Fondazione CR Firenze’s Europe Desk offers guidance and accompaniment on European funds. A series of webinars on four European programs launches Oct. 25.
Guide partners: europlanning near us
The Europlanning Guide relies on the input of prominent partners spread across several Italian regions. The Guide is a sign of a joint effort in bringing the different territories of Italy closer to a unique source of opportunities and resources, but as recounted in a previous article, the Guide’s partner Foundations are intervening in the territories with interesting initiatives dedicated to europlanning. Today we report on the experience of Sportello Europa, a guidance and accompaniment service put in place by the Florence CR Foundation.
Europe Desk: what it is and what it does
Sportello Europa is a service that offers guidance and accompaniment with respect to the funding opportunities of the NRP and European programming 2021-2027. It is made available by Fondazione CR Firenze and is aimed at organizations working in the fields of art and culture, volunteerism and active citizenship, education, and training.
The Desk mainly targets the provinces of Florence, Arezzo and Grosseto, traditional areas of intervention of the Florence CR Foundation. It has three main functions.
It has first and foremost an informational function. Sportello Europa provides an alert service on calls in areas of interest (usable directly from the Sportello homepage ) and animates a newsletter with updates on calls, initiatives and appointments. Also integral to Sportello Europa’s information function are the Guide to EU Projects and Funding (accessible directly from the Sportello homepage and used as part of the Sportello’s activities) and a series of in-depth webinars on calls, programs and opportunities in various thematic areas. Sportello Europa webinars on PNRR, Creative Europe, Erasmus+, CERV and other topics are also offered in the Training section of the Guide.
Sportello Europa then has an orientation function: you can make an appointment at the offices of Fondazione CR Firenze, three days a week, to discuss your organization’s needs and goals and get advice and direction on European funds and programs best suited to your needs. Finally, Sportello Europa offers technical support in participating in specific European and national calls for proposals. The service covers all stages, from validating the project idea to be applied for, to assessing the eligibility requirements of the subjects and interventions to be funded, to assisting in the drafting of the project.
Launched operationally in January 2022, the Europe Desk has produced a very positive spin-off in terms of funding attracted to the local organisations: in fact, resources totaling more than 6 million euros have been obtained under large and small PNRR measures and guidance on various funding measures has been provided to more than 80 local organisations. Of these, the experience of the Galileo Museum in Florence is particularly significant.
Europe Desk: the new webinar series
Sportello Europa organized a series of 12 webinars over the past year on:
- European programs: CERV (two webinars), Erasmus (in general and on KA2), Creative Europe (Innovation Lab);
- NRP: digital transition of creative and cultural bodies, removal of barriers in museums, architecture and rural landscape, energy efficiency for cinemas and theaters, regeneration of small historic villages;
- National programs: programs of the Ministry of Culture (Creative Living Lab and Italian Council).
All webinars can still be viewed on the Europe Desk and Guide to EU Projects and Funding website
The new webinar series, which will be inaugurated on October 25, offers a series of appointments, aimed both at raising awareness of some of the most important programs and their upcoming calls, and at creating a space for questions from the audience and bringing the views and testimony of officials working within Agencies and Contact Points in charge of program management.
- Oct. 25: Webinar dedicated to Creative Europe (4 p.m.). The webinar explores the priorities of the program and in particular of the recently published new Creative Europe work program for 2024. The webinar focuses primarily on news, priorities and requirements regarding European international cooperation projects for organizations working in the arts, cultural activities and heritage. More information and a link to register for the event are available here.
- Nov. 9: Webinar dedicated to the CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) program. The webinar explores with a contact person from the CERV Italy National Contact Point, the priorities of the program and in particular of the 3 upcoming calls on gender equality, child participation and gender based violence, which are open to public entities and private nonprofit organizations.
- Nov. 28: Webinar dedicated to the European Solidarity Corps. Together with a contact person from the National Youth Agency, they plan to tell about the opportunities open to volunteer organizations under the program, analyzing the objectives and characteristics of Volunteer Projects.
Each webinar will last approximately one hour, at the end of which there will be a Q&A session for questions from the audience. Fondazione CR Firenze looks forward to seeing you at the Sportello Europa webinars. For those who cannot attend, registrations will again be made available on the Sportello Europa and Guide to EU Projects and Funding website. We will keep you updated on upcoming initiatives of Sportello Europa and the other partners of the Guide to EU Projects and Funding.
