STEPHANIE: the final project event

On June the 23rd, STEPHANIE project partners met virtually to present the results achieved in 5 years of exchange.

STEPHANIE brought together 7 regions across Europe (Tuscany, Praha, Brittany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Andalusia, Durham County and Wallonia) to directs regional research and innovation policies towards photonics-based space technologies to address today’s grand societal challenges.

During the final event, STEPHANIE partners showed to the over 60 attendees how this Interreg Europe effected their local policies: STEPHANIE helped to develop new projects, at local and interregional level, boosted networks around Europe, including the creation of new Clusters, shaped the development of new Strategic Policies for Aerospace and paved the way for new simplified procedures for funding schemes.

We did also invite several guests to talk about the future: STEPHANIE financial officer Ségolène Jean, from the Interreg Europe Joint Secretariat, talked about the future of Interreg Europe. Peter Schenk, from the European Commission, Research and Innovation, presented the synergies between Cohesion policy and Horizon Europe within the new programming period. Finally, Simona Costa, from the Tuscan Organisation of Universities and Research for Europe, illustrated the Vademecum on EU funding programmes synergies.

Our Project Lead Partner team, Roberto Pini and Valentina Raimondi, closed the event with a great speech, to close this incredible project, but only until the begin of its next phase: STEPHANIE was in fact officially approved for an additional year of exchange!

We can’t wait to finally meet personally again and continue to work together.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash