Call: HORIZON -CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01 (Protecting and nurturing democracies)

Topic: HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01-02

Type of action: HORZION – RIA

Proposal number: 101061653

Proposal acronym: INCA

Proposal title: INcrease Corporate political responsibility and Accountability

Type of Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based

Project duration: 42 months ( 0.2022 – 03.2026)

Project budget: € 2 999 991,25

Abstract

INCA project investigates the impact that digital platforms, so-called GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft), have on European democracies, institutions, and public opinion.

INCA aims to define forms to sustain trust in institutions and new models of governance capable of combining the growth of platforms with social inclusion and citizens participation in decision-making processes by focusing on the application of stakeholder engagement methodologies in three different contexts (Bucharest, Bologna, and Barcelona) towards the creation of the Open Innovation Labs. The project also aims to stimulate alternative business models and industrial relations so as to make GAFAM and platforms accountable to social fairness while preserving their innovation. The main goal of this project is to clarify the GAFAM influence on European citizens’ opinions conditioning the democratic process. 

In the end, INCA is not only a research project, but it is also as well a political project with the ambition to create a Think Tank that will examine the evolving relationships between GAFAM, politics, and society, and will organize several cultural activities aimed at and keeping alive critical thinking of citizens.

URBASOFIA’s Role

Within the INCA project, URBASOFIA is involved in several work packages. In Work Package 7, URBASOFIA focuses on mapping local communities of citizens and key stakeholders to be actively involved in the development of Bucharest Open Innovation Lab (OIL), organizing interviews, focus groups, and further activities to set up the Lab. Under Work Package 10,  UBASOFIA will constantly engage in communication and dissemination activities at both national and transnational levels.  

Developed through the Horizon 2020 “Build-in-Wood” project, the catalogue presents the rationale, characteristics and impact of different policy instruments at the global level, offering insights with respect to strengths and weaknesses of different policy approaches at the sub-national level and supporting cities and regions who aim to channel their efforts for creating a more sustainable built environment by prioritizing wood, either implicitly or explicitly.

Furthermore, Build-in-Wood brought together seven Early Adopter City (EACs) affiliates across Europe – Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (NL), Brasov Metropolitan Area (RO), Copenhagen (DK), Haringey Borough of London (UK), Innsbruck (AT), Trento (IT) and Trondheim (NO) – to support wood to become a first-choice, competitive building material for multi-storey buildings.
This catalogue presents several conclusions from the analysis of their strategic and urban planning and regulatory framework, urban development preconditions, together with the local participatory process implemented with their relevant stakeholder ecosystem from the wood construction value chain.
The catalogue identifies in the end transferable lessons learned and recommendations which can serve as guidance for other European cities that want to advance their agenda towards a sustainable construction environment.

To access the BiW Policy Catalogue click on the image below

ISTER Policy Handbook is out! See what’s all about below :

The aim of the ISTER Policy Handbook is to allow the sharing of the project’s findings to Danube Region similar territories, as well as to wider interested communities at the EU level. The lessons learned are formulated in such a manner to cover the following sectors: (1) Policy integration, (2) Policy design, and (3) Policy Communication.

Policy Integration. In order to achieve the envisioned objective and set the ground for defining the final roadmap, was essential to review the regulatory environment and existing good practices in the partner countries as well as at the European level. In this chapter, the main findings of the desk-research activity within the ISTER project are presented, highlighting the importance of cooperation between different sectors and decision-making levels and their potential territorial effects.

Policy Design.  This chapter identifies specific challenges and opportunities in the protection, preservation, management, and sustainable use of RCH legacy in each ISTER country, based on which a specific set of policies was formulated together with the general overview of the current situation in the Danube Region.

Starting from defining the main characteristics and the envisioned impact of a Cultural Route, the proposed roadmap at the end of the chapter provides step-by-step guidance on how they can be supported effectively through policy design, namely by considering vertical, horizontal, and territorial policy integration in all the stages for CH protection and valorization. Having this in mind, and by leveraging also on the in-depth context analysis conducted in each partner country, the chapter ends by proposing 7 policies at the DR level, related to more effective governance, better accessibility, and visibility of RCH, a harmonized legal environment, multi-disciplinary cooperation, integrated approaches for the route development and financial sustainability of the route.

Policy Communication.

Last but not least, the Policy Communication toolkit elaborates on the stakeholder engagement and endorsement of policy recommendations of the ISTER project, as well as on future steps for a more in-depth collaboration at the DR level, which could be achieved through the establishment of a transnational association. The chapter presents the key steps to be followed for a successful engagement in further policy elaboration, as well as the vision, main goals and potential transnational and national governance structure of the ISTER association.

Find the entire publication here:

Source of pictures: Urbasofia. Chapter 2.4. Roadmap for effective policy design for the valorization of Roman Heritage legacy within EU transnational cooperation. Sustaining a transnational Cultural Route

Urbasofia together with our ISTER partners (pakora.net – Network for Towns and Regions, DDTG Danube Development Transnational Group nonprofit limited liability company and Scientific Research Centre Bistra Ptuj) is preparing to finalize one of the most important outputs: ISTER Policy Handbook.
The policy Handbook of recommendations based on ISTER experience will allow the sharing of the project’s findings to Danube Region similar territories, as well as to wider interested communities at the EU level. The lessons learned are formulated in such a manner to cover the following sectors: Policy integration, Policy design and Policy Communication and will answer to several questions such as:
(1) What are the potential links between (Roman) Cultural Heritage and other domains and how these links can be strengthened in order to achieve an eco-cultural route?;
(2) How different policies at the same territorial level can be connected in order to assure truly sustainable development?;
(3) Why is necessary coordination between different decision-making levels in the process of policy development for a cultural route and how this coordination can be assured?;
(4) What concrete guidelines/policies could be applied within the Danube Region but also within each ISTER country for successful protection, preservation, management, and sustainable use of Roman Cultural Heritage?;
(5) How to bridge the gap between different groups of stakeholders and public administration bodies in order to increase multi-level capabilities and skills for policy implementation?
Stay with us to find the answers!

Vedeți întreaga publicație accesând următorul link :

https://www.interregdanube.eu/uploads/media/approved_project_public/0001/54/cf985e1a766e9d249735bd8076dea165f1d2517f.pdf

The 5th edition of ISTER – E-NEWSLETTER is out!
Check it out by clicking the image below!

Now that the DanuP-2-Gas project is coming to an end, a workshop will follow in which the results of the project will be presented to the stakeholders and to those interested.

We are therefore waiting for you on November 9 from 10 AM (Bucharest time) to be with us to present our project and what we have done together with the DanuP-2-Gas consortium in the last 2 years.

We gladly invite you to join us! 🙂

Register for the webinar at the following link : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_udutJIjFTFm4Q3aAUXEwbA

See you there!

In case you wanted to know what we’ve been up to in the last months and what the future holds for our DanuP-2-Gas project, please find out by reading our newsletter.

Below you can watch the presentation video of the HARMONIA project. Further details about the project can be found by accessing this link https://urbasofia.eu/en/harmonia/