Seminar highlights opportunities for funding

The EU Connects service, which helps public and voluntary sector partners to secure EU funding and was launched by EELGA in August, has registered its first successes.

Our first seminar was held on 25 October at Dacorum Borough Council and highlighted opportunities for funding under the ?7 billion Life Long Learning Programme comprising: Comenius (schools); Erasmus (higher education); Leonardo (vocational education and training); and Grundtvig (adult education).

A second event, to be held on 30 November at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds, has culture as its theme and will include presentations on a number of related EU funding programmes including Culture, Media, Citizenship, Comenius, Youth in Action and Cross Border. The seminar will feature presentations from programme experts as well as case studies. Over 50 bookings have been received.

13 December 2011 will herald our third seminar, in Cambridge: a general introduction to European funding including a broad overview, an understanding of how organisational objectives can be delivered with European funds, identifying the "right" programme, project development and partnership working and an optional project development surgery.

In addition, some of the first partners with whom we have worked have now made bids. These include Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, who with their Norfolk colleagues and the New Anglia LEP applied under Erasmus for ?150,000 to support collaborations between new and established businesses and Thurrock Council, who with voluntary sector partners TRUST and a partner in Aldalucia have applied to the European Integration Fund.

EU Connects is delivered by 4 Project Associates:

Michelle Armstrong, michelle.armstrong@eelga.gov.uk, 07709 483445 (Events development and management)
Nick Burfield, nick.burfield@eelga.gov.uk, 07799 415720 (Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk and Thurrock)
Alan Corbett, alan.corbett@eelga.gov.uk, 07872 184028 (Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Luton)
Matt Jones, matthew.jones@eelga.gov.uk, 07738 697528 (Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Peterborough)