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Transnational co-operation
Transnational co-operation is the principal element of EQUAL. It contributes to the creation of a significant added value for partners who work on solving the same or similar problems. It ca also be a source of innovations. Each national partnership needs at least one partner from another Member State. The general rule is that partnerships, establishing a transnational co-operation within EQUAL, should implement projects within the same Theme.
Involvement of partners from projects other than EQUAL, e.g. TACIS, PHARE, MEDA, CARDS, in transnational co-operation is also acceptable. Activity within transnational co-operation is governed by Transnational Co-operation Agreement negotiated and signed by all partners and by a jointly created Activity Programme.
Co-operation may take different forms:
- Model 1: Exchange of information and experience
This model often refers to the preliminary phase of international co-operation. Partners exchange information on their strategies and context of activity. At this stage, partners do not define specific common targets of their co-operation. An example can be a situation where two (or more) partnerships in different countries work on the creation of a training packet for non-privileged groups for their return to the labour market. Their transnational co-operation includes, in this case, exchange of information on the partners themselves, on their different situation and approach to the problems to be solved. Intersting ideas are usually created not intentionally, and in certain cases transfer of knowledge, experience or expertise may turn out to be fruitless. Such approach to transnational co-operation helps a partnership in benchmarking.
- Model 2: Parallel development of innovative approach
In this model, partners implement a specific common target, acting independently. Exchange of experience is less general than in the first model, and it is more systematic and closer related to the implemented target. As the common target is negotiated and agreed, partnerships systematically exchange knowledge and innovations. This model of co-operation contributes to benchmarking.
- Import, export and adaptation of new solutions to the situation This model is usually a variant of the continuation of parallel development (Model 2). It appears when two or more partnerships exchange the results of their work and each of them utilizes the exchange of experience for the improvement of its own product (e.g. a training packet for risk groups). This co-operation results in modification, improvement of the training packet by adaptation of certain solutions applied by a partner who is quite often more experienced in a given area.
- Common product or work system – distribution of tasks within the implementation of a common target
This model of co-operation refers most often to partnerships which are created for a specific period for the purpose of solving a given problem. Partners are joined because of identical approach top the problem, and intention to find the solution with a conscious use of their advantages. Stages of problem solving are clearly defined since the beginning, and tasks resulting from those stages are distributed between partners. In this model, partners are matched according to the principle of complementing their experience and skills. Such partnership is close to the idea of “twinningu”, where each partner achieves multilateral benefits from the co-operation with the others.
- Model 5: additional activity: exchange of teachers, students, main actors and others
An exchange of trainers, trainees and employees is additional activity which is quite often parallel to the implementation of the four former models. Additional activities do not include research visits, as they belong to the first model. In the case of additional activities their target must be clearly specified in the context of the common target of transnational co-operation. Those activities usually serve for the purpose of checking the common product, checking the created system, etc.
Generally speaking, an area of agreement between partners establishing a transnational co-operation may be: implementation of a common theme, a similar type of organization, a similar type of problem, work for the benefit of a similar target group. All those factors should be considered during planning and searching for a partner from another Member State.
A transnational partner can be searched for through the European Common Data Base (ECDB) available on the web page of European Commission .
During the implementation of the first stage (Measure 1), Development Partnerships selected in a call of proposals will receive support for searching for transnational partners. National Support Framework – the “Co-operation Fund” Foundation will be responsible for assistance in finding a transnational partner.
Data of institutions interested in the establishment of co-operation with Polish Development Partnerships are available on the EQUAL web page in the Data Base of Potential Transnational Partners.
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