Month: February 2024

A glimpse into the aims of the Ar2CorD programme Concrete is paradoxically both one of the most polluting materials on Earth, and one of the wonders of human architecture across history. Prehistoric forms of its use have been dated back to the Syrian and Yugoslavian Stone Ages, and archeologists have suggested that concrete floors were commonplace in the Chinese Bronze Ages. You may be familiar with the structure of the Roman Pantheon, still standing almost 2000 years after its construction, as evidence of the sturdiness of early forms of lime-based mortars! Unfortunately, modern day Portland cement, birthed in 1871 out of the Industrial revolution in the U.S., has exhaled disastrous amounts of CO₂ onto Planet Earth: its recipe is no longer viable for a sober, sustainable way of life. The Ar2CorD programme was born out of an Interreg partnership between researching entities in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions who recognise that, if concrete cannot be replaced, it must be improved. The project involves new mix designs, using byproducts of local industries as alternative cementitious materials, for example, to provide a form of low-carbon concrete that is resistant to freeze-and-thaw cycle. Cost-efficient, more durable, and environmentally-friendly, Ar2CorD’s low carbon concrete aims to strengthen climate adaptation and resource efficiency for its communities across Finland, Sweden, Norway, Greenland, and Iceland. Volunteering for the project A little about me and my experience as an IVY volunteer: my name is Pauline, I am French and I am fascinated with the concept of environmental storytelling. I’ve been volunteering as a Project Partner to the Ar2CorD project for a little over two months, now, and have found it a truly purpose-generating experience. This initiative is as interdisciplinary as it is international. There are so many lenses to look at ecological concrete from. There is a very technical side to it, a very scientific approach to determining the optimal combination of materials for a sustainable result. There is a very interesting historic and artistic aspect to it, too: concrete is a very long-lived, ever-changing material. And there is a very idealistic, futuristic take on its applications. What could a green, environmentally-friendly city look like?  I am based at Luleå Tekniska Universitet, in Sweden, a beautiful place where I assist the project wherever I can. My missions are varied: between writing pop science articles, organising events, occasionally assisting in the lab and working on disseminating results, I am part of a truly cooperative ecosystem. “Cohesion” is the main keyword of this experience. Each branch has its own expertise and its own goals, but all these research entities (and their shared landscapes, weather, values and history) come together under the banner of sustainability. It’s a beautiful display of interregional cooperation policies, and I am grateful to be a part of it! – Pauline G., IVY Project Partner at the Lulea University of Technology for the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic project Ar2CorD  Discover more about the AR2CORD project Click Here Discover more about UiT Click Here

Hello! My name is Anastasia, I am 19 years old and I am a university student. I am from Komotini, a city in Northern Greece and it’s the place in which my volunteering experience is currently taking place. I volunteer for the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace as an Interreg Project Partner and I wanted to share my experience with you. Firstly, the region of East Macedonia and Thrace is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, it consists of the northeastern parts of the country and my hometown, Komotini, is its capital. A significant number of projects is being implemented by the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace, mainly through INTERREG PROGRAMMES and HORIZON EUROPE. The overall goal of the SMS-CBA project (from which I am engaged as IVY) is to systematically plan and organize the smart promotion of the cross-border area as a natural heritage destination. The project entitled “Smart marketing strategies for tourism in the cross-border region” with the acronym ‘SMS-CBA’ is implemented within the framework of the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program “Greece – Bulgaria 2014-2020” and is part of Priority Axis 2. A sustainable and climate-adaptable cross-border Region, Investment Priority 6c. Preservation, protection, promotion and development of natural and cultural heritage. The project combines tourism with Information and Communication Technologies, focusing on the promotion of the natural resources of the cross-border area of Greece and Bulgaria through an updated, professionally designed and executed marketing plan and campaign. Tourism has proven to be the most shock-resistant industry worldwide. It plays an important role for the local economy of the cross-border area, with all relevant policy makers placing it at the core of their strategic planning. A traveler’s experience begins online long before they reach the desired destination. A destination can gain more market share with targeted advertising and promotion, as more than 90% of prospective travelers take other travelers’ reviews into consideration when booking. Our region was not amongst the most popular destinations in Greece, when it comes to sights, mainly due to the distance from the main urban centers of Greece.  This has rapidly changed during the last decade, because of the new vertical transport axis connecting the Greek mainland with the Republic of Bulgaria. So, with this project, we are trying to help our local economy by attracting more tourists, and consequently gaining added value. I, as a Project Partner, assist to the communication and dissemination activities, according to the foreseen tasks by the Agreement. I am very excited to see people from different countries and institutions collaborating towards achieving a joint objective. To my point of view this is a unique experience which is expected to contribute to my soft skills in a positive way. Volunteering in INTERREG Project as IVY, has been a great opportunity for me to learn more about the potential of my region and its strategic view in the years to come.  I am grateful that I had the chance to see behind-the-scenes of a project before its finalization. I learned how to challenge myself by trying my best to keep up with many responsibilities and I found a way to help my birthplace and its people gain some appreciation outside of the regional borders. I got the opportunity to assist colleagues and people in general, and this to my point of view is the most important thing. – Anastasia Banioti, IVY Project Partner at the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace   Discover more about SMS-CBA Interreg project Click Here Discover more about Region of East Macedonia and Thrace Click Here

