NWE Annual Event 2024 - Insight into innovative projects and networking opportunities
On 5 and 6 November 2024, the NWE Annual Event took place in Dublin, where we enjoyed an inspiring and productive day of workshops, presentations and networking opportunities. The event, organised by Interreg North-West Europe, attracted over 400 participants from across the North-West Europe region, including in particular from the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg.
Opening and highlights of the morning
After a round of welcoming remarks by David Kelly (Southern Regional Assembly) and David Grzegorzewski (Interreg NWE Programme Director), the first priorities of the programme were presented. The AquaCOM project, a flagship project for transnational co-operation in North West Europe, took centre stage. Catherine Smyth from Ballyhoura Development CLG vividly demonstrated how cross-border co-operation achieves concrete results and brings about sustainable change.
Project presentations: Pitch by Codex4SMEs of the STERN BioRegion
From 11.00 a.m., a total of 24 projects were presented in six subject areas, providing a comprehensive overview of successful approaches and innovative solutions. In the ‘Better Access to Healthcare and Employment’ category, Dr Margot Jehle and Dr Klara Altintoprak presented the Codex4SMEs project - a project to promote personalised diagnostics in the healthcare sector - on behalf of BioRegio STERN Management GmbH. Here you can find all the details about the project, which was successfully completed in March this year.
Projects such as Heartsafe NWE and CERTIFICATION-D, which also deal with health access and social integration, were also presented. The project pitches covered other topics such as energy and climate adaptation, sustainable urban development and circular economy.
Afternoon session: Programme guidelines and interactive breakouts
After a joint lunch break, the expectations and guidance for the fifth call for proposals of the NWE programme were discussed. Alexandre Colombani (Head of Development and Communication, Interreg NWE) and Marie-Edith Ploteau (Lead Partner of FlashFloodBreaker) presented practical tips for applications, while the ongoing FlashFloodBreaker project was highlighted in a practical way.
We then took part in the thematic breakout session ‘Circular Economy’, led by Matthew Thompson and Nora Crossey. Here, detailed requirements, objectives and key performance indicators for circular economy projects were discussed. This provided participants with valuable insights to further develop their own project ideas.
Networking and project development in the afternoon
The event ended with interactive ‘Project Idea Meet-Ups’, where participants were able to present their project ideas and meet potential partners in a relaxed atmosphere. This provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen networks and establish new collaborations for future projects.
Conclusion
The NWE Annual Event provided a unique platform for dialogue on current and future challenges in Northwest Europe. The wide range of topics and the enthusiastic participation of the participants confirmed the importance of transnational cooperation, which promotes concrete, sustainable and innovative solutions for our region.
BioRegio STERN Management GmbH