Welcomeurope was founded by French and Dutch experts in 2000 who had as objective to initiate a closer cooperation between local actors and the European institutions.
Welcomeurope funders devote themselves since 15 years to the stakes laid down by the European expansion. Dynamic and impassioned/ passionate, their team wants to support professional actors in their development by proposing tools and services adapted to each need.
Welcomeurope covers 3 main subject areas to help you achieve success in gaining European funding:
1. ASSISTANCE-CONSULTANCY
Assistance & Consultancy is provided for:
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the formation of the idea for a project
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application form procedures to respond to the calls for proposals by the Commission
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follow-up of project management of post-evaluation by the Commission
Furthermore, consultancy is provided for designing the eligible budgets and creating relevant lobbying techniques to promote the idea of the project within the EU institutions and Consultancy.
2. TRAINING SESSIONS ON EU FUNDING
Welcomeurope designs and leads a lot of trainings; thus, the team gives its technical and practical know-how, namely on/ about:
- Fundings in direct access to the European Commission
- External cooperation and EU neighbourhood countries funds
- Structural funds available in region
- Financial projects building
- Partnership networks building
In addition to the 60 training sessions offered by Welcomeurope each year in Paris and Brussels, the team designs and leads tailor-made trainings for many organisations throughout Europe. In fact,
there are more than 130 sessions each year in more than 25 countries.
3. INFORMATION-MONITORING ON EUROPEAN OPPORTUNITIES
Welcomeurope has a singular role in the field of European programmes monitoring.
Eurofunding Eurofunding is, since its creation, the most complete information service in Europe used by public and private organisations in order to facilitate their access to fundings:
- 450 European programmes summarized and continuously updated;
- A personal alert system to apply for calls for proposals;
- An experienced and practical method...
Welcomeurope in numbers :
- Since 2000 it has trained over 4400 professionals ;
- More than 130 trainings sessions designed and led by the team each year ;
- 5 500 organisations are using our Eurofunding guides in more than 30 countries ;
- There are 180 000 monthly users on the welcomeurope.com site ;
- Welcomeurope is carrying out more than 35 Eu projects per year for clients using our consulting services alone
Lorraine de Bouchony
Executive Director – Partner
Lorraine is co-founder of Welcomeurope. She coordinates the strategic consultancy missions within large companies and public organisations. She has become a unique expert in assisting professionals in building their projects and assisting them in participating in institutional mechanisms. Lorraine specialised in European Geopolitics (Master2) and has been participating in European think tanks since 1991. She holds a diploma from the Paris Chamber of Commerce. She gained founding experience within the Secretariat-General of the European Commission which enabled her to notice the gap that existed between the institutions and those in the field. The Welcomeurope concept was born: facilitate dialogue between the institutions and professionals in the field.
Mireille Van der Graaf
Consultant EU Funding
Mireille is co-founder of Welcomeurope. After post-graduate studies at the l’Institut Européen des Hautes Etudes Internationales, Mireille became particularly interested in the use of community sources of information and the evaluation of public policies. She played a part in different European think-tanks and consultancy firms before co-founding Welcomeurope and developing the Eurofunding service that now has subscribers (electronic or paper format) in over 30 countries. Mireille leads a team of 3 people who monitor European policies and programmes.
Nicolas Gerschel
Partner
Nicolas is a co-founder of Welcomeurope and graduated from Marketing and Finance following a Master's Degree from the Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Over the past 15 years Nicolas has worked individually as well as with partners in utilising his business skills for: enterprise development, business restructuring, marketing and project management as well as business support. Nicolas now concentres on applying his wide range of skills and experience in order to develop and manage a Welcomeurope network and product development.
Valérie Buisine
Consultant EU Funding
After university training in Community Public Affairs, Valérie joined the Welcomeurope team in 2001. Since 2003, Valérie has devoted her time to drawing up projects and officialising applications for European funding (structural funds and community action programmes). She assists project leaders from the public, private or non-profit sectors in the drawing up and officialisation of their projects and advises them in their relations with national and European institutions. Help comes in the shape of identifying funding programmes, support for budding European projects, officialising applications and budgets and project follow-up and appraisal.
