Ramsons meet Regional Products 2023 

Once again producers and dealers of regional products from Ruegen island and other parts of Vorpommern region present their offers at Marstall building in Putbus town. On March 31 and April 01 caterer as well as private  costumers are invited to get familiar not only with respective offers but also to learn about the idea behind. The event is organized by Ruegen Produkte Verein in co-operation with Authority for Biosphere Reserve of South-East of Ruegen.

(Picture: Opening ceremony of "Ramsons meet Regional Products 2022")

Newly elected board of Rügen Produkte Verein 

Association of Rügen's regional producers held their annual meeting this year at Naturerbe-Zentrum (Centre of Natural Heritage) in Prora settlement, that is famous for it's high-walk over the treetops. 

The photo (taken by Regina Schröder) shows the members of new board - from the left in front: Jürgen Hinze, Dr. Sylva Rahm-Präger, Frank Soßnowski (Chairman), and behind Holger Kliewe (MoL M-V), Axel Poggendorf, Marco von Kessel (Vice-Chairman), Ekkehardt Rohkohl.

Actually all previous board members had been re-elected on 09 May 2019 for next three years.

Mission accomplished: "BalticMuseums Love IT!" project launched  

Including a special Seed-money project the preparations, application, and clarification after approval took more than two years. Anyway, the job that did look quite easy, when I took it in 2015 year, is done successfully!  

Lead partner Szczecin University invited organisations from all countries in South Baltic region as well as from Estonia, the Netherlands, and Russia - being financing Partners, Associated Partners, and stakeholders to the project - for Kick-off meeting from 08 to 10 June 2017. 

With financial support from from Interreg V a South Baltic Programme participants of that project now will create new ICT-based tools and products to deepen valorisation of natural and cultural heritage assets. 

Contracted for "Baltic Sea Tourism Centre" project 

After successful application of my company in a public procurement procedure I was awared with financial management job in a cross-border tourism project funded by Interreg V a South Baltic Programme. 

First challenge was to meet all partners in person still before the first progress reports had to be elaborated in April 2017. Main topic was to find arrangements for smoothly collaboration in terms of project financing for next three years. 

Approval to South Baltic Pool of External Assessors

As in previous Programming Period the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014 - 2020 did approve me as professional expert to support the assessment of project proposals for the current funding period.

Depending on actually required thematic expertise, availability and - of course - non-collision of interests pool members will be involved into evaluation of submitted applications.  

Annual Meeting 2015 of Innovation Circle Network  in Berlin - Requirements and needs of sound development on municipality level in focus

Once again the conference in Berlin at the end of October did demonstrate the wide range of issues to be answered on municipality level. Managing director of itm-consultants gmbh Ekkehardt Rohkohl was e.g. a most welcomed panelist in an unprompted workshop with colleagues from Estonia, Germany, Latvia, and Norway on cross-border integrated urban development. The ICN community approved the proposal to held a thematic conference in 2016 year on strategies how to manage cross-border and other international migration processes on municipality level.

Centrum Nauki EXPERYMENT w Gdyni hosted follow-up meeting of "BalticMuseums CLUSTERS" project

Already on 8 and 9 October 2015 the contributions promised on previous meeting had been presented to the other partners. They did provide a strong foundation to intensively discuss a joint project proposal, that could be supported by the partner organisations from Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.

Of special importance have been opportunities to involve small and medium sized enterprises. Related to this I could present the results of a research conducted by itm-consultants gmbh "About the Actual Status of Cooperation Products and Services of Museums or National Parks and SMEs".

Malmö Museer hosted "BalticMuseums CLUSTERS" meeting 

Sunset over Öresund on 9 September 2015 - and Susanne Marx (author of this picture), Dr. Ingolf Sulk and me had been quite satisfied by the work results of that day. 

With the first meeting in this new project, hosted by Swedish Malmö Museeums, we could step forward with enlargement of the work group. Surely the new approaches like BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and Gamification have been of help too. It is intended that four weeks later the framework of enlarged project cooperation will be established.

Visiting NaturBornholm in late May 

It was almost time tunnel feeling: 1,700 million years backwards in earth history and than step-by-step retour to today's Bornholm - the Danish island neighbouring Rügen only less dozen kilometers away to the north. 

Director Peter Haase did introduce the exhibition that makes visitors see and feel our environment - how it became as it is now and also what is behind. Anyway, a lot of overlappings to subjects of the former BalticMuseums community! Subsequently NaturBornholm was invited to accompany their future actions. In addition I found numerous suggestions how a future collaboration in the museums' network could be enriched.

Take a break - SBCP Project "BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus" post-final event in Vilnius

The third (and probably last) project prolongation did provide the chance to meet at the end of February 2015 in Lithuania's capital  - not to waste time for travelling to the countryside.

Sure, at the project's end everybody remembers lots of very urgent items which are crucial for project success and should have been done ... the day before yesterday at least.

Anyway, seven years of collaboration are a good beginning!

So we invited colleagues from Estonia, from Sweden, and from Lietuvos Žaidimų Kūrėjų Asociacija to join the brain storming on augmented reality and future cooperation.

Because BalticMuseums is not over, we only take a break for a couple of months.

As a special highlight we could have a look on the gone Litas coins and notes at Lietuvos banko Pinigų muziejus.

In real reality we could enjoy the brand-new Lithuanian Euro coins too - very nice ones ...

Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2014 - 2020 Konferenz in Warschau (PL) 

On the occasion of opening the new programming period the "Baltic Sea Region Family" met in the Polish capital on 26 and 27 November 2014.

