07-09-23 NENA Network Concept

NENA Network

1. Background

The better use of endogenous resources, sustainable production and innovation along the production and distribution chain offer new perspectives for alpine enterprises.
Whereas cooperation platforms at regional, possibly national level exist, enterprises and their umbrella organisations only seldom cooperate with their counterparts across the boundaries. This is the chance that the NENA Network intends to offer its members: to raise competitiveness whilst orienting their activities towards more sustainability.

As for other alpine wide networks, the Alpine convention is a framework for the network aims and activities.

2. Aims

• to allow enterprises and their umbrella organisations to exchange experiences and to share knowledge as well as to carry out long term co-operation on specific topics and projects within the Alps,
• to help alpine enterprises to raise their innovation potential and their competitiveness,
• to increase the contribution of alpine enterprises their umbrella organisations to sustainable development in the Alps.

3. Network principles

• Giving and taking: The network lives on the input of its members. In return, the network members expect benefits and added value through the input of the others.
• Continuity: The network aims at a continuous development and expansion as regards members, activities and thematic fields.
• Thematic focus: During the present initial phase, NENA concentrates on the value added chain of wood, on renewable energies, on energy efficiency and on ecological building. In later stages, other thematic fields can be added according to the interests of the network members.
• High quality and leadership: In the thematic fields selected, the NENA members intend to take the leadership in the Alpine bow in order to bring forward innovation and their position on the market. This requires a high quality standards in all activities.

4. Activities

• providing relevant news and other information to the network members via a periodic NENA-newsletter and the NENA website
• promoting the network and its members via the NENA website http://www.nena-network.net/ and other media
• offering opportunities for experience and know-how sharing through meetings, workshops and excursions
• dissemination of good practice examples
• participation at fairs related to the network topics
• offering a framework for designing and carrying out joint projects (with EU funding?).
• offering support for the network members with regard to the search for funding and  with regard to project management.

5. Key topics

• Evaluation of public buildings
• Financing models for renewable energy
• Passive house on high altitude (mountain huts)
• Combination of wood construction + passive house
• Improving the value added chain of wood (80-100km), reducing transports
• Biomass mobilisation
• Awareness raising

According to the key topics different working groups could be established

6. Membership

Who can become a member of NENA:

• Innovation- and sustainability-oriented enterprises and their umbrella organisations
• Other intermediary institutions related to the NENA topics
• Why should an enterprise or an umbrella organisation join the network?
• To be recognized as one of the innovation- and sustainability-oriented enterprises or umbrella organisations in the Alps
• To carry their voice further than their regional or branch-specific network in order to improve the frame conditions and to promote their activities and products
• To profit from the experience of other innovative enterprises and umbrella organisations in the Alps.
• Membership conditions:
• Signing the Memorandum of Understanding. The membership is valid until cancellation.
• Active contribution: based on the principle of giving and taking, the network members actively contribute to the different network activities. They provide relevant information to the network unit (for website and newsletter) and disseminate information to their own regional networks. Further the network members actively take part in the exchange of knowledge and experience through joining meetings, workshops and excursions.
  
• The network members bring in 5 person days of their key competences per year. (to be discussed)
• Membership costs: for enterprises: 300 Euro p.a., for umbrella organisations: 1.000 Euro p.a. (to be discussed)

7. Network structure

The network structure includes the following elements:

• The Network core group (executive board) is formed by members who are willing to take responsibility to bring forward the network. The core group is the decision making board regarding strategy, activities, thematic focus, network rules, membership and financial issues etc. The core group includes not more than 10 persons, at least one person from each alpine country and 1 person from the service unit. The core group elects a network president and a vice-president for 2 years.