Camille Constans
Consultant EU Funding
Head of the Training Department from 2006 to April 2008, Camille Constans is now a consultant within Welcomeurope’s Consultancy Department. She accompanies project leaders in identifying available funding, throughout the application period and helps them prepare for their obligations concerning the management of a European project. She still leads training sessions on European funding (structural funds, community action, external cooperation, pre-accession) from the drawing up stage to management throughout Europe and in candidate countries. She draws on her field experience. Up until 2005, she was Head of European projects: she officialised applications, created partnership networks and managed projects for NGOs and public authorities.
Malgorzata Hiszka
Head of Training department
Malgorzata is Head of the Training Department at Welcomeurope and is specialised in European policies, strategies and partnerships. She is fascinated by European affairs and takes great personal interest in building Europe through her active participation in its construction. She has always been actively involved in the development of new markets in Europe and is highly skilled in comparing approaches of the member states. She is qualified in Community Law and has a Master2 degree in European Economics. She has the benefit of an experience within the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. She became an expert in European funding thanks to her position within the Department of European Affairs of the French Ministry of Infrastructure.
Gwenaëlle Radosevic
Trainer
Gwenaëlle joined the Welcomeurope team in 2006 as Head of the Intelligence and Analysis Department. Her activity is particularly focused on the implementation of the structural fund ESF and state aids. She carries out studies and training courses, for project leaders and management and control authorities such as DIACT (Interministerial Delegation for Land Planning and Competitiveness) and the CNASEA (public body dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries). She holds a PhD in Community Law (University of Rennes 1) and a PhD in Management (IAE Paris Panthéon Sorbonne). Innovation, sustainable development, social affairs: Gwenaëlle plays a role in consultancy including looking out for funding opportunities. She also writes the monthly political and legal summaries sent to European decision makers, (CDC – Caisse des Dépôts, CNCE – Caisse nationale des Caisses d’Epargne, EDF, Territorial-Courrier des Maires) and draws up the guides on structural funds in France, as well as the methodologies for public authorities, associations and major groups in France.
Pierre-Etienne Metais
Trainer
Pierre-Etienne has the benefit of a dual qualification in European Affairs and Local Development (Master 2) at the Institute of Political Sciences in Lyon and Aix-en-Provence, which enabled him to gain expertise in European policies and their local implementation tools. European Urban Project Coordinator, then parliamentary assistant to a Member of the European Parliament, Pierre-Etienne has also drawn up methodological tools on community methods and funding. He joined the Training Department of Welcomeurope to provide professionals with hands-on understanding of funding research methods, project building and management.
Sophie Le Grand
Trainer
Sophie took a European Project Professional Master’s degree at the University of Cergy-Pontoise, which gave her sound skills in the setting up of European projects.
Sophie, who has run the Monitoring and Information Department at Welcomeurope and led the 2009 edition of the Eurofunding Guides, has a unique expertise in all the various aspects of European Commission funding.
She has joined the Training Department, bringing her know-how in identifying funding opportunities, as well as her knowledge of the methodology of preparing applications for European funds.
Samuel Demeulemeester
Trainer
Graduate of the Institute of Political Science of Lyon (European section) and holder of a Master’s degree in Local development from the University of Lille 1, Samuel has acquired a sound knowledge both of Community policies at the European level and of their implementation at a local level.
He has produced assessments of programmes implemented by local authorities and public institutions both in France and in the United Kingdom.
Samuel joined the Training Department in 2008 in order to share his knowledge of Community procedures and his technical understanding of European projects.
Thomas Robine
Marketing and Partnerships Officer
Thomas is graduated in Marketing and Enterprise Strategy. Now, he puts his expertise and experience to good use in Welcomeurope internet and Marketing development service. He manages a webmasters team to offer new services more and more competitive to thousand users of www.welcomeurope.com
Philippe Devaux
Financial accounting
After a training in enterprise management and accounting, Philippe has joined Welcomeurope to implement billing and subscription management system. Continuously in relation with providers and suppliers, he ensures the daily management of the enterprise.
Gaëlle Chatelier
Training Department
Gaëlle has joined Welcomeurope team to ensure all the training subscription management. She is in touch with all the participants in order to finalise their subscription, their follow-up supports (verifier avec Gaelle!!!) and the organisation of training sessions. She also supports training department in its partnership and commercial approaches.
Besides, the permanent team relies on two webmasters for the continuous development of its website and on two political sciences trainees. Within specific missions, Welcomeurope relies on close partners of whom it certifies their expertise and know-how :
Welcomeurope is a French law company, SAS (Society by Simplified Actions) created in 2000.
