NEWS

20.01.2012 - First international partner meeting within "Progress 2wards healthy ageing in Europe"

Within the project "Progress 2wards healthy ageing in Europe" which started in December, the partners from the UK, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Germany met for the first time on January 20th in Brussels. Besides administrative and financial questions, the meeting focused on the topics of defining the target group as well as the expected outcomes of the project.
In the support of active and healthy ageing the project partners want to take a holistic approach. The activities within the different partner region shall reach the political level as well as institutions and individuals. To achieve this, the project will make use of innovative measures like for example the application of social media and intergenerational exchange.

Uploaded on Jan, 27. 2012

18. / 19.01.2012 - Mid-Term Partner Meeting of the EmPower Project in Brussels

The project "EmPowerment of SMEs to Network for Intelligent Energy", EmPower for short, reached the halfway point of its implementation in December 2011. For this reason, the partners from the regions Aragon (Spain), Saxony (Germany), Tartu (Estonia) and Western Macedonia (Greece) met from January 18-19 in Brussels. The aim of this meeting was a review of the experiences within the project and the goals achieved so far, as well as a look into the future tasks that will be carried out within the second half of the project.
Among the milestones reached within the project so far is the EmPower Data Warehouse, where entrepreneurs and tradesmen in the field of renewable energies can network and find partners, the implementation of application courses, as well as the start of a series of networking and technology presentation events which promote networking among small businesses in the industry.
Within the second half of the project, while continuing these successful activities, the partners will also address further goals. For example, in the year 2012 they will organise a competition where small businesses or individuals may participate with innovative solutions for the use of renewable energies and increased energy efficiency. The EmPower Intelligent Energy Innovation Prize will be awarded in early 2013 in Zaragoza.
At the end of the meeting the partners visited the Renewable Energy House. It is the seat of the European Renewable Energy Council EREC and a showcase for the use of renewable energies in a historic building. Thanks to a combination of different technologies, 100% if the energy demand of this 140 year old building are provided through renewable energies.

Uploaded on Jan, 27. 2012

12.12.2011 - EPOurban - EPOurban Kick-Off Meeting at the Infozentrum Georg-Schumann-Straße on November 24th, 2011

After the launch of the project in September the partners of the EU-project EPOurban met for the first time on November 24 and 25. During two days the guests from Poland, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic,Slovenia and Slovakia discussed the content and implementation of the project together with the local partners Office for Urban Regeneration and Residential Development and the Aufbauwerk Region Leipzig GmbH.
EPOurban aims at integrating the private building owners in the urban renewal process and to counsel them in the fields of urban regeneration by local architects, property specialists and other experts. In this regard, the revival of the mostly vacant and unrenovated old buildings along the Georg-Schumann-Straße and Georg-Schwarz-Straße is the main priority for the urban renewal in Leipzig.
During the 1st International Partner Meeting the EPOurban partners were able to get an impression of the situation and conditions in Leipzig while taking a tram tour along the Georg-Schumann-Straße accompanied by the Deputy Mayor for Urban Development and Construction Martin zur Nedden.

08.12.2011 - LOGICAL International Partner Meeting in Koper / Slovenia on December 6th, 2011

On December 6th the second partner meeting of the CENTRAL EUROPE supported project LOGICAL took place in Koper / Slovenia. The meeting started with the presentation and first evaluation of the polls made in the regional logistics enterprises. Later on the requirements of the cloud computing technology to be developed were further defined and important decisions concerning data security were made. To conclude the meeting the international working group of the LOGICAL project convened. The IWG dealed with urgent administrative tasks and also the logo and the website of LOGICAL were presented to all attendees. At the evening a diner was held in a local restaurant and gave everyone the chance to get more familiar with each other.

08.12.2011 - New project "Progress 2wards healthy ageing in Europe" started

December 1st was the official starting date for the project "Progress 2wards healthy ageing in Europe".
The proposal was submitted in September 2011 by the Lead Partner Suffolk County Council to the PROGRESS programme of the European Commission. The Aufbauwerk is a partner in a broad network of organisations in the UK, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Germany. The project aims at a positive approach to the challenges of the Europe-wide demographic change. The activities of Progress 2wards healthy ageing in Europe shall support mainly people in the age group 45 - 68 to help them maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. The goals of the project include guidance about physical exercise and healthy eating for this age group, contributing to intergenerational exchange in order to prevent social isolation of older people, and support for employers in creating a sustainable corporate culture of active ageing.

24.11.2011 - Creative Cities - International Partner Meeting and Conference in Gdańsk (Poland)

Within the CENTRAL EUROPE funded project Creative Cities the 6th international partner meeting was held from 17th to 18th November 2011 in Gdańsk/Poland.
The first day started with a parallel conference (INNO3city) with the EU funded project innopomorze. . Aim of the project is the development of a cooperation network and the information transfer between researchers and enterprises in view of a boost in innovation and technology transfer. In addition all partners visited creative places in the city of Gdańsk.
The second day of the meeting was opened with a workshop about the transnational study in the Creative Cities project. Afterwards the 6th meeting of the International Steering Committee took place, where the next important steps of the project were discussed. Inspiring presentations by ROBOCamp and Young Digital Planet gave an interesting insight in the creative industry in Gdańsk.

24.11.2011 - Second Chance – Conference and Partner Meeting in Venice on 3rd and 4th November 2011

The main topic of the Conference “Increasing European Regional Potential for Growth“ was culture as a key driver for urban and territorial regeneration. Experts and politicians from Venice and from other cities of Italy were guests of the conference taking place on the area “Arsenal” in Venice. In the first part guest speakers presented good-practice-examples for the promotion of culture in Italy. After visiting of the Tower Porta Nuova on the area of “Arsenal” the topic of the second part was risks and opportunities of a candidateship of Venice for the title “European Capital of Culture 2019”.
At the partner meeting on 4th November the partners from Venice, Krakow, Ljubljana, Nuremberg und Leipzig come together for an exchange of state of affairs of the projects in each city and for planning further steps of the project process. Furthermore all partners intensively discussed work packages and substantial aspects in several groups and workshops.

24.11.2011 - Urban Creative Poles – Opening Conference and und Partner Meeting in Zielona Gora (Poland) on 9th of November 2011

Within the programme „Baltic Sea Region“ funded project URBAN CREATIVE POLES deals with the promotion and the valorisation of creative and cultural industry (CCI) in medium-sized cities of rural areas in the Baltic Sea region. The major objective is to strengthen small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed traders of different clusters of CCI. For this reasons already existing creative locations in urban areas are supposed to spur a transnational network by the development of a creative centre.
For the Opening Conference of the project on 8th November in Zielona Gora regional politicians, CCI stakeholders and project partners came together to present and discuss the aims and first outcomes of the project as well as to exchange experiences in a transnational context. On 9th November it took place a partner meeting with all partners from Cottbus, Zielona Gora, Linköping, Tartu und Klaipeda. The state of affairs of the SWOT-analysis of each city and consequential preparation of a Joint Action Plan was discussed. Additionally, all partners clarify questions about reporting, budget, website, communication and further tasks as well as dates for transnational meetings in 2012.

04.11.2011 - EPOurban Kick-off Meeting on 24 and 25 November 2011 in Leipzig

On 24 and 25 November 2011 the kick-off meeting of the INTERREG IVB project EPOurban will take place in Leipzig. Within the framework of the 1st international partner meeting the nine international project partners from Leipzig (Germany), Sopot (Poland), Voitsberg (Austria), Bolzano (Italy), Prague (Czech Republic), Celje (Slovenia), Bratislava und Svätý Jur (Slovakia) in Leipzig will get together in order to get to know each other. At the meeting the partners will take the vote on the project coordination and discuss next steps within the project.
The running period of the project EPOurban has started in September of this year. The main objective of the project is to further encourage and facilitate the involvement of private owners of residential buildings in the urban renewal process. The city of Leipzig takes the role of Lead Partner and the Aufbauwerk Region Leipzig GmbH acts as technical project manager of the project EPOurban.

20.10.2011 - SMART+ International Partner Meeting and Conference in Cracow

Within the INTERREG IV C-funded project SMART+, the sixth International Partner Meeting took place from October 12-13 in Cracow. This time the meeting was linked with a Conference on the topic of Open Innovation.
After a study visit in the Jagiellonian Centre for Innovation (JCI) the project partners met in the afternoon of October 12 to discuss current highlights and challenges in the implementation of SMART+ and its sub-projects.
On the second day, the conference about Open Innovation took place in the premises of the Polish Aviation Museum. The programme included presentations in English as well as in Polish and was divided into two sessions. In the first part the topic of Open Innovation was examined from a more theoretical point of view, while the second session was dedicated to the discussion of practical examples from the SMART+ partner regions. Therefore the second session was especially beneficial for the goals of SMART+ which include the identification and transfer of best practices.

