Cross-Cutting Themes
Ensuring AgorIP is an exemplar of best practice
AgorIP – supported by the European Regional Development Fund – is mindful of its responsibilities to address the Cross-Cutting Themes (CCTs).
The project is ensuring it is an exemplar of best practice by integrating the CCTs into every aspect of project activity.
Cross-Cutting Themes are issues which touch on general principles such as democracy, equality, sustainability, and good governance. They must be embedded into every EU-funded project. This will ensure that the benefits of the EU funds are shared inclusively by people and communities in Wales – improving both the quality and legacy of each EU project.
The Cross-Cutting Themes for the 2014-2020 European Structural Funds in Wales are:
- Equal opportunities, gender mainstreaming and the Welsh Language – reducing injustice and promoting social cohesion, while providing opportunities to increase prosperity and address imbalances in earnings in Wales.
- Sustainable development – ensuring projects meet social, economic and environmental objectives simultaneously. Preserving, protecting and improving the environment, providing a high quality, attractive place for people to live and work in Wales.
- Tackling poverty and social exclusion – helping those most in need and preventing future generations from experiencing poverty. The commitments focus on actions to create sustainable employment and progression opportunities and will help people to access those opportunities.
Supporting beneficiaries
AgorIP is required to work with the small businesses it supports to adopt or improve sustainability and equality strategies.
In the challenging landscape Welsh SMEs operate in, sustainability and equality are now increasingly important.
We are all aware of major issues like the climate emergency and loss of biodiversity. We also hear of the inequalities that so many people face every day. We even have some understanding of the need for us to change, both personally and in the workplace.
What we often do not realise is quite how to do that.
AgorIP signposts SMEs who benefit from their support to the Welsh Government Future Proofing Toolkit. Here they can find a wealth of help and information to improve the sustainability and equality performance of their organisation.
Working to keep AgorIP equal and sustainable
Sustainability and equality are embedded deep within AgorIP. While this begins with strict adherence to the excellent sustainability policies and procedures laid down by Swansea University, it goes a great deal further.
A team of Sustainability Champions work to ensure that the project team all play a significant role in shaping its own sustainability path. Leading the team is Technology Transfer Manager (TTM) Yvonne Jones, alongside TTM Emma Williams, Assistant Technology Transfer Officers (ATTOs) Harrison Rees, Bruce Rogers and Hafwen Lewis, and our Engagement and Communications Officer, Caitlin Reimnitz.
The Champions have organised regular sustainability workshops, during which the team learn about the fundamentals of sustainable development and how, by utilising the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 they can build and implement a meaningful Sustainability Action Plan. Equality plays a crucial role in this.
Every year we choose a theme to work around. In previous years we have worked on ‘The Welsh Language’, ‘Equality for Women’ and ‘Nature’, and the theme we have chosen for our final year is ‘Volunteering’.
Contact Mrs Yvonne Jones on [email protected] for further details
Related topics
https://futuregenerations.wales/
Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales – The leading sustainable development charity in Wales
The Well-being of Future Generations | GOV.WALES
WRAP – The Climate Crisis: Act Now
Discovery – Swansea University