OVERVIEW:  
        The overall aim of the project is to support regional development and strengthen cohesion by optimising the use of Structural Funds (SF). Specific objectives are to improve the institutional capacity of regions to evaluate the effectiveness of projects financed with SF and internationalisation of relevant activities in this area. These objectives will be achieved through promoting interregional cooperation, information exchange as well as the transfer of instruments and good practices, the development and implementation of new approaches, policies, instruments and their promotion throughout the regions and public opinion at large. The partnership is formed by public bodies (regional authorities) and public equivalent bodies (regional development agencies, universities, associations). Partners originate from all INTERREG IIIC zones and from both new and old Member States. They act in favour of regional development and strengthening cohesion. Their diverse and rich expertise, different stages of development in terms of approaches and instruments used for evaluation cause that partners are complementary towards one another, while the sum and the quality of their knowledge gives rise to a synergic effect. The project organisation and work will be centred around 5 components (C) and 12 observatories (OB) for C2 to C5, each of which has a different region as main responsible. The components include the implementation of the 3 thematic issues (C2 to C4 - PRINCIPLES & INSTRUMENTS, RESOURCES, NETWORKING) and MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION (C1), EVALUATION, DISSEMINATION AND PROMOTION (C5). The interregional cooperation will expand in 4 dimensions. Steering Group (SG) will define the work programme, identify the key elements for transfer and experimentation, monitor the progress and disseminate the results. In the 2. dimension, work will be organised in between plenary seminars (as milestones) for each of the 3 thematic components attended by all partners and supported by matrix summaries. In 3. dimension, the actual instruments and the joint design and development of new approaches including demonstration projects will take place. In 4. dimension, each observatory will present tools on the thematic observatory to the plenary - using the project website as a "virtual marketplace" - and to the local partners and experts, in order to be implemented in the regions. A final conference in Krakow will be a plaform enabling information exchange on the products of the seminar in the form of catalogue of tools for evaluation SF and dissemination to interested stakeholders and a wider audience. Principal results of the project will be the implementation of tools transferred from one partner to another, newly developed and tested models and the improvement of the quality and accessibility of existing methods. This will lead to a more comprehensive evaluation support scheme in each partner region and new evaluation tools.

March 2005 - December 2007 (34 months)