Regional & Local governance

What are you looking for?

Setting priorities and resolving conflicting claims
on time and within budget?

Creating a balanced development plan which garners support from of
all parties in the region?

Capitalising on the generous grants available?

Effective governance is more than making decisions. It is about properly aligning policies, people and resources to achieve sustainable results. Cooperation has become a constant in our increasingly complex reality: with other levels of government, with civil society, businesses and citizens.

Governance, Strategy & Organisation

Governing today is ever-more complex. The environment is changing at lightning speed, resources are limited and everyone wants to be involved. IDEA helps public organisations to:
• Scan their environment in a rational, structured manner
(environmental analysis employing the clover model);
• Formulate a dynamic, implementable strategy, while remaining open to emerging opportunities and threats;
• Translate the strategy into daily practice (project management, process optimisation, etc);
• Align policy and resources (focus exercise);
• Follow up (monitoring via indicators) and evaluate strategy and actions;
• Identify relevant stakeholders and organise productive cooperation.

Over the years, our governance team has built up a formidable portfolio of know-how on 'Administrative scaling’. Drawing on this expertise, we assist boards in researching and setting up:
• Mergers; The operating scale of some municipalities is no longer in step with the increase in tasks and expectations that follows enlargement
• Cooperation between municipalities, but also between departments.

Sustainable local & regional development

Societal transitions that the whole of Europe will experience over the coming years will largely be realised at regional and local levels.
This will require innovative and action oriented frameworks, new partnerships and experimental initiatives. Transition management has become an independent discipline which earmarks uncertainty, iteration, behavioural change, for special attention. IDEA Consult works with public organisations on the transition to a future-proof, resilient local, and regional economy.

IDEA is an active ambassador of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From the within a framework of 17 global SDG goals, solutions can be shaped with appropriate priorities given to to people, planet, prosperity, partnership and peace. We support boards and regions in sustainability through the SDG Pioneer Programme, the SDG Monitor,
the creation of action plans, sustainability reporting, etc.

Transition strategies and actions are shaped by context. Cities have different challenges and opportunities when compared to rural areas. Our IDEA consultants have extensive experience spanning both environments. In each case, we consider how technology opens
up new opportunities (AI, 3D printing, smart/precision farming,...), how densification and liveability can be realised in a compatible way, how much more we can contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation through our activities, etc.

Project development & financing

Based on our extensive experience in grants, alternative financing, project development and project management, we propose solutions to governments and organisations, on using grants for project development as an instrument of policy:

• Grants as a policy tool. We have cooperated with organisations such as the Department of Environment on developing a global grants framework targeted at the strategic use of grants;
• We help design and evaluate grant programmes such as ERDF, ESF, LIFE, ERASMUS+, RDP en LEADER, etc;
• We help organisations find grant funding channels, prepare project proposals and organise a grant policy internally.

Subsidiemanager

Subsidiemanager (Grant Manager in English) is a joint initiative from Vanden Broele and the grant team from IDEA Consult. An online tool enabling governments and organisations to locate and track grants.
The tool consists of two elements a 'search and find module'
that provides an up-to-date overview of relevant grants by client category and a project management module which supports governments and organisations in tracking the progress of the application and eventual financial settlement.
More info at www.subsidiemanager.be.