The Fundación Galicia Europa launched the specialization program in community funding TecEuropa in 2015 with a double objective:

• To provide the technical staff of public and private entities from Galicia with an overview of the different sources of community funding and, above all, the opportunity to understand the logic of EU intervention through the different funds and programs available.
• Create a network of technicians in Galicia to share experiences and knowledge, as well as to eventually develop joint projects.

Between the years 2015 and 2019, the TecEuropa programme celebrated nine face-to-face editions with an itinerary comprising:

• A one-week stay in Brussels, where theoretical training on EU policies and the financial resources that support them is provided, complemented by visits to the EU institutions and contact with European officials.
• Two days in Santiago de Compostela for practical training in the application and European project management.

In 2020, due to the pandemic, the programme adopted an online format, while maintaining its dual approach: theoretical and practical. Since then, ten more editions have been held.

Staff at the service of public, private and non-profit organisations in Galicia working on European projects or with Community funds in a broader sense. Some of the vacancies are reserved for the staff of the entities that are members of the FGE board of trustees: Xunta de Galicia, Axencia Galega de Innovación, Deputación de A Coruña, Deputación de Lugo, Consorcio da Zona Franca de Vigo and Abanca.

Since it was launched, TecEuropa has brought together more than 1,000 participants: almost 200 in the face-to-face editions and more than 800 in the online editions. The participation is very varied: regional public sector, city councils and provincial councils, social entities, universities, RTDI entities, clusters, etc. This variety allows linking different professional experiences and points of view on the use of European funds in Galicia.

In the face-to-face editions, the Fundación Galicia Europa offers a limited number of training places. Participants, selected on the basis of their organisational interest, experience and training, can apply for reimbursement of accommodation and living expenses in Brussels. Attendance to the activities of the course is free of charge.

In the online editions there is no limit to the number of participants and attendance is also free of charge. The only requirement to participate is to work for a Galician entity interested in European funds and projects. Our intention is to bring back the face-to-face experience this 2024, celebrating one of the two editions in a hybrid format, combining both modalities.

Following their participation in the TecEuropa program, attendees rated the experience positively for:

• The opportunity to get first-hand information on the work of the European institutions.
• The general overview offered on EU funding.
• The contact established with people working in other entities from Galicia who develop European projects or manage community funds.
• The possibility of sharing the experiences of different actors in different phases of the execution of the funds: managing authority, intermediates, beneficiaries…
• The opportunity to reflect on public and private intervention when facing challenges in Galicia such as unemployment, demographic decline or the fight against climate change.

TecEuropa responds to the main objective of the Fundación Galicia Europa as an instrumental entity dependent on the Xunta de Galicia: to promote the rapprochement between Galicia and Europe. It is also a transversal program to the areas of action of the FGE:

• Defending Galician interests before the EU: the feedback obtained through the participants in TecEuropa is very valuable to contribute, for example, to the debate on the future of community budget from a Galician perspective.
• Promotion of Galician participation in European projects: the creation of a network of professionals should serve to take advantage of each other’s experiences for the benefit of all, in order to design better projects and to achieve a greater impact of European funds in Galicia, both those of shared management (EIE) such as centralized management (H2020, Life, Erasmus +, etc.).
• Information and training on the EU in Galicia: TecEuropa seeks to improve the skills of different professionals to participate in projects with a European dimension.