SEUPB News Feed

INTERREG IVA NEW CALL OPENING IN JANUARY 2012

Teresa Lennon — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:44:02 GMT

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – PROJECT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

A new call for applications across the INTERREG IVA Programme will be opening on 3 January 2012.

In an effort to improve the quality of applications and the processing time for projects, the SEUPB is proposing a new two stage approach for this call. Further details on the call will be available from 3 January 2012.

In order to provide greater project development support to potential applicants the SEUPB has organized a series of half day project development workshops. All applicants are expected to attend one of these workshops. The workshops will outline in more detail what is required for both stages of the application process and will assist applicants in the using a cross border impact assessment toolkit to develop good quality projects. The dates and locations of these workshops are below:

Thursday 12 January 2012, 09h30 – 13h00, Dunadry Hotel, Templepatrick
Friday 13 January 2012, 09h30 – 13h00, Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan
Wednesday 25 January 2012, 09h30 –13h00, Glasgow, Scotland (venue to be confirmed)

Further details will be made available in the coming weeks. Places at the workshops are limited so applicants are advised to confirm their attendance by Monday 9 January 2012.

Please confirm your attendance by contacting Christine Markey on +44 2890 266725 or by emailing christine.markey@seupb.eu.

Northern Periphery Programme – O4O project is a RegioStars 2012 Finalist

Kirsti Mijnhijmer — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:03:51 GMT

The Older People for Older People (O4O) project has been selected as a finalist for the RegioStars 2012 Awards in the category Inclusive Growth: Strategies, initiatives or projects addressing the challenge of demographic change and supporting active ageing. This year, the European Commission has received a record number of 107 applications.

RegioStars Awards is a competition to select the best among all regional development projects funded by the European Union. The aim of RegioStars, the Award for Innovative Projects, is to identify good practices in regional development and to highlight original and innovative projects that could be attractive and inspiring to other regions.

The O4O project was designed in response to the increasing proportions of older people in Europe; especially peripheral regions such as the Northern Periphery have a higher percentage of older people compared with central urban regions. The difficulties of providing services to older people in remote and rural areas and suggestions within policy that citizens can take a more active role in service design and delivery were the basis for the project idea. O4O sought to test whether communities wanted to develop social enterprises (not-for-profit social businesses) to provide basic services.

O4O was led by the Centre for Rural Health, a collaboration between the University of the Highlands and Islands and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Other partners in the project were located in Sweden, Finland, Greenland and Northern Ireland.

The project empowered older people to identify their needs and supported them to develop a variety of social organisations that will provide the services to meet those needs. The innovative aspect is that the people providing the services to older people are older people themselves! The objective is to improve the quality of life for older people, so they can stay and live healthily and happily in their own homes for a longer period.

For example, O4O helped a community group to form and take over the running of a care centre for the elderly in Lochinver, Assynt, Scotland. The O4O Luncheon Club in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, provides an on-site catering facility. Using garden space that an older person can no longer manage to maintain, volunteers grow vegetables for the luncheon club. This turns a liability for one older person into a resource that will benefit many older people who meet with each other at the club. These are just two examples out of a long list of products and services developed by the O4O project.

James Fraser, University of the Highlands and Islands Principal and Vice-Chancellor congratulated the O4O project team, saying: “It is gratifying to receive such distinguished acknowledgment for this important work. The European Commission's RegioStars annual awards highlight the most innovative projects that have been supported by European Regional Policy. And it is testament to the tangible difference this O4O project has actually made to the older people in our rural communities in the Northern Periphery Programme area, that it has been shortlisted from over 100 entries.”

Although the project is finished, the services developed by older people in the rural communities involved continue. The experiences and learning established during the project have been captured and presented in the O4O Toolkit - a 'manual' that will enable the start-up of O4O-type services in further communities throughout the Northern Periphery and beyond. Contact information is also available for providers and developers of all different services so expertise knowledge can easily be transferred also after the project lifetime.

The O4O project was part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013.

RegioStars 2012 winners will be announced at an award ceremony during the Regions for Economic Change Conference on 14 June 2012 in Brussels.

For more information about the O4O project, please visit www.o4os.eu.

Major Conference on European Cross-border Training and Impact Assessment

emiliaferreira — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:52:12 GMT

Joe O’Reilly TD leader of the Irish Parliament Delegation to the Consul of Europe, opened a major two-day conference on ‘Cross-border Training and Impact Assessment in Ireland and Europe’ in Cavan on Thursday 27 October (10 am). The conference will bring together 130 people from border regions in 12 European countries to exchange good practice in cross-border cooperation; discuss the training of people engaged in cross-border cooperation; and examine ways of determining whether a cross-border approach to tackling a particular problem is the most appropriate one.

