sustainable cross-border public transport solutions in the South Baltic area. (more…)

Two Erasmus + projects, submitted by ERB partners in Sweden and Denmark have just been approved: Youth 3.0 and Youth 4.0. They are two of the four ambitious projects submitted last April by a partnership of four organizations in Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Lithuania. The leadership is foreseen for Europe Direct Bornholm for Youth 3.0, and Kumulus for Youth 4.0, organizations both committed in the field of youth cooperation. (more…)

On 12th December 2017, all the CaSYPoT project partners and relevant stakeholders are invited to the city of Slupsk, Poland, for an important conference. (more…)

The Interreg Baltic Sea Region Monitoring Committee on 23-24 May 2017 decided that 39 new projects be approved in the frame of the Programme’s second call for proposals.
The 39 projects have been chosen among 71 projects submitted, and they can be considered as the continuation of 35 projects implemented in the first call.
EUR 87 million have been allocated from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support these projects, whose well embeddedness in the thematic fields of innovation capacity, natural resources management, and sustainable transport, will contribute to a better innovative, connected and accessible Baltic Sea Region.

Here you can find the list of projects approved: List of approved projects in Baltic Sea Region 2nd call
More detailed information will follow at this link.

As the result of the 3rd call for proposals, 12 projects have been selected for funding by the Monitoring Committee (MC) of the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014-2020. On 16th and 17th May 2017 in the German sea resort of Binz, the delegates approved the following projects:

1. ELMAR: Supporting South Baltic SMEs to enter the international supply chains & sales markets for boats & ships with electric propulsions
2. InterMarE: Internationalization of South Baltic maritime economy
3. CTCC: Creative Traditional Companies Cooperation
4. SB Food Inno: Developing food innovation capacity in the South Baltic Region
5. BioBIGG: Bioeconomy in the South Baltic Area: Biomass-based Innovation and Green Growth
6. Baltic Heritage Routes: Development of Heritage Tourism Infrastructure in the South Baltic Area
7. Baltic Stories: Professionalization of events for culturally embedded and sustainable tourism development of destinations in South Baltic region
8. DUNC: Development of UNESCO Natural and Cultural assets
9. LiveLagoons: The use of active barriers for the nutrient removal and local water quality improvement in Baltic lagoons
10. RBR: Reviving Baltic Resilience
    Interconnect
11. South Baltic Transport Loops

The resources from the European Regional Development Fund to be allocated to these projects amount to approximately 17,27 m EUR (22% of the Programme financial capacity). The projects approved cover the Programme priorities 1, 2 and 3. An official communication to the applicants will follow shortly.

The Monitoring Committee decided also to open the 4th call for proposals from 22 May until 30 June 2017 for all the Specific Objectives except of 1.1, 1.2 (due to no funding available) and 2.1. The Specific Objective 2.1 will be available in the 5th call, planned to be open from 13 November until 15 December 2017.

Source: https://southbaltic.eu/-/new-projects-approved