Representatives of the European Commission, the participating countries, the Managing Authority, and the Joint Secretariat did explain in more detail the main topics of the new programme and the related expectations. From the latest version of Operational Programme already it was known, that valorisation of the macro-region's resources for growth and competitiveness will be placed in the focus more than before. 

As often - the "agenda" outside the conference hall was almost even more important than the official part. Romy Sommer (left hand side on picture; animare projectmanagement, Rostock, DE) and Ilze Stabulniece (Manager of the Latvian Office of Euroregion "Country of lakes" located in city of Krāslava) have been among the numerous frieds and colleagues to meet. 

Open Data and Digital Innovation 

The Final Conference of project "Digital Baltic" - co-financed by the Seed Money Facility of the Swedish Institute - did mainly aim on the opportunities which arise from the Open Data Policy of the European Union favouring innovation, groth and transparent governance. This event took place on 16 October 2014 in Kraków (PL) and also did join good colleagues and friends from previous operations in frame of European Territorial Cooperation Objective (on the photo together with Paul Nemes from Swedish Värmland County Council, in the background Eva Lundin from Norwegian Hedmark County, photographer: Katarina Nordmark from Värmland too). 

During the proceedings as well as informally in the coffee break the participants did agree that internatioal cooperation would be the most efficient way to answer the various challenging questions of Open Data Policy implementation. 

How to make use of future Territorial Cooperation Programmes of the European Union ? 

Since the focus of European Territorial Cooperation Objective becomes more and more clear the project meeting of South Baltic Project "BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus" was a great opportunity to present the aims and main topics of programmes for the new EU funding period. It was of the audience's special interest to learn about possibilities to meet common challenges in the way of international cooperation. 

The Swedish National Marine Museum - Navel Museum in Karlskrona did host the respective meeting on 03 October this year.

Already now the partners of this community from Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden are clear that they will continue their six-years-old trustful cooperation also in the future.

800 years of Mining Tradition in Mansfeld Region 

The historic Röhrig Mine - today a popular tourist attraction - did provide the background to meet Dr. Lutz Koch, Mr. Hauschild (BdU Chairman), and Stefan Kreisel (photo's author) on 15 August 2014 in the very heart of previously Germany's most famous copper mining and smelting district. 

With the sudden close-down of this entire industry in the very early 1990s numerous substantial problems did arise in almost all spheres of social life in that region. 

After successful cooperation in BSR project "MIN-NOVATION" it was agreed to continue the collaboration on European level. According to the region's needs themes like resource efficiency, renewable energy, human resource, SME, and tourism had been identified for future joint projects during the proceedings in Wettelrode - a former miner's village close to Sangerhausen (Germany). 

Work visit at Lithuanian Sea Museum

The Directress of the Lithuanian Sea Museum Olga Žalienė (on photo in the background) did welcome me on 27 June 2014 in Klaipdėda where an eGuide Lab in frame of “BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus” project was held. After almost six years of fruitful cross-border co-operation on different topics of ICT support for oceanographic museums around the southern Baltic Sea I am thankful to the colleagues and all together we are proud on the great job we did!

Now it is a good time to forge out plans for future collaboration too; it was one main subject of our joint talk with Susanne Ekblad from Swedish National Maritime Museums – Naval Museum. 

Regional Products Marketing Experiences

May regional products contribute to income, employment, and groth? Rügen island – well known in DACH – is unique, but experiences collected by Rügen Produkte Verein e.V. are asked by stakeholders from other regions as well. The evening event of Michael-Succow-Foundation *) on 29 April 2014 in Greifswald was focussed on what other regions could learn from Rügen and which mistakes to avoid. 

The NGO Rügen Produkte Verein was founded in 1996 for joint marketing of regional products; since 2002 I am a member of its board.

*) Prof. Dr. Michael Succow is honoree of Right Livelihood Award since 1997 

„BalticMuseums 2.0 Plus" Project at European Parliament
Invited by MEP Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė (Tėvynės sąjunga - Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai) approaches and findings of the BalticMuseums community have been presented on 19 March 2014 during a Lunch Briefing at the European Parliament. With parliamentarians, Commission officers, and other stakeholders the project activists discussed prospects of dissemination of project outcomes as well as opportunities to continues and maybe enlarge the co-operation.
Since year 2008 already oceanogaphic museums and researchers from Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia - and now also from Sweden - jointly work on improving the attractiveness of museums by various ICT tools. Theproject in frame of South Baltic Co-operation Programme 2007 - 2013 is part-financed from the European Regional Development Fund.

“Baltic Sea Mentoring Cloud” project started

At Stralsund University of Applied Sciences Prof. Dr. Michael Klotz did welcome representatives of organisations from Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Russia on 3 April 2014. A project was launched that aims on the establishment of a sustainable co-operations in order to promote the transfere of know-how and experiences in favour of emerging ICT entrepreneurs. To support the implementation of the EU Strategie for the Baltic Sea Region a Seed Money Facility was created. It shall help to ensemble capable partnerships and to design fruitful projects. 

Along members’ needs

This year the annual meeting of Rügen Produkte Verein e.V. took place at Bäckerei und Konditorei Peters GmbH in pituresque  Sassnitz City Harbour site. On 9 April the members’ proceedings were focussed on the results of traditional events like “Internationale Grüne Woche” and , of course, about the further directions of joint promotion of regional material cycles and products from Rügen island.

The newly elected board member Jürgen Hinze replaces Günter Grothe, who left for retirement reasons after almost 17 years of succesful collaboration.