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The objective of the first day of the workshop was to present the\u00a0initial\u00a0findings related to Energy Support Map,\u00a0an\u00a0available energy support\u00a0system\u00a0for SMEs to invest in a low-carbon future in\u00a0all partner regions. The workshop was organised as a speed date\u00a0meeting\u00a0between\u00a0two regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The regions\u00a0were\u00a0changed in regular intervals\u00a0so that at the end, all regions\u00a0discussed their results with all\u00a0partners. This\u00a0speed date method enabled\u00a0the partners\u00a0to\u00a0gather external perspectives\u00a0on\u00a0own mapping\u00a0of policy instruments,\u00a0and to\u00a0discuss\u00a0their\u00a0strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, some partners got\u00a0inspired\u00a0by\u00a0other regions\u00a0for possible\u00a0improvements to be implemented back in the home regions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Improvements were foreseen in increased awareness and better communication among the business and industry sectors. Also,\u00a0process\u00a0simplification\u00a0when applying for\u00a0energy efficiency\u00a0related\u00a0subsidies, its\u00a0submission\u00a0and\u00a0less bureaucracy were\u00a0pointed out several times. These are regarded as the biggest obstacles for\u00a0SMSs\u00a0due to a\u00a0lack of resources, knowledge and time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second day took place at the LAB University of\nApplied Sciences campus with focus on Good Practices<\/a>. One of the Interreg Europe<\/a> project outcomes is to recognize good examples\nalready proven in practice that could be easily adapted and\ntransferred to other partner regions or within the EU. Some\nof the Good Practices identified in the region of P\u00e4ij\u00e4t-H\u00e4me could be\nbeneficial for both projects, some may be specific to only one of the projects.\nPlaying a game and identifying an imaginary Good Practice in three different\ngroups contributed to a better understanding of what kind of information is\nrequired and how to prefill data into a template. In the\nend, all groups voted for the best imaginary example and discussed the reasons\nbehind their voting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The identified Good Practices will inspire all regions when creating their Action Plans to improve the regional policies and pave the way towards low-carbon economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by Katerina Medkova who works as an RDI specialist\u00a0at LAB University of Applied Sciences and is the RESINDUSTRY Project & Communication Manager.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n European Commission. 2020. What is an SME?. [Cited 22 Feb 2020]. Available at: https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/growth\/smes\/business-friendly-environment\/sme-definition_en<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n European Environment Agency. 2020. Final energy consumption by sector and fuel in Europe. [Cited 22 Feb 2020]. Available at: https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/data-and-maps\/indicators\/final-energy-consumption-by-sector-10\/assessment <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogit.lab.fi\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/Role-of-SMEs-in-Low-carbon-Economy-Transition-1024x514.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
Playful approach to learning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n