Dear friends,

Here comes the first 2008 newsletter

Innovation & Education Group –

Political leaders.

From left:

Cllr Stella Duneufjardin (France) vice-chair

Cllr Ole B. Sørensen (Denmark) chair

Cllr Kate Dean (Scotland) vice-chair

The I & E Strategic Group meets a couple of times a year to plan group activities / group meetings, revise the Work Plan aso.

Any input from you re I & E Group activities will be welcomed! Don’t hesitate to forward your suggestions to the councillors or

supporting officers of the Strategic Group:

- Chair cllr. Ole B.sørensen (Denmark) ole.b.sorensen@rn.dk

- Vice-chair cllr. Stella Duneufjardin (France) stella.duneufjardin@neuf.fr

- Vice-chair cllr. Kate Dean (Scotland) kdean@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Supporting officers:

- Ms Runa Coxeter (Denmark) runa.coxeter@rn.dk

- Mr Thomas Petit (France) T.PETIT@cr-npdc.fr

- Mr Yasa Ratnayeke (Scotland) YRatnayeke@aberdeencity.gov.uk

- Mr Erik Lindboe (group adviser, Norway) Erik.Lindboe@rogfk.no

Welcome to the I&E Group meeting in Aalborg

Our next Innovation & Education Group meeting for all members will be held in Aalborg, Denmark,

15^th – 16^th May 2008. Main theme: Innovation. Please register no later than 2^nd May.

We hope to see many of you in Aalborg, in the North Denmark Region! The draft agenda looks very promising indeed,

and invitation and registration forms have been e-mailed to you already.

You will find all info about this meeting at the NSC website:

http://www.northsea.org/nsc/thematic_groups/economic_development/Aalborg2008.html

Draft agenda

Thursday 15th May		Accommodation / Meeting venue: the Helnan Phoenix Hotel, Aalborg
	Morning	Arrivals
	13.00 – 14.00	Lunch
	14.00 – 14.10	Welcome, by IEG chair, Councillor Ole B. Sørensen
	14.10 – 14.25	Presentation of the North Denmark Region
	14.25 – 15.00	The Regional Development Plan – a method of working
	15.00 – 15.30	Interreg Secretariat – Transnationality
	15.30 – 15.50	Coffee break
	15.50 – 16.30	Aalborg University – Innovative research and ways of working together with private companies
	16.30 - 17.45	Young Entrepreneurship – presented by Ms Hilde Balliere, Norway
	17.45 – 18.00	Update on current I & E group work
	18.00	End of program
	19.30	Dinner hosted by the North Denmark Region
Friday 16th May		Meeting venue / study tour: After breakfast we’ll go to VR Media Lab in the Aalborg University, and to the Smart House.
	Morning	Breakfast
	9.30 – 12.00	Study tour: Smart House
	12.00 – 13.00	Lunch
	13.00 -	Departures

The North Denmark Region is one of five Danish regional authorities and covers a population of approximately 579.000

divided between 11 municipalities. Its areas of responsibility include running and developing the regional hospitals, running

highly specialised social and educational institutions and creating the best possible framework for regional development.

The regional authority employs 15.500 people, of which approximately 75% is employed in the health service, and has

a total budget of €1,333 million (2008).

The North Denmark Region as a regional authority is an important player in the efforts to secure the future growth and

development of the region, and one of the main tasks in this effort is the creation (and implementation) of an action plan

for regional development which will become the overall strategy for the North Denmark area. This work is carried out in

close cooperation with the 11 municipalities, other public organisations, the private business sector and the different

knowledge institutions from across the North Denmark Region which will help ensure that the regional development plan

represents the region as a whole.

For general information about the North Denmark region please visit this website:

http://www.visitnordjylland.dk/international/en-gb/menu/turist/turist-maalgruppe-forside.htm

The North Sea Schools Network

In addition to the running school project “Sustainability around the North Sea”, a new application has been submitted

to the Comenius offices, which delivers funding for different school projects in the EU. This planned school project is

about food, and it’s aimed at children in primary schools. Comenius will announce its decision before the summer.

For more information, please visit the “Sustainability around the North Sea” website: http://www.northseaschools.org/main.htm

The I&E Group will shadow these projects, and members of the NSC family will be welcomed to attend project meetings.

More information will be disseminated to you in due course.

Events calendar

Date	Event
15^th – 16^th May 2008	Innovation & Education Group meeting for all members in Aalborg, Denmark. Main theme: Innovation.
28^th – 29^th May	North Sea Schools Sustainability Network meeting in Busum, Germany
11^th – 13^th June	Joint North Sea Commission / Baltic Sea Commission / Interreg conference in Herning, Denmark, + NSC General Assembly
5^th September	IEG Strategic Group meeting in Copenhagen
30^th September – 1^st October	North Sea Schools Sustainability Network meeting in Fife, Scotland
1^st – 3^rd October	CPMR General Assembly in Aquitaine, France
23^rd – 24^th October	I&E Group meeting for all members in Gothenburg, Sweden. Main theme: Economic Development.
First week of June 2009	North Sea Schools Sustainability Network: Final conference in Suffolk, England

NSC website: www.northsea.org

The North Sea Commission website is frequently updated with news from the NSC, the NSC Executive Committee, the thematic groups, the CPMR a.s.o.

Also, please register here for the conference / GA in Denmark 11^th – 13^th June.

This newsletter is NOT for your eyes only!

Please forward it to your colleagues, superiors, politicians and other contacts