Expectations, Ideas, Thoughts

ECPs in ESPON II

Seminar Espoo

14./15. November 2006

Christian Muschwitz, University of Trier, TAURUS

ECP Luxembourg

Role of ECPs in ESPON II... Possible Tasks?

1. National networking and dissemination of ESPON results, Awareness raising, Advertising

2. Data collection, -administration, -guidance

3. Commenting on ESPON results and Advising function

4. Targeted research activities

5. Transnational activities

6. Members of the ESPON “society” - Interface between policy and science

1. National networking and dissemination of ESPON results, Awareness raising, Advertising

Opening gates for new members in TPGs, helping creating groups of tenderers for new TPGs.

The ECPs as an interface between the ESPON programand the national spatial research community.

Organizing workshops, internet presentations and newsletters to keep the national scenery informed.

Creating awareness and interest for the ESPON program within the national scenery

2. Data collection, administration, guidance

Hosting and / or steering the access to national data (navigator) collecting information about the existing data and data sources of each country

ECPs are helping projects from the ESPON context with data enquiries

They try to bridge problems with data access or with language problems, when they occur

3. Commenting on ESPON results and advising function

Provision of comments on TPG's results viewed from the national factual side.

Provision of scientific comments on TPG's research from the national point of view (...if possible and expertise is existing!)

Advice from a national point of view: Blunder Check Provision of a list of misunderstandings or shortcommings in reports

4. Targeted Research activities

Practical use of ESPON results considering two types of studies (envisaged within ESPON 2013):

1. top-down (applied research) and...

2. bottom-up approaches (targeted analysis based on specific user demand).

Zoom-in to national territory so as to complete TPG's results with figures and maps at the so-called "ESPON's micro-scale“

5. Transnational Activities

The ECP Network is able to carry out transnational activities since the structure of the Network is maybe the most transnational one in ESPON...

Such activities can also be seen as a measure for dialogue and networking among different territorial actors: policy makers, stakeholders, practitioners

Enhancing the sensibility to European dimension of regional policy and territorial development and therefore to territorial cooperation

5. Transnational Activities II

Transregional or cross-border task forces:

Reflection on specific thematically- or geographically-based issues related to ESPON

Research or reflection on thematically or regionally focused issues, such as: urban riots, rural decline, renewable energy production, small countries, islands, remote areas, transnational institution's space (e.g. Benelux)…

Can constitute the first step of the organisation of a transnational seminar(s)

6. Members of the ESPON “society” interface between policy and science

Each ECP is a „hinge“ between the MC and thescientific community of ESPON

Therefore “content” problems and misunderstandings can be clarified...

ECPs could give advice how to understand results and provide translation of the results

Thank you for your attention!