Ready, Set, COMMIT: Kick-Off Meeting Rallies for Impact
[Glasgow, 16-17 April 2024] – The COMMIT project, a second call Interreg Europe project with its official start on 1 April 2024, organised a kick-off meeting with its consortium to lay the foundation for a transformative journey. As advisory partner for the COMMIT consortium, the European Policies Research Centre organised the meeting in one of its locations - Glasgow, in the United Kingdom.
COMMIT seeks to support local and regional authorities in developing an SME support ecosystem for the industrial transition. Led by the Energy Agency of Savinjska, Sleska and Koroska Region (KSSENA) in Slovenia, and encompassing 12 partners across Europe, the consortium team is poised to embark on a path of collaboration, knowledge exchange and impact.
The first day of the meeting includes participation in a workshop on policy impact and evidencing change, funded by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute (SUII) and co-led by the team at EPRC and the Glasgow School of Arts. The workshop took place at Scottish Enterprise, and included COMMIT consortium representatives and other international and Scottish stakeholders from government, industry and academia. Case studies were presented from different projects, and two rounds of discussion were facilitated between participants.
In the afternoon of the first day, COMMIT partners had the opportunity to visit a renewable energy project near Glasgow - Whitelee Wind Farm. This wind farm organises several tours and educational programmes to inform on this source of renewable energy and dispel some myths about its implementation. The partners also got a presentation on the context of the low-carbon transition in Scotland from Hannah Corbett, from the Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Strathclyde.
The first day culminated in a consortium dinner at the University of Strathclyde's Barony Hall, as a celebration for the start of the project and the consortium coming together as a whole for the first time in person.
The second day's agenda focused on project partner presentations, and discussion on project management, financial reporting, communication and dissemination, and the work programme for the first project semester. This provided a roadmap for the project's trajectory in the coming months and in the next four years.
As the project kicks off, partners express confidence in its success and eagerly anticipate the positive impact it will have on SMEs, policy and communities. With determination, creativity, and a shared sense of purpose, the COMMIT team is committed to fostering change through Interreg Europe.
Stay tuned for updates as this journey unfolds.
