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Season Greetings and EURADA 2023 activities

Written by Roberta Dall’Olio – new Director of EURADA

EURADA Director, Roberta Dall’Olio, shares with you a message of thanks after the changing scenario we have lived through over the last 2 years. Keeping in mind its members, she also shares how EURADA will face 2023.

 

This is my first message as the new Director of EURADA which comes at the end of a complex year. As Covid-19 restrictions loosened, another war started that closely affected the geopolitical equilibrium, social and human rights and economies, not only at the European level.  

This is the right moment to think about a new start, and to share the outcomes we reached together during this intense and complicated 2022. It is the perfect moment to express our wishes and look at the challenges we foresee for the new starting year. 

The celebration of EURADA 30th Anniversary in June 2022 has been a turning point for the association, setting the scene for a new era of development agencies with the help of European and international experts. 

At the same time, we had to say goodbye to our former Director Esteban Pelayo, who greatly contributed to making EURADA Founder, Mr. Christian Saublens’ legacy flourish and paved the way to position EURADA in new areas, topics, and the positioning of EURADA in new areas, topics and alongside European and international institutions, with the support of active members represented in the Executive Committee, Board of Director and Assembly.  

I made the decision to put myself at disposal of our members, by leaving the role of President and taking on the more operative one of EURADA Director. I’m honoured and thankful for trust and support of our members. Together, we will reshape and draw a renewed picture of the association, adapting it to a new and challenging era, intensifying the initiatives and services, and strengthening EURADA position in respect of the European Institutions representing our territories, their needs, and priorities. 

EURADA can count on a re-organised Secretariat made of young experts with a member-first attitude who are strongly committed to our community. The Secretariat is divided into four new areas: Administration and Human Resources; Finacial Affairs; Information, Policy, and Membership; and Project Management, which will ensure quality and the customisation of operations and services moving forward.  

In 2022, EURADA saw the conclusion of 3 EU-funded projects, that the Secreatriat contributed to. As some things end, new beginnings emerge, in the form of 3 new projects dealing with a variety of topics ranging from public procurement, to start-up support, and cluster development. Taking into account other existing projects, EURADA is closing the year with involvement in 14 EU-funded projects and 2 EU tenders with a total budget of over €110 million.  

In the first half of 2023, EURADA will kick-off the year with 2 new projects dealing with sustainable well-being economy and climate risk assessment. We are also awaiting the results of some proposals we participated in at the later half of 2022, based on a newly defined selection criteria, that will focus our efforts on members’ priorities. 

In 2023 a special attention will be paid to the quality and content of our long-standing events and to the new ones. Here are the main events and meeting we anticipate in 2023:  

  • AGORADA: 6 and 7 June 2023 in Brussels;  

  • Winter School: 28 February to the 2 March 2023 in Trento in collaboration with OECD and Trentino Sviluppo;  

  • Brokerage event: 21 March 2023;  

  • Summer School: 3 to 7 July 2023 in Brussels;  

  • EURADA and its members’ participation in IEDC annual Conference: 17 to 20 September 2023 in Dallas Texas; 

  • AGORADA+/Cluster Meet Regions and EURADA awards: 11 October 2023 in Karkov Poland in collaboration with MARR -Małopolska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego; and 

  • Elections of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee: at the end of 2023. 

Next year the Secretariat will continue with the information and communication activities, such as E-reminders, the EURADA newsletter, brokerage events, partner searches, and the supervision of proposals.  

A special attention will be paid to EURADA and EU Working Groups with a stronger involvement and focus on members, opening to new collaborations such as the LEED Programme of OECD. 

An intensive 2023 is waiting for us all and I would like to warmly thank the new President of EURADA, Bogdan Chelariu, the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and all the members for their support during the last 6 months and to all those who have contributed to the results achieved so far. 

Finally, I really would like to acknowledge the dedication shown by the Secretariat, including the interns who ensure EURADA being an inclusive and impactful organisation. 

I look forward to facing 2023 opportunities and challenges together with you all, knowing that I can count on the professionality of my new colleagues, of a qualified and wider membership and of new alliances at the European and international level, building together a better community.