In line with the motto “learning by sharing”, the INTERREG IVC programme gathered 15 projects in sustainable transport to share experiences. The Thematic INTERREG IVC Capitalisation initiative is an approach that focuses on collecting, analysing and disseminating the thematic knowledge gained from projects working on the same topic. The objectives are:
- to better exploit the knowledge resulting from projects working on a similar topic for the benefit of local and regional authorities in Europe.
- to increase the visibility of the programme and its impact on the policy making process at regional, local, national and European levels.
After an informative session where each project presented its aims and achievements so far, the participants moved to a more dynamic afternoon with a thematic brainstorming session.
The sustainable transport projects were split into 4 thematic groups covering all areas in which the projects work: Clean vehicles, cycling and soft modes; Mobility management; Travellers’ information and ITS; Governance, land use planning and mobility. The groups were well mixed with projects just starting and projects reaching their end to allow for capitalisation of experiences and lessons learnt. Recently started projects were thus able to gain some insights and learn about methods used to perform certain project activities. POLITE could apply, for instance, the technique used in the FLIPPER project of preparing a quiz for decision-makers to find out about their awareness of the existence of open ITS standards and the benefits that can be obtained. The Workshop’s breaks were efficiently used for networking and for discovering further synergies among projects as well as for the search of external good practices in Europe. The INTERREG IVC Capitalisation Workshop took place on November 15 2012 in Brussels.