From 7 to 11 April, representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Development, the UCORD pilot OMAs (oblast military administrations) and Ukrainian Regional Development Agencies took part in the Strategic Planning Boot Camp training programme in Rovereto, Italy.
The training was organised by the UCORD project in cooperation with the Trent Local Development Centre, which is part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA) and Trentino Sviluppo.
In addition to the representatives of the project’s pilot agencies, other RDAs in Ukraine joined the training programme, as UCORD aims to provide equal opportunities for training and networking and to build a network of strong agencies across the country.
The training course focused on strategic planning for regional development and SMART specialisation in strategic planning of EU member states and Ukraine. Thus, the Ukrainian delegation included experts in this area.
“Together with our European partners, we have organised this training programme to build the capacity of participants in management, strategy, stakeholder engagement, planning and monitoring based on international experience. The role of Ukrainian RDAs in strategic planning is particularly significant, as they should be the platforms that engage various partners in planning the future of the regions: the public, business, authorities at various levels, and local self-government bodies. In addition, RDAs play an important role at the stage of strategy implementation: they must respond in a timely manner to risks or changing situations to effectively adapt strategies to new conditions,” says Maryna Bryl, UCORD Project Manager.
The programme covered the full cycle of strategic planning: from data collection, analysis and forecasting to visioning, setting goals and objectives, developing action plans, engaging stakeholders and monitoring results. According to the participants’ feedback, they found it particularly useful to learn about real-life cases from Italy, the Czech Republic, and Portugal, in particular from the Emilia-Romagna, Trentino, and Bolzano regions. These were not just stories about success stories – it was an introduction to specific tools that can be adapted to Ukrainian realities: how to coordinate efforts at the level of municipalities and regions, how to ensure the participation of all stakeholders, how to think in terms of not just ‘how to survive’ but ‘how to grow’.
Part of the training programme was devoted to SMART specialisation, which is an important component of the strategic planning process for regional development and allows identifying unique competitive advantages of territories, setting reasonable development priorities and directing resources to those areas with the highest potential for economic growth. The implementation of this approach ensures more focused, innovative and sustainable planning at the level of regions and communities.
This is what Daria Goncharenko, Head of the High Value Added Markets Development Division of the Real Sector Development Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, one of the participants, has to say about this: “For me, as a representative of the Ministry of Economy, the training within the SMART specialisation component was extremely useful. Particularly valuable was the experience of learning about the opportunities that SMART specialisation opens up for the development of European regions and Ukraine as a candidate country for EU accession, as discussed in the presentation by Alessandro Reynoldi, Head of the Territorial Development Unit of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. The Ministry of Economy is actively promoting the idea of updating the priorities of SMART specialisation of regions in the context of strategic planning of their development, taking into account the adapted JRC methodology. We view RDAs as potential drivers of economic growth. That is why this training programme has become a valuable opportunity for me to communicate with foreign colleagues and, most importantly, with RDA representatives about their role, opportunities, challenges and prospects for cooperation with central and regional authorities in implementing regional development projects based on SMART specialisation.”
The training programme combined theoretical sessions and practical workshops, during which participants worked in groups to improve their skills in designing, managing and promoting regional development strategies.
“From the very first day, it became clear that what was ahead was not a “dry” theory, but a real immersion in the world of real tools, effective practices and a daily realisation that a strategy is not just a document, but a living, dynamic system of decisions, actions and responsibilities. It was the practical workshops that left the greatest impression. We worked together on a SWOT analysis, built maps of regional ecosystems, learned to see the ‘big picture’ – not only to assess where we are now, but also where we want to go, with whom, and with what resources,” says Iryna Dubniak, representative of the Volyn Regional Development Agency.
In addition, the training programme helped to expand the network of contacts through communication and networking with European colleagues, stimulating knowledge sharing and creating an environment for continuous cooperation and innovation.
“Having returned with a wealth of new knowledge, approaches and solutions, we will continue to act systematically, scaling up effective models and adding a European perspective to them. After all, the strategy is not about papers, but about real changes. And we are confidently moving forward,” says Oleksandr Neprytskyi, Strategic Planning Manager at the Vinnytsia Oblast Regional Development Agency.
We are confident that the international experience gained during the training programme will inspire participants to implement new approaches to strategic planning, strengthen cooperation between regional partners and develop innovative solutions for the sustainable development of Ukrainian regions.
The Swiss-Ukrainian project ‘Cohesion and Regional Development of Ukraine’, UCORD is implemented with the support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB.