Consulta Europa is thrilled to announce the succesful completition of the baseline workshop to set the basis for the elaboration of the Vision and Mission of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria under the framework of the EXPER project.

Michelle Perello, CEO at Consulta Europa falicitated the discussion at the premises of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, gathering essential insights to feed the elaboration of the vision and mission, first phase under the co-design methodology developed by CE. With an innovative approach, a brainstorming session took place last april, 27th, 2023 among canarian stakeholders.

Representatives from ULPGC-FCPCT and organisations such as PROEXCA, Cámara de Comercio de Gran Canaria, ZEC, Cluser Marítimo de Canarias, and EMERGE actively participated in the co-design session.

The ULPGC team expressed its gratitude to all participants and reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the Vision and Mission reflect the needs of the community and are in line with the EXPER project’s goals.

The session concluded with valuable inputs from participants, emphasising local development and commitment to the surrounding ecosystem, which will be included in the upcoming Strategy and Action Plans of the University.

This activity is also taking place in the Azores Islands to collect useful inputs to develop the Vision and Mission of the University of the Azores.

Online Consultation

Alongside, to ensure wider public participation in the process, an online consultation by CE is currently running on the social media platforms. Interested parties can access it via the following link: https://bit.ly/3L7X42j

Building a Brighter Future for UAC and ULPGC

This activity is also currently taking place in the Azores Islands to collect useful inputs to develop the Vision and Mission of the University of the Azores within the EXPER Project.

Brussels, April 19th, 2023 – The Ruralization consortium is meeting today for the last General Assembly before the final conference to discuss the promotion of the project’s results among policy makers and newcomers, new entrants and successors in European rural areas. The final conference of the project will be held tomorrow, April 20th, in Brussels.

The RURALIZATION project, funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, is based on the idea that a process of ‘ruralisation’ can change development patterns in rural areas and generate new opportunities. To foster a “ruralisation” process across Europe, the project aims to generate new policy-relevant knowledge.

The project has gathered 18 partners from 12 different countries, including research organisations and partners that implement innovative practices. This diversity ensures that the project will formulate solutions and recommendations which respond to the diverse needs and features of rural areas in Europe.

The final conference, hosted by the European Committee of the Regions, will provide a space for presenting the main outputs of the project and considering all the lessons learned throughout the four years of the project. The conference will include an interactive workshop on policy options for fulfilling rural dreams, a “Rural Tales” session in which young farmers and entrepreneurs will share their own stories, and a discussion among representatives of the European Commission, stakeholders, and other experts on how specific European policies could contribute to the ruralisation process.

For more information about the final conference, please visit https://ruralization.eu/final-conference/

The AquaWind project was presented at AquaFuture Spain 2023, one of the most renowned exhibitions within the aquaculture industry. 

During the event, the consortium presented AquaWind as the only European initiative that combines the production of renewable energy offshore and fish farming in the first floating wind platform in Spain, capable of jointly producing wind energy and high-quality fish.

AquaWind has been 80% co-financed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.

In the Canary Islands, beyond Consulta Europa, the consortium has key entities such as the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), the University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster.

The European ‘Female-led innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas’ (FLIARA) project celebrated its official kick-off meeting on 26th and 27th January 2023 in Brussels, bringing together, for the first time, project partners, Advisory Board members, and EU officers.

Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement No 101084234), the FLIARA project involves fifteen public and private organisations from ten different countries across Europe. The project is coordinated by the University of Galway, Ireland and will last three years. In Spain, Consulta Europa will lead the dissemination and communication process of the project along with other member countries of the consortium aimed at research and evaluation of innovative practices led by women and which will make visible their role as drivers.

FLIARA’s main objective is to create a European-wide ecosystem, which supports women-led innovative practices in farming and rural areas. FLIARA proposes a unique and innovative approach to improve women’s recognition in rural areas, which is a crucial aspect in bringing forward a more sustainable future for rural areas, as well as developing more effective supporting policy and governance frameworks. Building on a thematic case study approach, project partners will investigate women-led innovations in rural areas of the four EU macro-regions – Atlantic, Central & Eastern, Nordic Baltic, and Mediterranean. Upon the case studies’ selection and analysis, FLIARA will create and grow a Community of Practice Network to establish a learning partnership amongst all key stakeholders engaged in rural and farming innovation. It will also launch a Campaign of Visibility to raise awareness of women roles in farming and rural areas.

The FLIARA kick off meeting was opened by the Project Coordinator – Associate Professor, Maura Farrell of the University of Galway. In her introductory speech, Prof. Farrell highlighted that “we face many challenges, and many issues go through gender issues. Transdisciplinary innovation, improving women recognition, is a crucial aspect to bring forward a more sustainable future for rural areas”. FLIARA vision will be, therefore, to bring women as innovation actors in the spotlight.

The FLIARA kick off meeting brought everybody to the same level of understanding of the project’s structure, interconnections and next steps. It was an occasion to exchange views and expectations about how each task would be carried out and to pave the way for all partner organisations to have a shared understanding of how the project activities will need to be executed.

To conclude, the FLIARA project will aim to challenge the gender norms, relations and stereotypes that fail to recognise the contribution that women are currently making and can make into the future in leading rural and agricultural innovation in the European Union. The project is expected to deliver changes in societal practices and in the behaviour of individuals, communities, public and private organisations, contributing to achieving the European Gender Equality Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.

FLIARA – Female Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas

New initiatives, such as FLIARA, have initiated within the new year. The Horizon Europe project, which stands for Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas proposes a unique and innovative approach to improve understanding, awareness and recognition of women’s role in a more sustainable rural future. As well as developing more effective policy and governance frameworks that can support and enhance the capacity of women who live and work in these areas to contribute to it.

The diverse project partnership, includes universities, SMEs and other practitioners across ten EU countries. Last Monday 9 January, all partners met in order to get to know each other and to share the objectives and the challenges faced. At this meeting, Consulta Europa, leader of the communication, dissemination and exploitation tasks, had the opportunity to present the first actions that will be carried out in FLIARA in the framework of its work package.

The FLIARA project is led by a research team from the University of Galway’s School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies, including Associate Professor Maura Farrell.

Outlining the vision for the project, Maura Farrell said:

“To overcome Europe’s rural challenges and embrace potential opportunities, there is a need for all individuals and communities to participate in rural innovation. […] Traditionally, rural women’s employment opportunities and contribution to innovation has been overshadowed, and often suppressed, by a patriarchal ethos.”

FLIARA will identify visions for sustainable farm and rural futures and the sustainability innovations needed to realise these visions.

By the end of January (26th-27th) will be held in Brussels, the official kick-off meeting, where all  work packages that need to be addressed during its 3-year duration will be presented.

TouriSME project aims to make European tourism SMEs capable and skilled to shift towards more sustainable business models. The most significant updates regarding the final quarter of the European project’s year were included in its third newsletter, which was released in December.

Two training sessions for SMEs, held in September in Valencia, offered the opportunity to learn about the impact that TouriSME was having on the companies participating in the project.

On the other hand, a second project meeting took place in Rimini, during Ecomondo. This meeting was the occasion for partners to confirm the extension of TouriSME until June next year. As the end of the project is approaching, the partners focused their attention onto the next main events, which would include a matchmaking event in Madrid on 17 and 18 January 2023, during the FITUR International Tourism Fair.

TouriSME ends the year with a webinar held by Consulta Europa on 16 December to guide beneficiaries through the financial aspects of the project in the run-up to the final stretch of the project.

Find out more about more news of the project and don’t miss any update of the Newsletter by clicking here!.

We are looking for a Senior EU Project Manager responsible for managing EU funded projects, writing EU tenders & project applications, and supporting in the coordination of the junior project managers of the company. He/she will work in close cooperation with the rest of the team and will be based at our office in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Main tasks and responsibilities include:

-Manage complex EU projects autonomously, especially in the field of healthcare/life sciences and technology;

-Support in the planning and coordination of the work of project managers and rest of the team; revising deliverables and ensuring quality of the work delivered;

-Writing tender proposals and project applications;

-Coordinate in conjunction with the Communication Team, all dissemination and communication activities related to funded projects and other initiatives or activities of the company.

Required profile:

· Master’s Degree in Healthcare, Life Sciences, Engineering, Economics or Humanities. Phd is an asset;

· Minimum 2 years of relevant professional experience in European projects development and management. Management of previous EU funded projects in the field of healthcare/life sciences/technology/AI will be considered as an asset;

· Excellent English writing skills (candidates not complying with the requested level will not be considered); good Spanish writing skills and other languages are considered as an asset;

· Good analytical and organisational skills and ability to meet tight deadlines;

· Open personality with strong interpersonal, communication, negotiation and networking skills and a flexible and dynamic attitude.

Please note that Consulta Europa is a small company but very active at European level. The team is multinational and multidisciplinary.

Interested candidates can send their CVs at beatrice.avagnina@consulta-europa.com indicating “Senior Project Manager position” in the subject of the e-mail.

Remote work is not eligible for this position. If you are not living in Gran Canaria or do not consider relocating, please do not candidate.

We are looking for a Junior EU Project Manager to support us with the management and execution of our EU funded projects.

Requirements:

– University Degree related to the areas of Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Geography and/or Economics.

– C1 English (candidates not complying with the requested levels will not be considered); good knowledge of Spanish; other languages are considered as an asset;

– Computer literacy (Office).

We will value positively:

– Study or work experience abroad.

– Flexible, proactive, and dynamic attitude.

Experience in managing European projects is not required as in-depth internal training will be provided, but flexibility is needed to carry out different tasks that may include research, administrative and financial management, communication, organisation of meetings and events.

Please note that Consulta Europa is a small company but very active at European level. The team is multinational and multidisciplinary.

Interested candidates can send their CVs at beatrice.avagnina@consulta-europa.com indicating “Junior Project Manager position” in the subject of the e-mail.

Remote work is not eligible for this position. If you are not living in Gran Canaria or do not consider relocating, please do not candidate.