04.10.2011 - VIS NOVA Kick-off Conference in Bad Düben

Increasing energy prices are causing the security of energy supply as well as the efficient use of energy to become a crucial competitive advantage and an important location factor. Therefore the transnational project VIS NOVA, which is funded through the EU programme Central Europe, aims to establish and develop effective and sustainable energy solutions in rural regions. The Aufbauwerk Region Leipzig GmbH is the lead partner of the project.
The project partners, which are based in five different regions in Germany, Poland, Austria and Hungary, are in intensive contact and exchange for the whole duration of the joint project. In addition to that the different scientific, economic and political stakeholders are to be integrated and brought together in order to successfully implement the project objectives. Therefore, the VIS NOVA kick-off conference which took place in Bad Düben, Saxony, on September 22 and 23 provided an excellent opportunity.
At the conference the VIS NOVA partners came together with different experts of the energy industry in order to discuss and exchange their ideas in front of a competent audience and to place these ideas in the public arena. Among the speakers were Prof. Dr. Thomas Bruckner, Vattenfall Europe Professor for Energy Management and Sustainability at the University of Leipzig and Günter Vallentin from the juwi Holding AG.
Parallel to the symposium the project partners came together for the 2nd International Partner Meeting where next important steps of the project were discussed. An excursion to a biogas plant where the international partners were able to get an exemplary picture of the utilization of renewable energies in the District of Northern Saxony completed the meeting.

22.09.2011 - International partner meetings of SMART+ sub-projects regioNet and TREC in Leipzig

Within the INTERREG IV C funded mini-programme SMART+ (www.smartplusinnovations.eu), the implementation of the sub-projects has started in May 2011. These are small transnational projects with at least three partners from different European countries, which are aim at developing and implementing strategies for improving innovation and RTD in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As the regional partner of the mini-programme, the Aufbauwerk is responsible for funding the German partner institutions within these projects, and is also advising and supporting them throughout the implementation. In two of the sub-projects, the German partners recently hosted international partner meetings, both of which took place in Leipzig.
The partners of regioNet (Clusters and networks as successful drivers – guiding regions to competitiveness and innovation) met from August 23.-25. August. The goal of this sub-project is the exchange of experiences on network management, in order to overcome obstacles for SME cooperation. The European partners from the regions Malopolska (Poland) and Cluj (Romania) were invited to Leipzig by the AGIL GmbH that is the coordinator of this sub-project. Within the three days of the meeting, network management was discussed in theory as well as based on practical examples. The programme was complemented by several study visits at various regional institutions, for example the BIO CITY Leipzig and the network logistics Leipzig-Halle. Furthermore, the work plan for the further implementation of the sub-project was discussed and the partners jointly planned their future activities.
Within the sub-project TREC (Transnational Renewable Energy Cluster), an international workshop took place on September 14-15. The host was the DBFZ (German Research Centre for Biomass), which is cooperating in this project with two Romanian and two Greek partner institutions. The coordinator of the sub-project is the North West Regional Development Agency (Cluj, Romania). The themes of the workshop included cluster building and cluster management as well as strategies for technology transfer. Besides expert presentation on these topics, the event also included the practical opportunity for networking and making new contacts, thanks to the participation of selected regional businesses. On the second day, the partners had the opportunity to see various examples for the use of renewable energies in the region. The study visits led to the Biogas Plant operated by the agricultural cooperative Jesewitz, one of the largest photovoltaic solar parks in Germany (Brandis) and a wind park on a former daylight mining site (Ramsdorf).

16.09.2011 - Come on in! Contact point Creative Industries in Leipzig

The contact point Creative Industries as mediator between the creatives in Leipzig and the political actors within the EU-project Creative Cities was established. Katja Etzold informs/briefs and advises freelancers as well as business companies in local to national offers, enhances cooperation and network, mediates and encourages the transnational dialogue between the partners (Leipzig, Danzig, Genua, Ljubljana, Pécs). Contact: Katja Etzold | contact point Creative Industries | Otto-Schill-Str. 1 | 04109 Leipzig | phon: +49 341. 140 77 90 | fax: +49 341. 14 07 79 11 | kontaktstelle@aufbauwerk-leipzig.com

09.09.2011 - Takeoff to the energy of the future – VIS NOVA Kick-off Conference on September 22nd in Bad Düben

Energy and energy policy are very much in the public focus nowadays. For the lifetime of their joint project, the consortium of VIS NOVA partners will engage in an intensive exchange about these topics. Over the course of the project, viable and sustainable energy solutions for rural regions will be developed and implemented in close cooperation with business, science and politics. The network already began its work in May of this year. To raise public awareness on the ideas behind the project and to address relevant stakeholders, the Saxon partner Economic Development Corporation of the Northern Saxony district will host the great kick-off event in the Heide Spa Bad Düben. Besides the Aufbauwerk Region Leipzig GmbH that will represent the project as the Lead Partner, the European Partners from Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland will attend the event.

