The first capacity building training took place in Dublin on the 16th of October, where EFA’s representatives Antje Fink-Wagner, Giuseppe De Carlo and Joke De Vocht met with the staff of the Asthma Society of Ireland.
The objective of this meeting was to transfer knowledge on two specific topics:
- Corporate partnerships
- Participation in EU projects
Both topics were considered key targets for the strategic development of the organization in the coming years.
The meeting was divided into two sessions. The first session focused on the Asthma Society of Ireland’s funding sources and communication activities, in order to identify areas which could be further optimized.
With regard to funding opportunities, the discussion focused in particular on how to attract private partners at a national level and how to develop a framework for a sustainable corporate partnership that could guarantee sufficient funding for the organization’s projects and core operational costs. Together with ASI representatives different potential funding partners were explored as well as ways to develop a sustainable partnership.
The organisation’s communication activities were also discussed. Their we focused mainly on the different existing communication tools and their unique purpose, the messages communicated (diversity of messages by communicating about a large variety of themes vs consistency and prioritization of key messages) and the identification of the appropriate target groups/audiences (patients, healthcare professionals, journalists, health insurers, public bodies) to reach.
The second session focused on identifying suitable funding opportunities at a European level, in particular under the Horizon2020 and the Third Public Health Programme.
During this second part of the meeting, attendees engaged in an interactive project proposal simulation. Participants were given a project proposal and had to explore and identify different ways for their organisation to be involved as an integral part of the different project work packages, while also getting a better insight into the terminology frequently used in project management.
Feedback from all the attendees indicated they were satisfied with the workshop and the majority of participants (75%) felt empowered or very empowered to undertake their activities.