Improving the Quality of Structural Funds ProgrammeManagement through Exchange of Experience
| IQ-Net News | Study Tour, IQ-Net Conference Åre December 2009 |
This page provides news on network developments, publications and conferences.
IQ-Net partners met on 28 March 2012 in Brussels for a day of exchanges on special issues around Financial Instruments and Cohesion policy. Hosted by the Flanders Enterprise Agency, the meeting was organised in cooperation with DG REGIO and attended by 31 delegates from eleven Member States. The event featured presentations by EPRC (State aid), DG REGIO (audit and proposed framework for 2014+) and DG ECFIN (EU-level instruments). Discussions on the topic will be taken forward to feed into the negotiations on the post-2013 period, as well as to contribute to EPRC's new research focus on entrepreneurial finance. The Committee of the Regions, together with DGs REGIO, EMPL, AGRI and MARE, is aiming to bring together some 50 contributions on the theme of 'community-led local development' for OPEN DAYS 2012. Suggestions are now being invited for workshop proposals including at least three projects or contributions from practitioners, experts and representatives of EU, national, regional and local authorities. The deadline for applications is 5 March 2012. Further information can be found here. 
IQ-Net partners from 17 EU countries, together with representatives of DG Regio of the European Commission, met at the 31st IQ-Net conference in Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen on 7-9 December 2011. The conference was hosted by the Ministry for Economy, Energy, Construction, Housing and Transport of the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The conference opened with a welcome and introduction from the hosts, given by Dr Bernhard Roth-Harting, Head of the Objective 2 Managing Authority of Nordrhein-Westfalen. The main focus of the conference was on the experiences of IQ-Net partners with planning and implementing financial instruments under their Structural Funds programmes, including experience with the EU Jeremie and Jessica initiatives. Discussions were supported by a research paper prepared by Rona Michie and Fiona Wishlade of EPRC. Bjoern Gabriel of DG Regio provided detail on the European Commission’s regulatory proposals for the next programme period as they relate to financial instruments. Partner interventions were provided by Tabea Strotmann of the NRW.Bank and Dr Csaba Novak of the Hungarian Economic Development Centre.
Discussions also covered current programme implementation issues, with a focus on the future, specifically the European Commission’s proposals for the new Structural Funds regulations, supported by presentations by Stefan Kah of EPRC and Rachel Lancry of DG Regio. Frederike Gross, IQ-Net Network Manager, provided an overview of future network developments.
During the conference, partners viewed several projects which have benefited from European funding: the NRW/EU.Mikrodarlehen micro loan instrument, a revolving fund supporting start-ups in Nordrhein-Westfalen; a zero-emission hybrid electric fuel cell bus; a fully transplantable artificial heart project developed by the Institute for Applied Medical Engineering located in the Helmholtz Institute, Aachen; and the StreetScooter affordable electric vehicle prototype.One of the key methods of impact evaluation is the use of counterfactuals, controls and comparison groups. This is a relatively new method in cohesion policy but is already showing promising results.
DG Regio is co-organising a conference with the Polish presidency in Warsaw on 12 December. High-level policy makers and experts will discuss four recent counterfactual impact evaluations of Cohesion policy, drawn from the fields of enterprise support, innovation, entrepreneurship and training. There will be a strong focus on results obtained and policy lessons.
For further information on the conference, view the DG Regio website here - early registration is strongly recommended.The 15th issue of the IQ-Net Bulletin is now available to download. The Bulletin provides a brief overview of the topics discussed by IQ-Net partners at the last five network meetings, held in Steiermark (Austria), Åre (Sweden), Brussels, Prague and Swansea (UK).
Partners' discussions were supported by EPRC reports and facilitated through workshop sessions. Topics covered at the meetings have included: EU Cohesion policy and State aid compliance; partnership dynamics in Cohesion policy; reflections on the Cohesion policy reform debate; Cohesion policy, the Lisbon Agenda and Europe 2020; and interactions between EU Funds - coordination and competition.
The Bulletin can be viewed or downloaded here.
IQ-Net partners from 15 EU countries, together with representatives of DG Regio and DG Emploi of the European Commission, met at the 30th IQ-Net conference in Swansea, Wales on 20-22 June 2011. The conference was hosted by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO).
The conference opened with a welcome and introduction from the hosts, given by Damien O’Brien, Director of WEFO. The main focus of the conference was on the interactions between EU funds, and the meeting gave IQ-Net partners the opportunity to discuss their experiences with the coordination of EU Funds under the mono-Fund approach introduced for the 2007-13 period, supported by a research paper presented by Dr Sara Davies of EPRC. Rachel Lancry from DG Regio and Jeroen Jutte from DG Emploi provided the Commission perspective on the theme.
Discussions also focused on current programme implementation issues, including programme communications, financial engineering, audit and evaluation, supported by a presentation by Rona Michie of EPRC and on the Network's developments, illustrated by Frederike Gross, IQ-Net Network manager. During the individual sessions, partners from Flanders, France, Finland, Lower Austria and Portugal presented their own experiences.
During the conference, partners visited the SA1 Waterfront Development in Swansea, an ambitious urban regeneration project which has received Structural Funds resources. Delegates then visited Swansea University, where two projects were presented – Software Alliance Wales, an ESF-funded project which supports innovation and growth in the ICT and software sector, and the Institute of Life Sciences, a purpose-built medical research facility which has received funding from the ERDF.
IQ-Net Interim Meeting on Financial Instruments in Brussels
CoR invites workshops on community-led local development for OPEN DAYS 2012
31st IQ-Net Conference (Aachen) discusses financial instruments in Structural Funds programmes
The conference opened with a welcome and introduction from the hosts, given by Dr Bernhard Roth-Harting, Head of the Objective 2 Managing Authority of Nordrhein-Westfalen. The main focus of the conference was on the experiences of IQ-Net partners with planning and implementing financial instruments under their Structural Funds programmes, including experience with the EU Jeremie and Jessica initiatives. Discussions were supported by a research paper prepared by Rona Michie and Fiona Wishlade of EPRC. Bjoern Gabriel of DG Regio provided detail on the European Commission’s regulatory proposals for the next programme period as they relate to financial instruments. Partner interventions were provided by Tabea Strotmann of the NRW.Bank and Dr Csaba Novak of the Hungarian Economic Development Centre.
Discussions also covered current programme implementation issues, with a focus on the future, specifically the European Commission’s proposals for the new Structural Funds regulations, supported by presentations by Stefan Kah of EPRC and Rachel Lancry of DG Regio. Frederike Gross, IQ-Net Network Manager, provided an overview of future network developments.
During the conference, partners viewed several projects which have benefited from European funding: the NRW/EU.Mikrodarlehen micro loan instrument, a revolving fund supporting start-ups in Nordrhein-Westfalen; a zero-emission hybrid electric fuel cell bus; a fully transplantable artificial heart project developed by the Institute for Applied Medical Engineering located in the Helmholtz Institute, Aachen; and the StreetScooter affordable electric vehicle prototype.
Warsaw Conference on Counterfactual Impact Evaluation, 12 December 2011
DG Regio is co-organising a conference with the Polish presidency in Warsaw on 12 December. High-level policy makers and experts will discuss four recent counterfactual impact evaluations of Cohesion policy, drawn from the fields of enterprise support, innovation, entrepreneurship and training. There will be a strong focus on results obtained and policy lessons.
For further information on the conference, view the DG Regio website here - early registration is strongly recommended.
New IQ-Net Bulletin published
Partners' discussions were supported by EPRC reports and facilitated through workshop sessions. Topics covered at the meetings have included: EU Cohesion policy and State aid compliance; partnership dynamics in Cohesion policy; reflections on the Cohesion policy reform debate; Cohesion policy, the Lisbon Agenda and Europe 2020; and interactions between EU Funds - coordination and competition.
The Bulletin can be viewed or downloaded here.
30th IQ-Net Conference (Swansea) discusses interactions between EU Funds
The conference opened with a welcome and introduction from the hosts, given by Damien O’Brien, Director of WEFO. The main focus of the conference was on the interactions between EU funds, and the meeting gave IQ-Net partners the opportunity to discuss their experiences with the coordination of EU Funds under the mono-Fund approach introduced for the 2007-13 period, supported by a research paper presented by Dr Sara Davies of EPRC. Rachel Lancry from DG Regio and Jeroen Jutte from DG Emploi provided the Commission perspective on the theme.
Discussions also focused on current programme implementation issues, including programme communications, financial engineering, audit and evaluation, supported by a presentation by Rona Michie of EPRC and on the Network's developments, illustrated by Frederike Gross, IQ-Net Network manager. During the individual sessions, partners from Flanders, France, Finland, Lower Austria and Portugal presented their own experiences.
During the conference, partners visited the SA1 Waterfront Development in Swansea, an ambitious urban regeneration project which has received Structural Funds resources. Delegates then visited Swansea University, where two projects were presented – Software Alliance Wales, an ESF-funded project which supports innovation and growth in the ICT and software sector, and the Institute of Life Sciences, a purpose-built medical research facility which has received funding from the ERDF.
IQ-Net gratefully acknowledges the support of the European Regional Development Fund