Regiostars
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Regional policy for real people – Testimonial by Mirosław Bancerz, maintenance worker in Elblag (Poland)
31/01/2013Mirosław Bancerz lost his job as a heavy goods vehicle driver when he started to develop glaucoma at the age of 58. But thanks to the EU-funded Individual Employment Paths project, he acquired new electrical and maintenance skills, and now works as caretaker for a housing cooperative.
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REGIO STARS 2013 winner – Inclusive Growth: INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYMENT PATHS – Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Poland
31/01/2013
Many obstacles make it hard for people to find a job when they are over 45, have been out of work for some time, or have disabilities or health problems. The Individual Employment Paths project in Elblag, northern Poland, offers the expert assistance these people need to overcome the barriers and secure fulfilling occupations. Individual Employment Paths, co-funded by the European Social Fund, contributes to the EU’s cohesion policy objective of economic growth and job creation.
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Regional policy for real people – Testimonial by Darren Beard, employee of Cleanbake, in Lancashire (UK)
31/01/2013Training followed by Darren Beard thanks to the EU-funded ENWORKS project has allowed this worker to make a useful contribution to environmentally friendly industrial practices.
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REGIO STARS 2013 winner – Sustainable Growth: ENWORKS Resource Efficiency Support - North West England, UK
31/01/2013
ENWORKS, in Manchester, is a unique environmental advice and support service that helps companies in the north west of England to make better use of increasingly scarce resources. Since 2007, with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund, it has advised 4 000 small businesses, helping them to make annual savings of more than €16 million through resource efficiency, to cut 34 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year, and to create or save 967 jobs. ENWORKS shows how green innovation can boost productivity, cut costs and increase profits.
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REGIO STARS 2013 winner – CityStar: NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT BERLIN
31/01/2013Offering local people the opportunity to take decisions about their own neighbourhoods can help transform deprived city areas into more agreeable places to live. In Germany, Berlin’s Neighbourhood Management programme has proved that this approach works, by sharing responsibility for local development with Neighbourhood Councils. This innovative project, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, helps people to build partnerships and revitalise their urban environment. It is enabling Berlin to become a ‘socially integrative city’.
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REGIO STARS 2013 winner – Smart Growth: Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto (UPTEC) - North of Portugal (Norte), Portugal
31/01/2013The Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, UPTEC, is an outstanding example of how to bring academic knowledge and business closer together, through its strategy of sharing research findings and fostering local entrepreneurship. It is helping to turn the northern region of Portugal into a centre for innovation. Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the project is spreading modern, structural change across the north of Portugal, demonstrating how active universities in previously poorer regions of Europe can lead the move to smart growth.
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Regional policy for real people – Testimonial by Ahmet Taner, head of the Alevi community in Berlin (Germany)
31/01/2013
Ahmet Taner, head of the Alevi Muslim community in Berlin, is proud of helping his community participate in the social life of the city thanks to the EU-funded Neighbourhood Management initiative in Berlin.
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Regional policy for real people – Testimonial by Vera Santos, dancer, in Porto (Portugal)
31/01/2013Vera Santos lives near Porto’s Creative Industries Centre and works as a contemporary dance teacher. More recently she has been developing training tools through the work of dance, in the area of entrepreneurship associated with creativity, thanks to the EU-funded UPTEC project.
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RegioStars – The Awards for Regional Innovative Projects
06/11/2012The European Commission's RegioStars annual awards highlight the most innovative projects which have been supported by European Regional Policy.