Hello everyone!  I am Eliana, currently an IVY Project Partner for the H2MA project under the INTERREG Alpine Space programme.  For the past two months, I have been living in Velenje, a small city with three lakes surrounded by Slovenian nature and mountains. Here, I am volunteering at the leading organization of the H2MA project. But what does H2MA mean? The H2MA initiative stands for “Green Hydrogen Mobility for Alpine Region Transportation”. The project aims to foster the development of green hydrogen mobility infrastructures within the Alpine region; through the development of cooperation mechanisms, strategies, tools, and resources, it seeks to increase the capacities of territorial public authorities and stakeholders to overcome existing barriers and collaboratively plan and pilot test transalpine zero-emission H2 routes. H2MA partners come from five different countries in the Alpine Space (SI, IT, DE, FR, AT), and together they are working to achieve the project goals: improving the governance of green hydrogen mobility, boosting the uptake of green H2 for heavy-duty transportation across the Alpine space, unlocking green financing and improving the cooperation framework between public authorities and businesses involved in green H2 mobility. My role at the organization is to support communication within the framework of the project, to gather information and prepare creative graphic material to share the project’s advancements on social media. I joined the project in its second year of existence, for now I have only met the partners during the online meetings, but I hope to participate in face-to-face meetings in the next months! Since I arrived here I have been warmly welcomed! I am enjoying the experience here and I am grateful to have the opportunity to creatively support the organization, and live a small city surrounded by nature. Moving to beautiful Slovenia has been a great decision for me. As we are halfway through the project’s life, I look forward to seeing what the future months will bring. – Eliana C., IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Alpine Space project “H2MA”, at the Energy Agency of Savinjska, Šaleška and Koroška region (KSSENA) Discover more about the Interreg Alpine Space project H2MA Click Here Discover more about KSSENA Click Here

Hello everyone! I’m Paty, an Interreg Volunteer Youth at the University of Patras, in the department of Civil Engineering. For the past three months, I’ve proudly served as a Project Partner for the Dialogue 4 Living Areas project, finding a welcoming atmosphere and strong support from the team since day one! The Dialogue 4 Living Areas project takes a holistic approach to green living areas, promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, citizen energy communities, sustainable urban transport, improved waste and water management, and the development of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Aligned with the mission to foster green living areas, the project focuses on shaping policies and initiatives through dialogue involving stakeholders. In my capacity as an IVY Project Partner, my responsibilities have spanned diverse tasks, from conducting research to engaging in discussions and collaborating with fellow partners to define strategic goals. Drawing on my background in biology, I actively contribute my expertise to initiatives promoting sustainability, energy efficiency, and renewable energy awareness, among other topics. A notable highlight in my journey was attending the enlightening event, “Connecting the dots: The path to a smarter and greener Mediterranean”, in Ljubljana. This two-day gathering, supported by AEBR and my host, the University of Patras, not only expanded my professional network but also deepened my practical understanding of the project by providing me with the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with key stakeholders. In essence, this experience has been enriching, fostering my creativity and refining my skills within an exceptional working environment. Without hesitation, I recommend the IVY experience to anyone contemplating this impactful journey! – Panagiota P., IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Euro-MED project “D4LA”, at the UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS, Special Account for Research Grants Discover more about the Interreg Euro-MED project D4LA Click Here Discover more about the University of Patras Click Here

I am Dimitrios, I am 23 years old and I have the opportunity to participate in the OD4GROWTH “Strenghtening the availability and processing of Open Data to support local growth and urban transformation” project of the INTERREG EUROPE Interregional Cooperation program from October 2023 at the host organization, the Regional Fund of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. So far everything is going well. The OD4GROWTH project of the INTERREG EUROPE Interregional Cooperation program has important goals and aspirations to strengthen the digital economy and twin transition in Europe. I can highlight the following objectives of the project: Raising awareness of public and private entities about the importance of open data, with the aim of exploiting it and activating a regional ecosystem for open technologies. Motivating agencies to make available and use data in order to increase the quantity and quality of available data. Formulation of a commonly accepted regional open data policy. Public Regional Authorities (Public Sector), Users (Civil Society) and Businesses (Private Sector) benefit through the 3 main themes Quality and Quantity of Open Data provided by Public Bodies. Quality of services addressed to citizens. (quality standards) Support in the development of new services using Open Data. (businesses) The project includes partners from various European countries, with experts in the field (Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Lithuania) and others (Greece, Hungary, Latvia) who need support to increase the availability and usability of Open Data. The total budget of the project amounts to 1,827,628 euros. I participate in supporting the development of the regional ecosystem for open data (communication, informing about the development of the project, supporting the organization of local meetings). I run a feedback mechanism to collect information! By actively managing these aspects, I contribute significantly to the successful development of a regional ecosystem for open data, fostering collaboration and ensuring the continuous development of the initiative. Project partners collaborate through online meetings, scheduled steering committee meetings, and ongoing email communication. In summary OD4GROWTH wants to contribute to the development of the EU by improving and revising policies to strengthen the data economy in the EU and contribute to a smarter Europe, an open society and a common policy. With its participation in the project, the Regional Development Fund of East Macedonia and Thrace wants to develop in the East Macedonia and Thrace Region measures-instructions regarding Open Data (availability & usability). I like to participate in this important project because it has important possibilities for me to understand how an important project works. Of course, I will not omit how much the colleagues (manager, mentor and other employees) who work at the Regional Fund of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace have contributed to the development of my skills. Finally, I believe it was an important opportunity of my life that will open new paths in my future! – Dimitrios G., IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Europe project “OD4GROWTH”, at the Regional Development Fund of East Macedonia and Thrace Discover more about the Interreg Europe project OD4GROWTH Click Here Discover more about Regional Development Fund of East Macedonia and Thrace Click Here