Monthly Progress: No.7 March 2015

Core objective: OUTREACH

Indicator: Quantitative stakeholder outreach
Metrics: Website
Number of visits by type of stakeholders: total: 1’287 (+38.3% compared to previous month)
of which 61.78% from the project area (6.92% PT, 43.59% ES, 6.297% FR, 3.81% UK, 1.17% IE), 38.22% from other countries.
Number of exchanges on website forums:
Twitter
CORE TEAM: 953 tweets 333 followers
Linkedin
Total members of the group:   33
New members of the group:   2
Metrics: Events
Number and type of stakeholders contacted/invited to project events: 125, including: European interregional networks, local authorities, regional authorities, regional development and innovation agencies, a national territorial observatory, a national oceanographic and hydrographical institute.
Number of events attended by focal points: 11
Metrics: Relationship-building
Number and type of stakeholder contacts:
FR ≈15 Type: Chambers of commerce, business schools, regional councils, maritime training associations, local authorities.
IE ≈25 Type: SMEs, national agencies.
PT ≈10 Type: Tourism industry associations/sector representatives, local authorities, NGOs.
ES ≈130 Type: Scientific community, industry representatives, public elected representatives, regional government representatives, European interregional associations, foundations, R&D centres, National, regional or local maritime clusters, NGOs.
UK ≈15 Type: Universities, business innovation centres, maritime clusters, socio-economic agents and marine researchers, marine networks, not-for-profit marine sector organisations.
Metrics: Communication products
Number of brochures and videos disseminated: 1,350 (brochures disseminated from the beginning of the project http://atlanticstrategy.eu/en/library/brochure )
Type of stakeholders reached: 250 participants in the Atlantic Stakeholders event (Porto, PT); French, Irish, Spanish, Portuguese and British stakeholders.

Core objective: GUIDANCE

Indicator: Events
Metrics: Participants surveys including a rating system (1-5) regarding the overall organisation of events, and value of information provided and exchanged:
 
First national Focal point event (SPAIN, Santander, 26.03.2015) - Main findings of the participants’ feedback survey (sample of 30% of participants):
  • Information provided about the Atlantic Action Plan and the Support team: very useful (27%), quite useful (62%), somewhat useful (11%), not useful (0%)
  • Information provided about networking opportunities: very useful (39%), quite useful (42%), somewhat useful (19%), not useful (0%)
  • Information provided about funding opportunities: very useful (38%), quite useful (50%), somewhat useful (12%), not useful (0%)
  • Overall organisation: very good (24%), good (52%), fair (15%), poor (0%), no answer (9%)
  • Interest in the topics chosen: very good (36%), good (52%), fair (0%), poor (0%), no answer (12%)
  • Degree of involvement of the participants: very good (49%), good (39%), fair (0%), poor (0%), no answer (12%)

Core objective: PRO-ACTIVE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Indicator: Stakeholder project support
Metrics:
Number of alerts concerning funding opportunities: 10
Number of general information sessions/meetings about project development: 5

Core objective: SOUND AND EFFICIENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Indicator: Project overall project management
Metrics: Compliance of activities/outputs undertaken with the Inception report, work plan and timetable: the project is being implemented within schedule.
  • The focal points are attending not only local but also national events, engaging with stakeholders, collecting queries, and organising the first round of Focal Point events in France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom during the first half of 2015.
  • The project website and social media collaborative tools are constantly updated and enriched with content.
Metrics: Adherence of the Support Team activities to the project ‘history’ on Basecamp (to-do lists, milestones, events):
  • Progress on all activities is according to plan.

Core objective: POSITIVE REACTION AND RESPONSES PROVIDED TO CHANGES AND ISSUES

Indicator: Risk and change management
Metrics: Continuous listing/recording and analysis of risks and challenges identified:
Possible confusion in some stakeholders about the different roles of:
  • The Support Team’s “focal point service”: promotion of the Atlantic Action Plan, as well as technical support and proactive guidance for the generation of project ideas pursuing the objectives of the Atlantic Action Plan.
  • The Atlantic Strategy Group: strategic guidance and institutional support to the Atlantic Action Plan.
  • The national contact points in charge of other EU-funded programmes: provision of information and technical support for specific programmes (e.g. LIFE, Horizon2020, Interreg, regional/national operational programmes, etc.).
Metrics: Disappearance/control of risks resulting from mitigating actions undertaken:
  • Specific internal and external communication actions to clarify that the three agents above are all contributing to the same process, although with different roles.