“July, with the love I love you…”went a famous song. Folk tradition celebrates summer, now arrived with its warm days, as an auspicious time to weave new relationships.
What about our projects? The search for partners, or even simply for sources of inspiration and best practices, is one of the typical dimensions of a europrojector’s activity.
We have not yet devoted ample space to this topic: let’s take advantage of the arrival of summer to offer some simple suggestions!
D: Where can I find possible partners for my projects or examples of best practices to inspire me?
A: A first and simple answer is: virtually everywhere! Whatever your sector, keep in touch with the main networks, associations and organizations that are most active and representative in your field. Participation in a regional, national or (why not?) European network can open the way to a wealth of opportunities.
Stay current, active and visible in your industry through traditional information channels, participation in initiatives and events, social media and by nurturing relationships with those closest to you. Opportunities will also come on European projects!
A second and more articulate response is, for different reasons, again the same: virtually everywhere! The main European programs devote ample space to the presentation of winning projects and partnerships within the already launched calls. These archives provide valuable information on possible partners already active in the field and experienced in implementing European projects. The project titles and descriptions give hints for further study and provide insight into what solutions have already been attempted and funded. For example:
- There is a unique partner search and search portal for projects implemented on the more general “calls portal” of the European Commission. This tool allows you to browse the profile of hundreds of organizations active on different European programs (filtering by country, project type, type of organization, keyword, etc.), information on the projects they have carried out, and the list of partners who have supported them;
- Many European funds and programs have pages dedicated to archives and research systems on projects already implemented. For example, to name the main ones: Creative Europe, Erasmus+, Europe for Citizens (now CERV), COSME (now Single Market Program), European Solidarity Corps, LIFE, research and innovation programs, territorial cooperation programs(Keep platform and Interreg Europe platform), structural funds ( OpenCoesione platform, Kohesio platform and CohesionData) and rural funds(European Network for Rural Development).
There is also a dedicated page of the European Commission that brings together these and other platforms for collecting the results of European projects.
These are just a few examples: we are sure you know many more! Point them out to us and help our growing community members in their search!
And don’t forget to consult theappropriate section of our Guide (Preparing for the project).
