Conferences
THE NET - Intersection of Real and Virtual Network in Common European Research Space,
Sept 23, 2003 in Bratislava, Slovenia
Organisation
The annual conference of the Network of Spatial Research Institutes in Central and Eastern Europe was held 2003 in Bratislava.
It was organised by the SPECTRA centre at the Slovak Technical University. The network conference was part of the larger
conference "IT WORKS OR IT NETWORKS: Development of Real and Virtual Space in the Age of Global Net" which was organised in the
frame of the PERSEUS project.
The meeting consisted of a plenary session in which representatives from eight Central and Eastern countries participated.
The conference language was English.
Programme
First there were three lectures:
- Prof. Maroš Finka PhD (SPECTRA Centre of Excellence at the Faculty of Architecture, Slovak Technical University, Bratislava): Twinning Activities in the Real and Virtual Space of Networking
- Carolin Welzel (Bertelsmann Foundation, Gütersloh): Decision-making, Consultation and Negotiation through ICT
- Dr. Markus Leibenath (Institute of Ecological and Regional Development - IOER, Dresden): The Future of the Network of Spatial Research Institutes in Central and Eastern Europe
Afterwards there was a panel discussion on joint activities of the Network of Spatial Research Institutes which was moderated
by Dr. Dagmar Petrikova (SPECTRA Centre at the STU Bratislava) and Prof. Dr. Bernhard Müller (Director of the IOER, Dresden,
Germany). The panellists were:
- Dr. Kaliopa Dimitrovska Andrews (Director of the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana)
- Pawel Decewicz (Institute of Physical Planning and Municipal Economy, Warszawa)
- Dr. Milan Jeřabek (Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ústí nad Labem)
- Prof. Borislav Stojkov PhD (Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade)
Results
In their closing report, Prof. Finka and Prof. Müller summarized the outcomes of the meeting as follows:
- The SPECTRA centre should play a leading role in the network with strong twinning ties to the IOER.
- The address database of the network has to be updated. Information about existing competencies as well as about contact persons should be added. Furthermore a core group of institutes and peoples shall be established.
- A common declaration or mission statement shall be elaborated. It is supposed to function as a very informal cooperation agreement which all partner institutes shall sign.
- There should be a work plan with specifications concerning the thematic focus of the network and a time frame.
- The core group should establish a comprehensive work programme. It should be specified which institute can contribute which capacities - both financial and in terms of work. This work programme could also include conferences and some kind of education and training perspective.
- If possible, a proposal for INTERREG IIIC shall be elaborated. Additionally the network representatives shall enter a discussion with the European Commission concerning the preparation of FRP 7.
- A decision about the name of the network has to be made based on a competition between the partner institutes. Further tasks in the short run are the updating of the website, the re-launch of the newsletter and the publication of monographs in the Springer series. It shall even be considered to make changes in the editorial board of the Springer series.
In sum, the participants agreed that it was a very fruitful conference which outlined the future of the Network of Spatial
Research Institutes in Central and Eastern Europe quite clearly