More than 220 participants have already registered for the Joint Annual Conference 2013. A preliminary participants list is now available.

Registration for the Joint Annual Conference 2013 is open until 27 May. The Joint Annual Conference 2013 will take place 11-13 June in Halmstad, Sweden.

The North Sea Region Programme Secretariat is looking for a new colleague to join the communications team. The closing date for applications is 24 May 2013.

A Dutch Event on Transnational and Interregional Cooperation will take place in Utrecht, 24 June 2013.

There are still a few workshop session slots available at the Joint Annual Conference, 11-13 June in Halmstad, Sweden.

The 9th Call for Applications for projects under the North Sea Region Programme is now closed. Eleven applications for small projects and one application for an extension of an existing project were submitted.

The e-harbours conference Energy Matters drew a large audience to the city center of Zaanstad, March 21/22 2013. The conference marked a new step in the development of the e-harbours program, shifting the attention from research on the advantages and possibilities of smart energy systems to practical application of those systems.

The e-harbours newsletter #4 is now presented with the following top stories:
- What Smart Grids can do when Energy Matters
- Five steps to help Smart Energy Networks take off
- Demand side flexibility in the Port of Antwerp
- Industry and renewable energy in the Northern Harbour of Malmö

As we enter GSA’s final year it is essential to discuss project status and
progress. The most recent partner meeting (27th – 28th February) was hosted by
one of our UK partners, the Institute for Sustainability.

The StratMoS project ended 30 September 2011. Dissimination of the project outcome is still important for us. The project consisted of 4 work packages and 5 demonstration projects. As part of the dissemination each work package and demonstration projects presented themselves and their results by making their own short videos and leaflets (7 short videos and 10 leaflets).

The North Sea Region Programme is inviting interested agents to submit a quotation for a short term contract regarding the production of videos at the Joint Annual Conference, 11-13 June 2013 in Tylosand, Sweden.

A guidance event in preparation for the 9th Call for Applications was held 7 February in Copenhagen. The presentations from the event are now available online.

A new and more integrated view on electric mobility is beginning to appear in Europe.  That summarizes the outcome of the recent e-harbours conference on e-mobility in Malmö.  The conference, shed a new light on a range of e-mobility topics, showing that electric cars, boats and harbor cranes begin to be considered as more than just stand-alone innovations. As the e-harbours team at Robert Gordon University noted in their concluding remarks at the end of the conference, electric vehicles can become  an indispensable balancing element in Smart Energy Systems. An important side-effect of this integration is, that the business case for electric mobility will become more profitable.

New recreational routes, improved green spaces, increased urban and rural connectivity and areas for economic growth are some of the opportunities for the urban edge highlighted in the final report of the Sustainable Urban Fringes (SURF) project.

A new Toolkit aims to inspire and stimulate sustainable development at the urban edge. The publication, produced by the Sustainable Urban Fringes (SURF) project pulls together an inspiring collection of approaches to managing the zone between urban and rural areas. 

The online changes system has been updated, and Lead Beneficiaries are advised to check the FAQ for the new information.

On 16th January 2013 GSA partners met at Schiphol Airport Amsterdam to discuss project progress on the topic of CO2 monitoring at Small and Medium Airports (SMAs). Following a detailed and very informative presentation, by Susannah Fitzherbert-Brockholes of the WSP Group, on the ACI Air Carbon Accredition Scheme the participants discussed the various aspects of accrediton for smaller airports. Representatives from Groningen Airport Eelde, Billund Airport and Bremen Airport each presented their approaches and experiences to date in terms of CO2 Monitoring. Status, methodologies for compliance, challenges and outlook  were discussed in depth. CO2 monitoring is regarded as a substantial element in the overall sustainability strategy. The GSA project aims to provide a toolkit dealing with this subject.

European and regional water policy makers meet here. The WaterCAP cluster has focused on climate change and its effects on the hydrological cycle in the North Sea Region and how we can deal with the challenges to society and natural habitat. At this workshop you’ll meet European and regional (water) policy makers and together we’ll discuss examples from the North Sea Region on climate change adaptation.