Welcome to the first Eurotowns CAPTURE newsletter: June 2005

CAPTURE – the Knowledge Network, funded through Interreg IIIC, brings together 21 small and medium sized towns and cities from 11 European countries which share a common interest in the knowledge economy. The project aims to help them to exchange their experiences and expertise in order to add value to their own regional economy by growing the knowledge economy and creating better local jobs.

Contents:

• EMPOWERING EUROPE'S MEDIUM SIZED TOWNS AND CITIES
• COMPARATIVE BASELINE RESEARCH
• 2nd CAPTURE MANGEMENT GROUP MEETING
• VISIT TO OUR PARTNER IN MANRESA
• VISIT TO OUR HUNGARIAN PARTNERS
• STUDY VISITS AND STAFF EXCHANGES
• NEWS FROM PARTNERS
• EVENTS

Empowering Europe’s medium sized towns and cities

The network, which was launched in September 2004, consists of 21 partners from 11 EU countries, including four from the new Member States. The three-year project is being led by the UK’s Brighton & Hove City Council and plans to stimulate the economic development of its members, with a particular focus on the knowledge economy.
Having recently gained the approval from the INTERREG IIIC West Secretariat, CAPTURE will receive EUR 400.000 from the European Regional Development Fund. Its total budget is EUR 650.000.
The idea for CAPTURE came from a group of medium-sized towns and cities, which had been working together since 1991 thorough a network known as Eurotowns. In 2003, Eurotowns conducted detailed research into its members and found that the vast majority shared the same ambitions: the desire to grow the knowledge economy and to create better local jobs.
To respond to these ambitions, Eurotowns realised that it would need more contact with regional level agencies, and an expanded and more specialised partnership, incorporating members from the new EU Member States and external project-based funding. It duly began to gather new partners, to investigate links with regional development and structural fund operations and to develop the idea of a knowledge network.
CAPTURE’s approach will be based on fostering communication and cooperation between its members. It will research and set up sustainable tools to share existing practice and exchange experience, establish an infrastructure for durable and beneficial relationships between its members and disseminate findings both within the network and through other existing regional development networks, agencies, practitioners and policy makers.
One key event that has already taken place is an exchange of expertise meeting, held in Brighton & Hove in November 2004. Those present -representing eighteen out of the 21 network members - were split into two groups and asked to find out as much as possible about each other, using interviews, on-site internet access and the materials delegates had brought with them.
The next main networking event will be held in October 2005 in Eskilstuna, Sweden and there will be another in 2006. CAPTURE will also arrange a series of smaller meetings, study visits and staff exchanges, before running one final dissemination conference and producing an evaluation report setting out the project’s findings. A central project website is due to launch in June 2005. (www.eurotowns.org)
By sharing information, establishing a dialogue between small and medium sized towns and cities on the one hand and regional development agencies and universities on the other, it will increase awareness among network members and regional bodies of the potential of the knowledge economy. This improvement in communications will in turn generate wide-ranging economic benefits for all CAPTURE members. The network will contribute to the growth of the regional economy, increase the number of higher value jobs, attract inward investment, increase the number of knowledge-based companies, increase human capital in the member regions and increase capacity within network members.
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