Learning through a Staff Exchange in Navarra, Spain

As part of DEBUTING project, we are organising staff exchanges to enable deepening understanding on the framework conditions and practical approaches related to the policy instrument of another project partner. In April, Sodena, DEBUTING partner from Navarra, Spain, welcomed Region Värmland from Sweden to Navarra within the staff exchange.

It was a very special visit with a triple objective:

• To present in detail the InnovaRSE project of the Government of Navarra, one of the good practices of DEBUTING.
• To exchange knowledge on S3 and S4 strategies.
• To participate in the TowardsS4 event of the ARIES4 project.

InnovaRSE is a good practice that aims to promote corporate social responsibility among companies. It works from a triple perspective: social, economic and environmental. Companies have a consultant who has been trained and approved by the program to integrate CSR into their management system. Javier Zubicoa from the Government of Navarra, responsible for the project, was in charge of explaining it. The meeting was also attended by Pedro Lacunza from the Navarra Institute for Equality, as well as Beatriz Blasco and Juan Cristóbal García from Sodena.

InnovaRSE has been published also at the Interreg Europe database of good practices.

The second part of the meeting focused on exchanging experiences on S3 and S4 smart specialization strategies and how the gender perspective is included in the strategy of the Värmland region. There was also a discussion about the cluster policy in each region.

The successful staff exchange was finished the next day as the Swedish delegation attended an event organised by Aries 4 project about the inclusion of sustainability in regional development strategies.