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Georgina MacLeod, the O4O project
13/06/2012Testimonial of Georgina MacLeod about the O4O project. People in the EU are living longer than ever, and the proportion of the population aged over 55 is growing all the time. In some rural areas on the fringes of northern Europe, many pensioners live by themselves, and risk becoming isolated and marginalised if public transport and other services are not available and they cannot afford special care. In these remote regions, skilled staff, such as carers and nurses, are often hard to recruit and retain. The O4O project – Older people for Older people – co-financed by the European Union, responded to this challenge, using existing skills and experience within ageing communities. O4O shows older people how they can take responsibility for providing the services they need, and organises support across rural Scotland, Finland, Greenland, Northern Ireland and Sweden. At a time when public spending is under pressure in many parts of the EU, the project demonstrates how vital networks and facilities can be maintained in a way that also encourages older people to stay active and make an important contribution to society. Winner of the RegioStars 2012 Award, Inclusive Growth category
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RegioStars 2012 - INCLUSIVE GROWTH: O4O - Lifelong experience boosts ageing communities
13/06/2012People in the EU are living longer than ever, and the proportion of the population aged over 55 is growing all the time. In some rural areas on the fringes of northern Europe, many pensioners live by themselves, and risk becoming isolated and marginalised if public transport and other services are not available and they cannot afford special care. In these remote regions, skilled staff, such as carers and nurses, are often hard to recruit and retain. The O4O project – Older people for Older people – co-financed by the European Union, responded to this challenge, using existing skills and experience within ageing communities. O4O shows older people how they can take responsibility for providing the services they need, and organises support across rural Scotland, Finland, Greenland, Northern Ireland and Sweden. At a time when public spending is under pressure in many parts of the EU, the project demonstrates how vital networks and facilities can be maintained in a way that also encourages older people to stay active and make an important contribution to society. Winner of the RegioStars 2012 Award, Inclusive Growth category
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Trixie Neilson from GRaBS project
13/06/2012Testimonial of Trixie Neilson from GRaBS project. Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. To enable European towns and cities to adapt successfully to the challenges of extreme weather and warming temperatures, and to achieve sustainable growth, local people need to be consulted and actively involved in improving their environment. The GRaBS project – Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco-towns – focused on ‘green’ open spaces and ‘blue’ water resources. Trees and grasslands, for example, help to lower temperatures in towns, through evaporation. The project worked with local communities, helping them to improve their own environment and create healthier, safer and more pleasant living spaces for everyone. Winner of RegioStars 2012 Award - SUSTAINABLE GROWTH category
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RegioStars 2012 - SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: GRaBS - Preparing local planning for climate change challenges
13/06/2012Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. To enable European towns and cities to adapt successfully to the challenges of extreme weather and warming temperatures, and to achieve sustainable growth, local people need to be consulted and actively involved in improving their environment. The GRaBS project – Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco-towns – focused on ‘green’ open spaces and ‘blue’ water resources. Trees and grasslands, for example, help to lower temperatures in towns, through evaporation. The project worked with local communities, helping them to improve their own environment and create healthier, safer and more pleasant living spaces for everyone. Winner of RegioStars 2012 Award - SUSTAINABLE GROWTH category
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Petra Könighofer from Eco World Styria - RegioStars 2012
13/06/2012A portrait of Petra Könighofer from Eco World Styria Eco World Styria started up in 2005, in Austria’s Styria region, with the aim of creating a location for the development of innovative green businesses, able to compete with the best at a global level. Since then, it has established itself as a ground breaker in developing clean, environmentally friendly technologies. By encouraging cleantech companies with innovative ideas, this outstanding project has helped create 5 000 jobs and grow the local economy. These local firms have expanded their workforce by over 10% a year, on average. Winner of the RegioStars 2012 Award - Smart Growth category
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RegioStars 2012 - ECO WORLD STYRIA - Boosting employment through a world-beating network of green-tech companies
13/06/2012Eco World Styria started up in 2005, in Austria’s Styria region, with the aim of creating a location for the development of innovative green businesses, able to compete with the best at a global level. Since then, it has established itself as a ground breaker in developing clean, environmentally friendly technologies. By encouraging cleantech companies with innovative ideas, this outstanding project has helped create 5 000 jobs and grow the local economy. These local firms have expanded their workforce by over 10% a year, on average. Winner of the RegioStars 2012 Award - Smart Growth category
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RegioStars 2012 - The Podlaskie Voivodeship website
13/06/2012How are European Union investments being used in north-eastern Poland? Look no further than the website of the Podlaskie Voivodeship – or province. This outstanding internet communication tool enables users to find everything they need to know, with just a couple of clicks. Podlaskie is situated on Poland’s north-eastern border, with Lithuania and Belarus to the east, and the Russian region of Kaliningrad to the north. Its capital is Białystok. The province currently runs a total of 904 projects, with over €450 million of EU co-funding. Winner of the RegioStars 2012 Award - Information & Communication Category
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RegioStars 2012 - CITYSTAR: SÖM - A new start for deprived city neighbourhoods
13/06/2012There is no simple solution for regenerating run-down urban areas. But in South East Malmö, Sweden, a neighbourhood with a population of 80 000, the SÖM project offered an outstanding example of how measures working together can bring new hope to a depressed community. The project started by analysing the needs of local people in four of Malmö’s poorer areas. This generated 10 projects on issues such as social integration, local growth and job creation. Partnership was key to success, so the project built a network of public and private participants; contacting businesses, universities, property owners, NGOs and community groups. Within a year, they created a coordination platform to ensure the best use of EU structural funding. Winner of the RegioStars 2012 Award, Citystar category
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Bledi Zuta, the SÖM project
13/06/2012Testimonial of Bledi Zuta, the SÖM project There is no simple solution for regenerating run-down urban areas. But in South East Malmö, Sweden, a neighbourhood with a population of 80 000, the SÖM project offered an outstanding example of how measures working together can bring new hope to a depressed community. The project started by analysing the needs of local people in four of Malmö’s poorer areas. This generated 10 projects on issues such as social integration, local growth and job creation. Partnership was key to success, so the project built a network of public and private participants; contacting businesses, universities, property owners, NGOs and community groups. Within a year, they created a coordination platform to ensure the best use of EU structural funding. Winner of Regiostars 2012 Award, Citystar category