What we do with the European Union
Think Tank AlterContacts support the efforts of the EU to shape a safer and better world for all.
Through effective multi-stakeholder partnerships and civil society initiatives, we contribute to making Europe greener, more digital, and more resilient with a special focus on empowering youth, small businesses and reviving rural areas.
GRANT PARTNERSHIPS
We are open to participating in EU Grant applications as a contributing partner with a focus on sustainable project design and facilitation. Our identification numbers are PIC 893270382 and OID E10277518. If you'd like to receive our Partner Identification Form (PIF), please email to info@altercontacts.org.
Think Tank AlterContacts is part of the consortium that in June 2023 was awarded the Erasmus+ grant for Centres of vocational excellence (COVE). The project "AI-powered Next Generation of Vocational Education Training" (AI4VET4AI) is dedicated to equipping VET students with digital skills and allowing them to choose their career path. The consortium consists of 26 partners. Among others, the University of Amsterdam, Technische Informations Bibliothek Leibniz, Universita degli Studi di Napoli. It is coordinated by the English University College Algebra, Croatia.
Think Tank AlterContacts got awarded the ERASMUS+ Grant for KA220-HED with the project PREVIEW - Promoting Resilience and Employability in uniVersity. The implementing consortium is led by the National Research Council of Italy, and includes the University of Sassari, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, University of Salamanca, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Mediterranean Pearls, and Asociaţia de Dezvoltare Intercomunitară Harghita.
Applications for Horizon-EIC 2023
Think Tank AlterContacts is part of the consortiums that in March 2023 applied for two Horizon European Innovation Council grants. Both decisions are pending.
The first project is "From agrifood waSte to functional feed for Poultry: bioconverteR Insect as INnovative and sustainable source of bioactive molecules to develop a new Generation of bio-industry" (SPRIING). The consortium consists of 13 partners from 7 countries, including Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Universitat Politècnica de València, and Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology.
The second project is "Breakthrough medical devices functionalized with antimicrobial peptides to avoid REspiratory infections by nosocomial-Acquired paTHogEns" (BREATHE). It brings together 10 partners. Among them Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and Universitatea Ovidius din Constanta.
Participation in the EU activities
Think Tank AlterContacts has taken part in the online consultation on the EU Voluntary Review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the European Economic and Social Committee.
European Youth Event in Strasbourg 2023
Every year the EYE (European Youth Event) brings together at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and online thousands of young people from all over the European Union and the world, to share and shape their ideas on Europe’s future. The submission of the AlterContacts Young System Thinkers was chosen among 200+ applications. Our proposal was to host an interactive workshop on "Solving EU Housing Crisis: Let’s Create Rural Alternatives for Youth."
Level Up! Accelerating change 2022
On 28-29 October 2022, our co-founder, Julia Skupchenko, participated in the Level Up event for the EU youth activists. She had an opportunity to share what Think Tank AlterContacts does for community activation with the members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and permanent representations of national governments. As a follow-up to the event, she has initiated an Alumni Group where 1200+ young activists can stay in touch and support each other's projects.
EU Break Fellowship Program 2022
The co-founder of Think Tank AlterContacts, Julia Skupchenko, has been selected to participate in The Break 2022 Fellowship Programme with the project "mOther Earth" to revive rural Spain. During the fellowship in October 2022, we carried the fieldwork in the village of Silleda in the region of Galicia, including open interviews with local youth, sustainable entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, and an event at the primary school of Silleda involving 260 children.
On 30 March 2021, the Lockdown Economy initiative by the Think Tank AlterContacts was chosen by the Dutch representatives in the European Parliament as the national finalist from the Netherlands for the European Charlemagne Youth Prize 2021. For its contribution to promoting European and international understanding and providing role models for young people living in Europe and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community.
The goal of our project is to create opportunities to cover basic needs (food, shelter, medical support) for self-employed people who lost their source of income due to the pandemic. That will be done by enabling the government to outsource remote office tasks to freelancers and self-employed through existing freelance platforms. Our proposal was submitted to the European Commission during #EUvsVirus online Hackathon 24-26 April 2020.