Thames Gateway Development Partnership

1
Thames Gateway Development Partnership

• Maureen Walby
• European Officer
• London Borough of Greenwich

2
The TG Development Partnership

• Seven boroughs working together
• Hackney, Havering, Newham, Barking Dagenham
• Lewisham, Bexley, Lead partner Greenwich

• Each borough leading on one important element of
  the project
• Driven by local need
• Applying a regional perspective to local problems

3
Transnational Partnership

• Basta, Stockholm, Sweden
• Fondacion Diagrama, Murcia, Spain
• La Tenda di Solidarieta, Salerno, S.Italy

• Association La Sauvegarde (ASPP), Agen,
  S.W.France
• Associate Partner ProVita, Valenii de Munte,
  Romania

4
The ECCO Project

• Creates a new, European level not for profit
  organisation European Community Cooperative
  Observatory (ECCO) with one Director from each
  partner country.

• Provides a support structure for emerging
  projects and partnerships
• Operates using Time Bank
• Develops delivers a new European Certificate in
  Community Enterprise ECCE

5
The ECCO Project

• Operational Research into six elements of support
  for the Social Economy in Europe

• Legal Fiscal frameworks
• Community Finance Initiatives
• Social Clauses
• Social Auditing
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Business Support for the Social Economy

6
Other ECCO products

• Glossary of Terms used in the Social Economy in
  Europe
• Database of organisations working within the
  Social Economy
• Exchange Programme
• IPR owned by ECCO

7
Shared staff

• Transnational Secretariat
• Transnational Training Manager
• Transnational Support Unit (TSU)

• Jointly funded
• Working across the partnership
• Operational networking
• Requires a special type of worker!

8
Process

• Brokerage event
• Presentations from each prospective partner
• Presentations from other Theme D projects looking
  for partners

• Individual visits to recognise potential
  develop understanding
• Constant email and telephone contact to motivate
  and reinforce agreement

9
The Wonderful Action 1!

• Its a luxury!
• Time to research partners
• Prepare the TCA as a blueprint for achievement
• Invest in active research and development

• Enjoy the experience!
• Dont enter a marriage of convenience

10
Key Experiences

• North meets the South
• Clear understanding
• Sound protocol for sharing costs
• Expectation of partners
• Ensuring commitment
• Adequate staffing and resources

• Engaging local and regional partners in the
  transnational parts of the project
• Good, clear work plans
• Time constraints
• Balance between professional and personal lives

11
Be Prepared

• Get to know your partners and their projects
• Invest time
• Discover different systems
• Predict potential
• Language training!
• Transnational partnerships need the same
  investment as any other partnership.

12
Other outcomes

• There are always some unexpected outcomes..

13
Why Work Transnationally?

• Whats in it for us?
• How can I justify spending money outside my
  patch?
• What will the Auditors say about it?
• How do I do it without creating an adverse affect
  on my local work?

14
Successful Transnational Partnerships

• Try to predict compatibility
• Determine level of intent mis-matches lead to
  disaster!
• Shared interests
• Different perspectives
• Common history
• Good communication
• Clear understanding

15
Added Value

• Discover new ways of working
• Share ideas and develop new joint initiatives
  that enrich individual styles
• Learn from different systems
• Provide mobility of opportunity

• Reduce stress and strain
• Recognise innovation and test new ideas
• Create a platform for change
• Develop understanding encourage cohesion and
  stability in a united Europe

16
Key Messages

• Dedicated staff and sufficient resources to work
  effectively
• Inspire ownership of the whole project in each
  partner
• Make sure partners, promoters, staff and
  beneficiaries know precisely what is expected of
  them

• Motivate and reassure
• Celebrate achievements together
• Analyse less successful outcomes thoroughly,
  together
• Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate!
• Do not underestimate the value or the cost of the
  project!