The conference is funded by the EU INTERREG programme (managed by the Special EU Programmes Body) and held in collaboration with the TEIN (Transfrontier Euro-Institut Network) group of cross-border research and training institutes and centres. It is organised by the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh, a leading member of TEIN.

There will be presentations on the following cross-border topics in Ireland and Europe: the TEIN network, health training, business mentoring, raising the participation of women in public life, teacher training, intercultural training, local authority training, higher education and research cooperation, needs analysis and impact assessment.

On the morning of Friday 28 October Dr José Antonio Ruiz de Casas of the Regional Directorate (DG Regio) of the European Commission in Brussels will launch the new Impact Assessment Toolkit for Cross Border Cooperation, which has been developed by the Centre for Cross Border Studies and the Euro-Institut in Kehl, Germany. This toolkit has been designed to help programme and project promoters applying for EU funding to determine whether a cross-border approach is the appropriate way to tackle a particular social, economic or environmental problem and, if so, to identify the ‘added value’ of such cross-border cooperation.

Countries represented at the conference will include France, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, the French Caribbean, the UK and Ireland.

Speaking ahead of the event, Minister of State Creighton emphasised the Government's commitment to strengthening North-South cooperation and to working with Northern colleagues to develop greater economic collaboration to accelerate the process of economic recovery and job creation on this island. In the context of the economic challenges faced in both jurisdictions, re-skilling the unemployed is at the top of the training policy agendas both North and South.

The conference chair, Pat Colgan, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body, will say in his opening remarks: “This a highly worthwhile event which has been designed to highlight the crucial role that strategic cross-border cooperation plays in helping to improve the lives of people living within border regions across Europe. To date the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme has allocated approximately €171.7 million worth of assistance to projects that are supporting successful cross-border interventions in Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.
Collectively these projects have made a real and tangible impact in the development of a more prosperous and sustainable region. We are over half way through the current programming period however there is still much work to be done. I welcome the new ‘impact assessment toolkit’ which has the potential to enhance future funding applications and identify innovative approaches to solving common cross-border problems.”

EU COMMISSIONER HAHN LAUNCHES PEACE BRIDGE

EF — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:36:14 GMT

EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn opened the European Union funded ‘Peace Bridge’ in Derry-Londonderry alongside; the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD; First Minister, Peter Robinson MLA; Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness MP MLA; and Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland MLA.

The third bridge across the River Foyle, the Peace Bridge has been awarded £14,677,823 from the European Union’s PEACE III Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). This funding represents a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, the Northern Ireland Executive and from the Irish Government.

The PEACE III Programme (2007-2013) supports a number of capital build development projects, which tackle the problems associated with divided communities through the creation of new shared spaces that maximise the potential for reconciliation and economic renewal.

Welcoming the completion of the bridge, President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said: “The European Union’s structural funds have actively provided support to the region over the past 16 years, through the PEACE Programme. This financial assistance has helped drive forward thousands of projects and initiatives in support of the peace process. The Peace Bridge is one of the most significant of these projects and symbolises our shared hope for continued peace and improved prosperity for the citizens of Derry-Londonderry.”

Officially opening the bridge EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, said: “One of the key objectives of the European Union is to bring people together to live in peace, with a common respect both for shared values and for diversity. The European Commission is particularly committed to helping the people of this region as they work towards the goal of lasting peace and prosperity.

“I believe that the Peace Bridge will help further this goal for the people of Derry-Londonderry. It will encourage greater levels of cross-community integration and usher in a new period of peace and reconciliation for the city,” continued the Commissioner.

Commenting on the launch of the bridge, Pat Colgan, Chief Executive of the SEUPB, said: “The Peace Bridge is the largest capital build project, currently supported by the EU’s PEACE III Programme. It reflects the core principles of the programme, which aims to reinforce progress towards a more peaceful and prosperous society. A truly iconic project, the bridge will act as a physical symbol for change, reinforcing long-term community cohesion, peace and reconciliation.”

For additional information, please see the full press release here.

EUROPE DAY HIGHLIGHTS €402m (£365m) EUROPEAN INVESTMENT ACROSS THE REGION

JMCC — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:49:47 GMT

This year’s Europe Day marks a significant investment by the European Union within Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland, under the European Regional Development Fund.

Occurring annually on the 9th May, the day is a celebration of peace and unity across all 27 member states and commemorates the beginning of official European co-operation.

In total, approximately €402m (£365m) worth of European support has been allocated to hundreds of different projects and initiatives under the EU’s PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Launched in 2007 the programmes, which will close in 2013, have been designed to reinforce peace and stability across the region as well as promote greater levels of cross-border co-operation between Northern Ireland, the border region of Ireland and Western Scotland.

To date approximately €243m (£221m) worth of assistance has been awarded to projects that are helping to create social and economic stability across the region, under the EU’s PEACE III Programme.

These include a number of capital build projects such as the construction of the new Peace bridge in Derry-Londonderry; various Council led anti-sectarian and anti-racism initiatives as well as counselling support programmes to help those affected by the legacy of the conflict.

Over the next 12 months an additional €90m (£82m) will be made available from PEACE III to new projects and initiatives across the region.

Approximately €159m (£144.3m) has also been made available, under the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme, to projects that will support greater cross-border co-operation to create a more prosperous and sustainable region.

Running parallel to the PEACE Programme INTERREG IVA focuses on specific cross-border priority areas including enterprise, tourism and infrastructure development.

Initiatives include the Tradelinks 2 programme which provides support to micro-business and the I.C.E. (Innovation for Competitive Enterprises) project which offers advice and guidance to local companies on new product and service development.

Over the next 12 months an additional €90m (€82m) of support will also be made available from INTERREG IVA to similar projects and initiatives.

Commenting on the significance of Europe Day Shaun Henry, Director of the Managing Authority within the SEUPB said:

“Over the past 16 years a substantial level of investment has been provided to the region from the European Union. This support has been allocated to thousands of different projects which have collectively helped to reinforce peace and stability across the region as well as enhance economic cross-border co-operation and development.

“Within the SEUPB it is our role to maximise the amount of money available from Europe, under the programmes that we manage, and ensure that it is made available to viable projects that represent value for money and will provide long-term benefits to the region”.

For further information on the PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes as well as the work of the SEUPB please visit www.seupb.eu
-ENDS.

Cross border Hospital Service Tackling Waiting Lists

Emilia Ferreira — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:01:30 GMT

The Western Trust’s Erne Hospital in Co. Fermanagh is the centre for an innovative cross border service which is treating patients from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The service began in 2010 with funding from the European Union’s INTERREG IVA programme which was secured by Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT), the cross border health and social care partnership. Already 156 patients requiring treatment for blood vessel or ‘Vascular’ conditions have attended clinics and received surgery in the Erne Hospital. This includes patients from the Western, Northern and Southern Trusts areas in Northern Ireland, in addition to patients from the HSE West counties of Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.

Joe Lusby, Deputy Chief Executive for the Western Trust commented on the service expansion said: “This cross border partnership has allowed us to expand and enhance our Vascular service and has brought benefits to both Northern Ireland patients in the Western Trust area and to people living in the HSE West counties adjoining the Trust. We now have a larger and more sustainable service. We have demonstrated that by working together on a cross border basis we can provide better access to high quality Vascular services for patients living in the more rural border area here in the West.”

Sean Murphy, General Manager, Letterkenny General Hospital welcomed the benefits this new service is bringing to patients in the HSE West area. He said “we are delighted to be working in close partnership with our near neighbours in the Western Trust so that we can offer our patients access to high quality services. We have been able to use this welcome additional EU INTERREG IVA investment to reduce our Vascular waiting lists and to collaborate with well established services, next door to us, in the Western Trust hospital in Fermanagh. We have received very positive feedback from patients to date.”

Speaking on behalf of the EU funder, Eimear Murphy, Programme Manager with the SEUPB said: "I recently had the opportunity to see at first hand this cross border hospital service in action and have been greatly impressed by the work developed by all those involved in the Vascular service in the Erne Hospital. I was also delighted to meet patients from both sides of the border and hear about the difference this project is making to their lives. The project brings to life the principles of the EU's INTERREG IVA Programme which aims to support better access to services in order to improve the quality of life of those living in the eligible area, namely through the promotion of enhanced co-operation between public bodies and other partners on a cross-border basis."

Mr Mark Grannell is the Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Erne Hospital in Co. Fermanagh. The cross border Vascular service will be reviewed in 2013 after the EU funding period ends with a view to continuing the service in the longer term.

FOSTER UNVEILS BALLYMENA JEWELLERY WORKSHOP AS UK’S FIRST ÉCONOMUSÉE

Emilia Ferreira — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:26:27 GMT

TOURISM Minister Arlene Foster today announced that a jewellery workshop in Ballymena is to be the United Kingdom’s first ÉCONOMUSÉE.

An ÉCONOMUSÉE is a Québec inspired tourism initiative that encourages visitors to meet an artisan in their workshop and learn about the history of their craft. From today, Galgorm-based Marion Woodburn Jewellery will join the ÉCONOMUSÉE Northern Europe network.

Artisan Marion Woodburn and her team use precious metals to hand craft jewellery on the premises. Much of Marion’s work is inspired by the richness of the local landscape and the surroundings of the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Speaking at the Galgorm workshop, the Minister said: “With only 18 ÉCONOMUSÉE sites in Northern Europe, being part of this influential international network will provide a great platform to further strengthen Northern Ireland’s cultural tourism offering.

