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  • 10 ways to engage SMEs in procurement

    Historically Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have faced a range of barriers in accessing procurement opportunities and in winning contracts. These barriers include: contracting authorities being unaware of SMEs and the types of goods and services they can potentially provide; SMEs viewing the procurement process, often rightly, as overly bureaucratic; SMEs not having the capacity to bid for opportunities and compete with large business; and the process of procurement often being undertaken on the basis of cost thus ruling out the ability of SMEs to demonstrate their wider value.

    sbamber

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  • From non integrated to integrated urban development: an illustrated story

    There are many ways to explain what integrated urban development is, or should be. One of the ways is to show examples on the opposite, i.e. on non-integrated solutions for urban development. Here we bring up three examples in the areas of poverty, ageing and economic development and reflect further on what integrated urban development is and how to put it into practice. 

    Ivan Tosics

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  • Cities in Article 7 – From Planning to Implementing and Funding

    This network article reflects on some reference elements of integrated urban development in the European funding period 2014-20. Under Article 7 new tools of implementation and funding of interlinked actions have been introduced. Managing Authorities (MA) and cities need to act as partners to fulfil the objectives developed in the Operational Programmes. This task leads to an innovative question of multilevel governance and co-operation, based on an analysis of interests of the involved stakeholders in the decision-making processes. The step from planning to implementation and funding with shared responsibilities is a new challenge which the partners of the “Cities in Article 7” (CIA 7) URBACT Implementation Network want to explore together.

    Petra Potz

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  • Expectations of cities participating in CIA 7 Implementation Network

    The starting point for the “Cities in Article 7” (CIA 7) Implementation Network is to explore how 9 cities in 8 EU Member States benefiting from ERDF funding for the implementation of integrated urban strategies under Article 7 of the ERDF regulation are facing the mentioned challenges and potentials. Lead Partner is the European Metropole of Lille, France.

    Petra Potz

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  • ReGeneration and the inter-generational approach

    Initial reflections on the implementation network challenges after first visits to the partner cities.

    Lorenzo Tripodi

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  • An innovative approach to cultural heritage management

    When thinking of economic development in small-medium size cities, cultural heritage always plays an important role in any city strategy, particularly in the historical towns where the valorisation of cultural heritage remains one of the best tools to promote social and economic development. However several factors such as lack of funding, lack of management expertise, are preventing these cities to fully exploit its potential, limiting the capacity to valorise these important assets.

    Pedro Soutinho

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