Presentation of SERN and its activities

1. September 2012
Sweden Emilia Romagna Network
www.sern.eu
www.facebook.com/sern2.0
www.twitter.com/sern2_0

2. WHAT IS SERN?
 A BILATERAL NETWORK
 CREATED IN JANUARY 2005
5 PRIORITY AREAS with two driving themes:
a. SUSTAINABLE LOCAL / REGIONAL GROWTH
b. SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL INCLUSION
 53 MEMBERS
45 Local/regional authorities
8 Non public actors
27 Swedish members
26 Italian members

3. SERN FEATURES
Network focusing on North-South cooperation
Multi-level Network (Regions, Counties, Provinces,
Municipalities)
Participation of non-public actors

4. SERN – THE PROCESS
SERN is the result of a long-term process of cooperation and exchange
between Italian and Swedish actors.
 In March 2003 a Town Twinning Conference in Bertinoro (Pilot project of
Town Twinning Programme).
 Active European Citizenship Conference in June 2004 in Luleå (launching
formally the constitutive process)
 Formal creation of the Network in January 2005

5. OBJECTIVE OF SERN
To create long-term transnational links among
Members in a “Bottom-up Perspective”
through:
 Exchange of best practices
 Development of EU projects
 Exchange of knowledge, personnel and information

6. HOW SERN OPERATES

7. STRUCTURE
Chairperson of the
Executive Board
Executive Board
(22 political representatives)
SECRETARIAT
General
Assembly
PROJECT GROUPS
Members

8. ACTIVITIES 2005-2012
 More than 40 project co-funded by the European Union
 SERN is the network that in Italy and Sweden has promoted since 2005
the largest number of EFC funded projects in the context of Action 1
(particularly measure 1.2 but also 1.1 and 2.2).
 Since 2008 Focus on capacity building actions among the municipalities
(training aimed at improving skills and quality management in EU
projects)
 Partnerships established with organizations in 12 EU countries

9. PROJECT GROUPS WELFARE
 Violence against women (2005-2006)
 Network on Support to parenthood (2008-2010)
 Local and regional Policies towards disabled people (2008)
 Quality of the elderly care services (2008-2010)
 Current and future skills in the health and social welfare sector
(2010-2012)
 Network on family support in elderly care (2010-2012)
 Network on the role of volunteering in local welfare and integration
(2012-2014)

10. PROJECT GROUPS EDUCATION
 Paths of integration in education contexts and follow up (2006-2007; 2008-2009)
 Promotion of local food through exchanges among restaurant schools (2007)
 Pre-school staff exchange programme (2008-2010)
 Culture and leisure polices project (2008)
 Quality of the pre-school services (2008-2009)
 LLP Partnerships
 Seminars on outdoor education at pre-school level (2009)
 PYST Project - Partnership for youth sport trainers (2009-2011)
 Organic food in local schools: Identifying problems and developing solutions through
the exchange of best practices (2010-2012)
 Comenius Regio - Growing Up Together(2010-2012)
 CREANET - Network on creativity in pre-school education (2010-2013)
 Flow4You project (youth policies)

11. OTHER PROJECT GROUPS
 ENVIRONMENT
 Energy efficiency network
 3X20 Network
 Go green now!
 ENTREPRENEURSHIP
 Innovation in local development
 Innovative policies and actions for the seniors in Europe
 Personell Exchange among coooperatives
 TOURISM
 Local sustainable tourism and development

12. SERN AND THE EU
As a result of the work done in its first years of activities
the network:
It was actively involved in consultation meetings
organised by DG EAC in early 2007 aimed at preparing
the Measure 1.2 of the EFC programme
It was identified by the European Commission (DG EAC)
at European level as one of the organisations to show
case in the field of thematic networking among twinned
cities (DG EAC Publication on NTTs in 2007).
Two SERN projects selected by the Commission as EFC
best practices of the programme

13. RESULTS 2005-2011
TOTAL OF 52 APPROVED PROJECTS BY EU
TOTAL GRANT 3,5 MILION EUROS

15. CONTACTS
SERN SECRETARIAT
Viale Aldo Moro 44, Bologna (Italy)
General information, info@sern.eu
Nicola Catellani, nicola.catellani@sern.eu