8. Costs and financing

Following costs for 2008 have to be taken into account (translation costs are not included):

Financing options:

• Interreg or other programme (LEADER?)
• Other projects and services (see activities)
• Contribution in kind (ca. 5 person days per member per year):
• Attending the annual conference: 1,5  days
• Attending 1 additional event (workshop, excursion etc.): 1 day
• Delivering content for homepage and newsletter and promoting the network: 2 days
• Other communication activities: 0,5 days
• Not included: work on joint proposals and projects
• Membership fee: 300/1.000 Euro per year.

9. Next steps

• Discussing the Draft Memorandum of Understanding at the NENA meeting in Luzern, 22.-24.10.2007
• Working out the final version of the Memorandum of Understanding until December 2007
• Defining the initial core group at the NENA meeting in Luzern, 22.-24.10.2007
• Electing the president and the vice president in a meeting of the core group in Jan 2008
• Working out the activity plan for 2008 until the end of 2007
• Presenting the NENA network to the public at the last NENA meeting in Slovenia in February 2008.

10. Questions to the partners for the meeting in Luzern

As a preparation for the discussion at the meeting in Luzern, please bring with you answers to the following questions:

• Aims and principles of the network: Where do you disagree? What is missing?
• Activities and key topics: Where do you disagree? What is missing?
• Membership conditions: What do you think about the proposed contributions in kind and the fees?
• Network structure: Do you agree to the structure? What should be different?
• Costs and financing: Do you agree to our estimations? Do you have further financing ideas?
• And finally 3 key questions:
• Will you become member of the network?
• Will you be part of the core group?
• Whom do you propose as president and vice president?

Comments:

• The paragraph concerning the background positions NENA as a teaching network.
• The members wish to have more precise information on the Alpine Convention
• In an umbrella organisation there are many persons with different competences and knowledge. One person representing the organisation within the network can not possibly represent the competences and knowledge of all the colleagues. This can be solved through the fact that the network needs one contact person in each member organisation, but when it comes to projects, work groups, different people from the network can participate.
• The network members and coordination should have a look at other organisations doing similar things in order to position itself in the best possible way.
• The memberships should stay open to umbrella organisations and enterprises, although it is believed that in the beginning the network will attract mainly umbrella organisations
• The membership fee needs to be “sold” to the decision-making organs of the potential members. For this strong arguments and proof of use are needed. This is difficult in a beginning phase, but the results of the 1^st Interreg project can be used.

Wished changes in the above concept:

Aims

• The network aims to expand its memberships
• The network must be productive: in the aims it should be stressed that the network is output and benefit oriented
• Members must be asked for a guarantee that they are ready and willing to exchange
• The network aims at increasing the demand/market for products of the network enterprises

Principles

• It should be a “structure for fun”. The pleasure to participate is an important motivation factor!
• But the network must also be result and output oriented.

Activities

• The terms of “developing joint projects” should be included in the sixth point
• The activities will be adapted if the new Interreg project is approved

Key topics

• See the topics developed for the Interreg project proposal
• Wood is not specified any more. That is not necessary, it is de facto present in most topics.
• “Social sustainability” must also be addressed, not only “Environmental sustainability”. In this send “Building automation” would be an additional topic.

Membership

• Should public institutions also be admitted as members? If yes, under which conditions? “Who can be a member” should be more precise.
• Concerning the fee: it is difficult for a university (e.g. Rosenheim to pay a fee)
• If a partner can not participate with a fee, a calculation could also be integrated so that the organisation can contribute the fee in kind. Hence, at least in the beginning the commitment could be in the form of cash or person days.
• Could fee for 2008 be covered by WP9 budget of the present Interreg project?
• A differentiated calculation of the fee should be adopted according to the size of the enterprises (number of employees?)

Structure

• “Chairman” instead of “president”

Costs

• Not high enough in particular as to the personnel costs. Should rather be at least 150 000 – 200 000 Euro.
• Is the infrastructure (office, etc.) free?
• To be completed with project budget

Commitments of the NENA partners to become founding members of the network

All PPs are willing to join the network. Some PPs have to clarify at home with local partners who definitely will join.