We delve into the “history” of the Curious project with an interview with Andrea Brunello, founder of Arditodes\u00eco.\n<\/p>\n
European is the first Europlanning Guide podcast series, available with one episode per week on all free audio platforms. Each episode is devoted to a place, a city, local, neighborhood dimension and its path to fit into the broader European context starting with common needs and innovative ways to cope with them.<\/p>\n
Andrea Brunello tells us about his path and experience in EU projects and funding.<\/span><\/p>\n My path to Europlanning was first and foremost a path of dialogue, participation and getting closer to some European networks that bring together realities similar to Arditodes\u00eco: realities that, like us, deal with science communication and theater. It all started from a vocation to openness and dialogue, to compare and seek affinity with other organizations in Europe. That later resulted in a willingness to develop projects together.<\/span><\/p>\n Many of these parties were already active on European projects and involved us in the joint search for the best opportunities. Opportunities that we then found and developed, especially within the Creative Europe and Erasmus+ programs.<\/span><\/p>\n To those who ask me how to approach a European project, I answer: meet European partners, <\/span>\n be active in networks<\/span>\n<\/a>. You will find a lot of stimulation, and European projects will come as a natural consequence.<\/span><\/p>\n So far we have had the opportunity to work on Creative Europe and Erasmus+ projects. The <\/span>Project Curious<\/span><\/a> discussed in the podcast and of which we were the lead partner is a Creative Europe project, Small Scale Cooperation line. It is a project that uses art and theater to talk about science. We have just concluded as partners the <\/span>\n EurekArt project<\/span>\n<\/a>, a project connecting art and theater from an educational and training perspective under the Erasmus+ program.<\/span><\/p>\n We wanted to try to give continuity to both projects. We are awaiting the results of the second phase of the Curious project, which this time has been proposed as a larger, medium-scale cooperation project, again within the framework of <\/span>Creative Europe<\/span><\/a>. We are just these days writing the proposal for the follow-up of EurekArt under <\/span>\n Erasmus+<\/span>\n<\/a>: we are participating this time as a lead partner and hope that our path on European projects can continue successfully.<\/span><\/p>\n The discourse is articulated, talking about difficulties on projects there can be various levels of analysis and keys to interpretation.<\/span><\/p>\n First of all, for a small entity to participate in a European project means devoting months of full-time work, with no certainty that it will be accepted. This poses a risk because it means devoting resources that may prove critical to the livelihood of a small organization, without certainty about the results. For a small organization this is a big dilemma. Arditodesis has 6 employees; deciding to devote a full-time person for 3-4 months to preparing a European project involves giving up on other fronts and can have a big impact. Different, of course, is the impact on larger entities, such as a university, for which the work of a person dedicated to a project can be more easily redistributed.<\/span><\/p>\n Another complex aspect is that of partnership. To participate in a project is first and foremost (and it is particularly so in our experience) to find partners with whom to share a project vision. And to do this takes time, it takes effort, it takes looking for each other and talking to each other, it takes logistical organization. It is an investment. We are now working on two projects, and we are realizing this very concretely.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally (and I will end a list here that could be longer!) participating in European projects creates a sizing problem for small organizations. A project win involves a change in the structure of the organization, new people need to be hired, and the way the organization works needs to be changed along the way. A won project produces transformations: transformations that are entirely positive, welcome, and actively sought by those who propose them, but for which organization is needed, and this is not always easy.<\/span><\/p>\nThrough what path did you approach European funds and europlanning?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What European fund lines have you had the opportunity to work on and with what results?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What are the main difficulties you encounter in submitting projects?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What is most helpful to you when preparing European projects? <\/span><\/h2>\n