Transnational network in reality - experiences from the Adapt co-operation between five countries

Moderator:	Torsten Thunberg, EU-Programoffice, Stockholm
Participants:	Stefaan Beirens, NCMV, Belgium Marion Wiendels, SPRONG, The Netherlands Lamberto Gamberini, LIBRA, Italy Marianne Hennix, EMPAG, Sweden Monica Ohlman, EMPAG, Sweden
Documentation:	Karin Hellgren-Havemose
Hostesses:	Monica Zander Christel Uthas
Program:	Presentation of EMPAG Presentation of national projects Discussion Conclusions

Short presentation of the transnational project EMPAG
By Volker Koppert, INBIT, Paderborn, Germany

"Empowerment for Partnership and Growth":

• Empowerment – a model and a theory, used in Sweden but also taken as a model for training and supporting.
• Partnership = six partners and every partner’s individual network – dublicator effect.
• We act as counsellors, use each other’s contacts, and the network in every national project is useful.
• We believe in network = growth.
• We are not only speaking of networking – we live in it, and work in it.
• We work with Just-in-time information – by e.g. using the network.
• We build and develop an empowerment model.
• We want to use experience-based learning – combined with new important competence.
• We offer the participants help to find transnational partners/organisations, we use our network.
• We use our partners’ experience and methods during the project.
• We enable the participants to do things, to take responsibility, risks, opportunities.

Short presentation of each national project

EWEDO, Dortmund, Germany

Co-operation management for SMEs, working with consulting and training to enable SMEs to take part in EU business, and also with eastern Europe. We train our participants and organise workshops and seminars. We are developing an electronic market place.

EMPAG – Networking and entrepreneurs, Jönköping, Sweden

To develop a model aimed at helping entrepreneurs – primarily female – to develop their businesses and business skills through networking. 25 participants.

INBIT – International challenge of employees, Paderborn, Germany

Training and consulting employees in SMEs – focus on globalisation in making business. Working with 16 enterprises.

NCMV-OVO Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs, Brügge, Belgium

Objectives: Transfer of knowledge - Developing specific action plans - Networking - Individual coaching by well experienced entrepreneurs

Target group: Participants are 115 young newly started entrepreneurs

LIBRA – Incubator promoted by the council of Bologna – For creation and growth of micro enterprises, Bologna, Italy

Target group: women and men who want to start their own business, and small enterprises in and development phase. The enterprises are very small – max 5 employees. We support the starting of a club for SMEs.

Develop technical knowledge and also the entrepreneurial behaviour – self-awareness.

Training, service, promotion. Result = co-operation new product.

SPRONG – SEON-foundation, Zoetermeer, the Netherlands

Target group: Unemployed immigrants.

Objective: Supporting people to set up their own business – starting entrepreneurs, a local project in Zoetermeer.

Training and individual guiding.

Discussion (during all three occasions)

INBIT’s companies – which have between 15 and 250 employees – want to go on with their international business. They want to improve the employees, who are in focus, e.g. through new skills and contacts. INBIT is trying to find partners for them through networking. This is really networking out of networking, between EU projects – to meet on different arenas.

The best way to have contact is, still, by telephone. The personal contacts and individual meeting is one of the most interesting things. Learn the culture in each country, feel the market. Internet is for the individual, to get some information.

You have been working for one year now – so far – what major achievement have you made, have you any results?

• The Netherlands have contact with the Belgium partner – it’s easy; close in language.
• It has been useful to get knowledge of the environmental conditions surrounding the enterprises in other countries.
• A plan has been made for the partners to meet four times/year.
• In Sweden, we had an ambition that each participant should have one transnational contact. We made a trip to Belgium/the Netherlands with our participants to get contacts and cultural impressions.
• Exchanging information is one step; another level is to make new products.
• Setting up the national projects takes time – when it is done we can work out transnational contacts.

How much time do you spend in working on the transnational level? How many of your participants have met each other?

• We now get ideas about how supporting entrepreneurs work out in other countries. Next step is to develop a shared product.
• It is not easy to work on long distance, you have to plan it and it needs support. It is hard to keep on with networking – you drown in the day-to-day work.
• There are special aims during the meetings; information is given about changes in the projects
• The original plans have been changed – lack of time and delayed decisions have affected the transnational project.
• We have many learning points – learn about cultural differences – it increases our skills in "transnational project management". We share that experience with our participants.
• It is difficult for small enterprises to take a step out of their own "circle".

The empowerment model – what do you mean by empowerment in your project?

• INBIT: The employees can make their own decisions what to use the project for. We make a contract with the enterprise, but we work with the employees.
• LIBRA: We work with empowerment. Our aims are to help the participants to choose if they want to continue their enterprise. The empowerment model is a part of that – trying to increase the self-confidence.
• SPRONG: We also help the participants to make decisions to start or not to start enterprises. We focus on improving the entrepreneurial skills, the attitude, the market.

Conclusions:

• We are improving the national project.
• We are on the way to create a product.
• We stimulate participants to take contacts outside their own "circle".
• There are differences between the branches in the projects - thats a part of the network idea.