EUknow.it is a tool that supports and accompanies those who teach and experience European planning, in universities and in every field. Let’s find out how, with Vanni Resta
Our fellow travelers: the experience of Vanni Resta, EU project designer and funding lecturer
European design is an exciting but often lonely journey, amid deadlines, forms to fill out, and partners to coordinate. We want to tell you how the new Guide can accompany you on your European design journey, and to do so we have chosen exceptional traveling companions from the world of European design, academia, local government and civil society, along with our partners.
In this first stage, Vanni Resta, a European planner and university lecturer with 30 years of experience, explains why he considers the Guide to be a useful, and essential, tool for any professional in the field.
Vanni Resta is an EU project designer and lecturer at the master’s degree program “Social Design for Sustainability, Innovation and Gender Inclusion” and at the master’s program in “EU projects and funding and European professions” at La Sapienza University of Rome. He also teaches at other universities, particularly in the master’s degree program “Business management and digital technologies – Green economy and sustainable management” at Uninettuno University. Since 2021 he has been an Ambassador for the European Climate Pact on behalf of the European Commission’s DG Climate. In 2008 he created the Manlio Resta Foundation, of which he is currently the President. He began his work as a planner in the early 1990s after graduating with honors in economics and business. He works in the field of directly managed programs of the European Union, collaborating with numerous national and international institutions. He is a project evaluator at the European Commission. He is the author of the handbook “Europrojecting with Horizon and EU Direct Funding” and other texts and publications on the subject. He is a member of the scientific committee of several entities. In 2024 he was elected as a municipal councilor for a civic list at the Municipality of Collevecchio (RI).
The Guide: handy resources for teaching European design
EUknow.it is a valuable tool for those who work with European planning by developing projects and through teaching.If you reflect yourself in this profile, here are some reasons why the Guide is the tool for you.
1. EUknow.it develops a clear and straightforward learning path. The Guide tackles European planning from the basics: why European projects and funds exist, how they are defined and allocated, and the tools and methods for preparing, gathering information, and developing a project. The Handbook section contains practical tools for writing a European project, moving from theory to practice, with insights for both novice and experienced designers. There you will find content for orientation and tools for working on the project, from partnership preparation and management to monitoring and reporting. An extensive review of guides and tools gives ways to delve into more specific aspects on quality external sources. The Guide’s Glossary gives access to concise definitions of key European project design terms.
2. EUknow.co.uk presents up-to-date, user-friendly information on all European programs. In the Programs section, the Guide provides an overview of all programs in the form of simple, up-to-date factsheets for each program with links to EU reference documents, such as programming documents, calls for proposals, results, official sites, news and more. A point of reference so as not to feel disoriented in front of the number of existing programs, discovering their different aspects in a simple and straightforward way. EUknow.it follows a similar pattern for EU programs, nationally managed and regionally managed programs, rural programs and territorial cooperation programs, making it easy to read, quicker to consult and allowing you to develop an overview.
3. EUknow.it presents concrete examples and case studies to discuss in training or in your own organization. The Insights section allows you to broaden your view with articles on European project trends and issues, the most common mistakes in writing a European project, and examples of good practice from local organisations. The Stories section of the Guide recounts experiences, successes and difficulties of working on European projects, with insights referring to different sectors: social economy, youth, education, disability, local development and others, through the voices of individual organizations, experts, institutions and project partner foundations.
4. EUknow.it provides a review of multimedia tools and aids on European planning. In the Guides and Tools section you will find an up-to-date selection of useful materials developed by European institutions (and beyond), and podcasts to keep up-to-date in a wide range of areas: European citizenship, agri-food, rural, mountain areas, tourism, culture, small municipalities. What’s more, major global dynamics, impact assessment: the catalog is constantly being expanded and updated, ranging from European Commission webinars, to guides prepared by individual organizations, to our podcasts, video-pills, training moments and Infodays collected in an Audio and Video section.
5. EUknow.it allows you to keep up-to-date on new calls for proposals. The Guide’s Calls Portal publishes new calls for proposals published monthly, accompanied by an ad hoc article in the news section summarizing the most salient news. A selection of opportunities for European, national, regional and territorial cooperation programs.
These are just some of the resources you can find on our new platform, EUknow.it. Keep following us in the upcoming videopills to discover the sections and contents of the Guide together with new fellow travelers.
