Green transition acceleration and capacity building training program
In the past four years of intensive cooperation of development project teams from the cities of Križevci (HRV), Maribor (SVN), Niš (SRB) and Skopje (MKD), we have realized that one of the main challenges that emerges when trying to initiate a transformation towards sustainability isn’t necessarily one of will, but rather of skill.
Local communities, cities, municipalities, and diverse organizations find themselves challenged by the prospect of initiating and leading a green transformation process leading them towards sustainability, climate adaptation, decarbonisation and better life and work conditions. A significant portion of this comes from the lack of capacity and experience with green (smart, creative) transformation, permeating multiple levels, including knowledge and skills, procedures and methods, organization, management and cooperation, personnel, finance, spatial possibilities and other resources.
Therefore, we have created a “Green Acceleration Programme” (GAP), a unique training offering based on the experiences and knowledge of four partners (KLIK/Križevci; SmartAp/Skopje; NTP/Niš and ZUM/Maribor) from the »Future Cities of South East Europe« project (FCSEE; 2020–2022). The aim of GAP training program is to offer robust support for initiating and accelerating different local communities’ and organisations’ efforts towards their green (smart, creative) transformation.
The foundation of the GAP-program are four modules, each based on processes and services that each city partner from the FCSEE project has developed, tested, and implemented at a local level.
Focused on enabling participation of the local communities in the energy transformation pathway of the cities, towns and settlements through collaboration, co-creation, and co-finance, this module supports the client in mapping stakeholders and their potential roles, develop projects and initiatives that could support an energy transition, and develop a transition governance model and a civic investment model.
The programme will be held as 1 introduction webinar – introduction to Civic engagement and financing tools towards energy transition
and 3 workshop:
- mapping local potentials, defining vision, stakeholders and their community role
- identifying or developing projects and initiatives that could support energy transition (climate transformation)
- development of transition governance model and
- civic investment model development
If necessary, the governance model would be further developed through workshops or consulting.
Project portfolio should be then developed through facilitation with governance of the transition.
Leader of the module:
KLIK energy cooperative
Sanela Mikulčić Šantić
This module includes training for the green-smart transformation of listed entities. The emphasis is on solving the problem of their different ways of inclusion in the wider urban environment (energy supply, circular mass flows (input raw materials, water, waste…), smart logistics, green infrastructure, etc.).
Services offered:
- Green transformation plan. We provide articulated transformation instructions in the form of localized spatial transformation plan, with proposals for integration and development of kex green infrastructure.
- Tree-based sensing infrastructure for smart city integration. We provide a number of sensing solutions to be integrated into existing and new green infrastructure such as i.e. planted trees an access to collected data for further analysis and integration in open data city portals.
- Workshops. A short series of lectures and workshops, dealing with and explaining all proposed interventions and steps in the transformation process.
Leader for this module:
ZUM d.o.o.
Jože Kos Grabar
projekt.fcsee@zum-mb.si / tel. + 386 (0)31 886 801
Focused on engaging students, young professionals and startups, this module enables the client to include a fairly untapped resources into developing solutions for the previously identified challenges – through a training programme for the participants and the development of prototypes to test out and implement the solutions developed.
Leader for this module:
Naučno-tehnološki park Niš
Natalija Miličević
Focused on capacity development for building an impact investment (II) portfolio and support in the process of creating an II portfolio, this module enables the client to develop a portfolio of projects to be implemented in order to support the green transition and an evaluation tool to prioritize them and develop a roadmap towards their implementation.
Service offered:
- Training programme on how to develop an impact investment portfolio
- Facilitation of the development of an impact investment potfolio
Leader of the module:
SmartUp Social Innovation Lab Skopje
Milosh Sokolikj
milosh@innovationlab.mk / tel. +389 71 231 519
The innovative aspect of the GAP program is derived from several sources. The combination of the four modules described above offers a unique capacity development programme compared to existing offerings, as it approaches green (smart, creative) transformation from several aspects and leverages stakeholders across the eco-system of green transformation. The GAP program is focused on practical and proactive capacity development or a learning through-doing approach. Part of the content of the GAP program is adapted to the needs of the participants/clients.
