Moving forward: to Some Lessons Peter Smith: Government Office North East England

Moving Forward to : Lessons Learned 1. Introduction Talk about 5 things: Partnership in action The Programme Context Something to achieve Some risks to avoid A conclusion

Moving Forward to : Lessons Learned Partnership in action: Government Office Regional Development Agency Local Authority University ….working collaboratively through all stages of Programme development and delivery

Moving Forward to : Lessons Learned The Programme Context Lisbon is not new to us – moved away from traditional investments Strong emphasis on technology transfer Result: – 53% of resources are for technology

Moving Forward to : Lessons Learned Something to achieve Maintaining strategic direction – credible programme, delivering regional agenda The Fewer, larger approach – Centres of Excellence, Business Link Avoiding N+2 penalty each year (Failure is not an option) Reputation for firm management

Moving Forward to : Lessons Learned Some risks to avoid Financial: the Commission and Managing Authority have a powerful array of sanctions and corrections: N+2 – the whole region loses Audit – several sets of (UK and EU) auditors – can visit for many years – retention of paperwork & records is key – penalties can be severe Monitoring – increasingly deep & thorough – volume, depth & quality of monitoring is non-negotiable – failure can lead to suspension of payments (programme) or clawback of grant (project) and Reputational: Adverse media coverage Managing a programme that is a diluted version of the OP vision

Moving Forward to : Lessons Learned Some conclusions Managing with Authority through Partnership, includes: Make sure all partners understand & are compliant with the (complex) agenda – talk the same language – learn from experience Implement the results of evaluation – dont be afraid of change Convert commitments into expenditure (N+2) Keep on top of the data – plan ahead, identify milestones Robust monitoring, with follow up – sort out the irregularities In summary, failure to be compliant with Regulations, or to interpret them incorrectly can have severe consequences