08.09.2011 - Creative Cities - Project Workshop – Genoa September 15th / 16th in 2011 - International guests meet the Creatives of the town

On 15th and 16th September Genoa will host a Creative Cities project workshop: 23 international partners from Leipzig (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Pecs (Hungary) and Gdansk (Poland) come together to discuss the progress of the joint EU funded project. The partner meeting starts with a visit of the Genova-Liguria Film Commission at Villa Bombrini and a guided tour through the Cornigliano Cineporto studios as good example of the Creative Industries. Afterwards the research plan on the building development of a cultural district of the city area Maddalena will be introduced and visited. The next meeting day will be used to get to know the Sala Dogana of Palazzo Ducale, a place for young people to promote new cultural productions which is open to all artistic languages to enhance creativity and talent.

26.07.2011 - LOGICAL First parter meeting in Leipzig!

On July 12, 2011 the 14 European partners of the LOGICAL Project held the first conference at the Aufbauwerk in Leipzig. The network which is led by the Aufbauwerk deals with the advancement of interoperability of logistic enterprises. The objective is to enhance the development of innovative applications and the networking of European logistics locations. Aside from getting to know each other, the involved institutions coordinated the further approach and first steps of the project. In the afternoon two parallel workshops took place. Financial affairs and fundamental issues like contracts and manuals were discussed. Other german partners than the Aufbauwerk are the Airport Leipzig/Halle, the logistic network of Leipzig-Halle and the University of Leipzig. Get further information on the Aufbauwerk's homepage (www.aufbauwerk-leipzig.com) and for the future visit the projects homepage which is currently in construction.

26.07.2011 - VIS NOVA: 1st international partner meeting was successful!

On July 8th, 2011 the international VIS NOVA kick-off meeting appeared in Leipzig. The common goal of the project partners is the promotion of the implementation of renewable energies and the enhancement of energy efficiency. Thus, predominantly rural regions are supposed to receive support in terms of distribution of renewable energies by developing relevant thematic networks. During the meeting the twelve Europe wide acting institutions could get to know each other for the first time. The most important project's milestones were discussed and measurable goals and objectives of procedure were set. The project VIS NOVA started officially at May 1, 2011. Besides the Aufbauwerk as coordinator other german partners joined the network, like the Economic Development Corporation of the district of North Saxony and the Economic Development Corporation of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The next steering committee will be at July 28, 2011. The preparation of the public kick-off conference at September 22 and 23 in Bad Düben will be focused.

26.07.2011 - REURIS: Realisation of the Pilotproject at Thostgrundbach started

The Tostgrundbach is the most important water which flows into the Mulde within the area of the city of Grimma. The stream is tubed by over 90 percent. Its technical functions are drainage, melioration and receiving water for storm water drainage. The occurring flood of the Mulde in 2002 forced the essential transformation of the stream. The project REURIS will enable to reopen the Thostgrundbach and to restore thereby its natural retention. The pilot project will be finished until October 2011.

06.06.2011 - LOGICAL Beginning: The logistics project's first international partner meeting

Everyone has heard of Cloud Computing, but the practical use of this technology is not always obvious. One example for the application of cloud computing is the project LOGICAL, which started on May 1st. The project goal is the development of innovative applications that allow better networking of European logistics hubs and a more efficient usage of different modes of transport. The international consortium of LOGICAL comprises 14 partners from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Among them are research institutions, regional development agencies and logistics enterprises. On the 12th of July, the 1st partner meeting will take place in Leipzig. The main goal of the event is to establish the working structures within the project and to prepare the first milestones.

03.06.2011 - Start with new energy: VIS NOVA partners meet for the first time on 8th of July

In the middle of the current debate on energy, the project VIS NOVA officially began on the first of May this year. The 42 months long project deals with the promotion of renewable energy sources and the improvement of energy efficiency, specifically in rural areas. These goals shall be promoted through the development of regional energy efficiency plans on the basis of targeted analyses as well as investments into several pilot measures, such as for example a virtual power plant.
On the 8th of July the twelve project partners from Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary will meet for the first time in Leipzig. The goal of the meeting is to establish the working structures of the project and to prepare the first milestones.

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