“The ÉCONOMUSÉE will ultimately enhance the unique heritage of the Causeway Coast and Glens area, by showcasing the traditional skills of our local craftsmen and women. Visitors to Marion’s workshop can watch her at work, as well as learning about the history of jewellery making and the origin of the precious metals she uses.”

The Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust (CCGHT) is the lead partner in Northern Ireland to implement the ÉCONOMUSÉE Northern Europe project, which is part funded by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

The ÉCONOMUSÉE Northern Europe network has been developed with assistance from the European Union’s Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. The INTERREG project is organised as a co-operation project between regions from seven countries including Northern Ireland, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Republic of Ireland and Norway.

Arlene Foster added: “The establishment of the UK’s first ÉCONOMUSÉE in Ballymena is a welcome step, as it will encourage visitors to go beyond the Giant’s Causeway and explore other areas along the Causeway Coastal Route. It will also give tourists another tangible reason to stop and spend money in the area.”
The launch was attended by key representatives from the ÉCONOMUSÉE Society Network in Québec, the Québec Government Office in London and Hordaland County Council in Norway.

Sarah Irwin, Sustainable Development Officer for the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust said: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead on such an innovative and creative tourism initiative. There is a need to encourage and promote more sustainable tourism experiences in the Causeway Coast and Glens area and this project is a fantastic example of how to achieve that.

“We are very proud that we have developed the first ÉCONOMUSÉE in the United Kingdom. It is of particular importance in this current economic climate to support local artisans/businesses in such an engaging manner. Hopefully it will sustain their livelihoods during these challenging economic times.”

Marion Woodburn added: “This initiative fits perfectly with our business as we use traditional skills to create our contemporary designs. ÉCONOMUSÉE will enhance local tourism and raise public awareness of craft with an understanding of the time and skill involved. Over the coming months I hope to create further employment and I look forward to welcoming additional visitors as our business continues to grow.”

INTERREG IVA Tourism Call for Proposals Postponed

Emilia Ferreira — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:35:37 GMT

Following consultation with a number of key stakeholders including the Accountable Departments, the relevant Statutory Agencies and potential project applicants the SEUPB has taken the decision to postpone the launch of the tourism funding call under the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme until further notice.

Call for Applications for the Enterprise theme of INTERREG IVA - Deadline extended

emiliaferreira — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:35:58 GMT

The deadline has been extended for the call for applications under the Enterprise theme of the INTERREG IVA Programme.

The call for applications, which opened on 9 November 2010 will now close on Friday, 4 February 2011 at 3pm.

Applications are invited to the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme under the following priority:

Priority 1: Co-operation for a more prosperous cross border region.

Theme 1: Enterprise.

Additional information is available here.

New call for applications to Theme 1.2 of the PEACE III Programme

Emilia Ferreira — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:11:49 GMT

The Consortium of Pobal and the Community Relations Council in Northern Ireland has opened a call for applications to Theme 1.2: Acknowledging and Dealing with the Past of the PEACE III Programme.

The Community Relations Council and Pobal (The Consortium) have been appointed by the Special EU Programmes Body as a joint delivery mechanism for Theme 1.2 of the PEACE III Programme.

The Consortium is seeking innovative and boundary pushing applications from organisations or consortia interested in delivering peace-building and reconciliation projects which have a specific focus on dealing with the past and building pathways for a better future. Support will be provided to a diverse range of high quality medium to large scale projects which will be implemented between June 2011 and December 2014.

Indicative actions for this call include:
• Innovative initiatives which seek to build positive sustainable relationships between and within the specific target groups of the PEACE III Programme.
• Integrated and collaborative approaches between agencies and community organisations that address the needs of victims and survivors.
• Work with young people to ensure that they have a balanced view of the nature and impact of the conflict and contribute to ensuring that the past is not repeated.
• Joint cross-community and/or cross border initiatives which promote and support the inclusion and integration of victims and survivors into wider society.
• Actions that address the effects of the conflict on communities that have experienced particular problems of segregation, marginalisation and isolation.
• Actions that explore legacy and memory of the conflict through truth recovery, documentation, storytelling and the recording of complex history and experience.

THE CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF COMPLETED APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY 4 MARCH 2011.

Further details on the call for applications and details of forthcoming information workshops are available from Pobal and Community Relations Council websites:

www.pobal.ie/FUNDING%20PROGRAMMES/PEACE/BENEFICIARIES/Pages/InformationforBeneficiaries.aspx

www.community-relations.org.uk/about-us/news/item/604/peace-iii-call-for-applications/