Placement Report
Institution
Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) / Northern Netherlands Provinces Alliance Leonard Springerlaan 15 9727 KB
Groningen The Netherlands
Supervision
Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN): Rijksuniversiteit Groningen:
Mr. Luc Hulsman Drs. C.A.M Wagstaff
Email: hulsman@snn.nl Email: c.a.m.wagstaff@rug.nl
Student
Greta Alice Bertolè
Student number: S4041283
MA in International Relations (general track IRIO) Date: 24/04/20
Sommario
1. Introduction ... 3
2. Process for the placement ... 4
3. Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) ... 6
4. Placement Report ... 7
4.1 Internalization in RIS3 in the Northern Netherlands: a more systemic approach? ... 7
5. Conclusion ... 10
1. Introduction
The purpose of this placement report is to give a critical assessment of the placement experience commenced at Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) from the beginning of February to the end of March. I would indicate the competences and skills I obtained during this two-months internship, while acquiring new knowledge on how to work in a Dutch company. Besides, this report precisely contains the description of the research project that I conducted in collaboration with my placement supervisor, Luc Hulsman.
This report is divided into three sections. First, I will describe how my preparation for the placement started and how I approached my chosen institution, providing a short and precise description of it. Second, I will evaluate the most significant tasks undertaken during my placement, focusing on the detailed analysis of my research project. Third, I will end with the conclusion of my report, outlining the extent to which my expectations were fulfilled and what I learnt from this first working experience in the Netherlands. In addition, I will share my impressions on the company and also some difficulties I came across.
2. Process for the placement
After my graduation in Political Science at the University of Padua in Italy, I decided to come to the Netherlands for my postgraduate studies, in detail in the city of Groningen, choosing as major International Relations. A significant component of this Master program that I am pursuing at the University of Groningen is the placement. I was really excited to have this opportunity because it would represent my first working experience as a graduate student and also an outstanding way to enrich my career portfolio.
Since I moved out to Groningen at the end of August, I intended to spend the entire year in Groningen, without moving out during the second semester so I started looking for a consistent number of placement vacancies from late September. My goal was to find an internship of the duration of two months, maximum four, so I could work on my thesis at the same time in order to graduate by August, especially because I will pursue a second Master in Development Management at LSE next September. Besides, my research began so early because I knew that Groningen was merely a student city comparing to other Dutch cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam so the chance to find the right place were few. As soon as I started, I noticed it was not easy, especially because there were not so many international institutions or NGOs that could fit me. I decided not to use any vacancy website, neither the one recommended by the university, because I thought it was for those students who were willing to do their internship in other parts of the Netherlands and across Europe as well. The approach I used is the following. Since it was the first time I was looking for job vacancies, I googled any international institutions, governmental organizations and NGOs that were located in Groningen to see if they offered internship for Master students. It was really important to read the website of the organizations and to check if a certain application procedure was required, as well as assessing if my competences and skills could fit the description.
As I expected, I found few results and I started sending tons of emails with attached my resume and cover letter to these different institutions, hoping they would accept me, even though I did not speak Dutch. These are some of the organizations which I contacted: Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), JIN Climate and Sustainability, Agra Netherlands, GasTerra, Humanitas and Connect International. Comparing to the huge amount of emails I submitted, I received a few responses, especially because in most cases they require Dutch speaking only students. From late October, I had two job interviews: the first was at the Launch Cafè, which was a startup in the heart of the city that offered flexible workplaces and offices for young entrepreneurs and freelancers, and the second was at the Centre for
European Security Studies (CESS), that sought to advance political development, democracy and especially security, by cooperating with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various EU projects. Despite I received an offer from the director of the Launch Cafè, I turned it down due to the lack of the international aspect related to the company, which was a mandatory component for the MA placement. More specifically, as my placement coordinator remarked, the tasks that I was supposed to undertake at the Launch Cafè seemed more administrative in nature and they were not truly connected to my master programme. Subsequently, the interview with the director of the Centre for European Security Studies (CESS) went well, he also seemed interested in offering me the intern position but eventually, I turned it down because, meanwhile, I had already received a positive response from my meeting with the director of the Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN) in mid-November.
The way I approached SNN was remarkably casual. It was one of those Dutch organizations that came up during my research on the internet. At the beginning, when I checked their website for the first time, I was not completely sure it was the most suitable company for my placement. On the website, I could not find any vacancies available for interns and my biggest fear was that they could only accept Dutch students. Despite my first concerns, I took courage and I sent an email with attached my resume and cover letter, like I usually did, to the secretariat. Previously I found out that SNN was deeply involved in several EU projects and investments so its contribution to the European scenario could have been the necessary international component required for my placement. The secretariat replied to me the following week, saying they would set up a meeting with Luc Hulsman on November 4th. Even though I was a little bit nervous at first glance, the interview at SNN went very smoothly and the main topics of the conversation were mainly related to my studies, my future job perspectives and especially how I could contribute to the company while working as an intern. Furthermore, Luc Hulsman had a precise plan, explaining to me the main objectives and tasks of my placement at SNN. As I will detail explain in the second section of this report, I have been in charge of carrying out a European project related to the Regional Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) to find a systemic approach that allowed SNN to increase the interregional collaborations across Europe.
I was extremely satisfied with the outcome of the interview with Luc Hulsman and I chose this institution for three main reasons. First, I was enthusiastic about the possibility of taking this project forward, also because one of my interests lied on the role of the EU institutions and how they interact within each other on the national and European level as well. Second, the duration of the internship
was feasible because it would have been only two months, as I wanted, so it would allow me to have enough time to focus on my thesis in order to submit it by the end of June. Third, I received a salary of 450 euros per month that I found considerably luxurious for an internship, especially because in Italy the interns are never paid.
Overall, the tip that I would like to give to all the non-Dutch students, who are looking for an internship, is do not be afraid to apply, even though you do not find any vacancy, and do not be scared of taking initiative, only because you do not speak fluently Dutch. What matters is to carefully read the main information about the organization, which you want to apply for, and to be well prepared for the interview, showing your potential and your skills to your future placement provider.
3. Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland (SNN)
In this paragraph, I will provide a brief and concise description of SNN as my chosen institution, encompassing its main pillars and the various European projects in which it takes part.
SNN is the partnership of the three northern provinces (Drenthe, Fryslan, Groningen) and the four largest cities (Assen, Emmen, Groningen, Leeuwarden) of the Northern Netherlands. It is committed being an inspiring example of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe, by cooperating with businesses, knowledge institutions, civil society organizations and other government agencies both within the Netherlands and across borders.1
More specifically, SNN is the managing authority of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and co-executor of the Rural Development Programme (POP3) for the Northern Netherlands. It underlines the importance of building strong interregional networks while aspiring to match chains beyond borders and to create a multi-regional ecosystem with connected value chains all over Europe. For this reason, interregional collaboration is the core element to achieve these goals and objectives. SNN currently participates in four “Interreg projects”, which are co-financed by the European Union up to 85 per cent and they are carried out in partnership with other policy organizations based in different countries across Europe. Besides, another key principle firmly embedded in the SNN’s innovation strategy is the Smart Specialization Platform (RIS3), which is an
innovative and place-based approach that aims to boost growth and jobs in Europe, by enabling each region to identify and develop its own competitive advantages.2 Overall, SNN aims to build new and innovative networks within other European regions, by contributing to a strong and cohesive Europe.
4. Placement Report
In this section, my tasks undertaken at SNN will be described and explained as well as critically focusing on the report paper I wrote during my placement period, which aimed to identify the most suitable European partners for the Northern Netherlands (N-NLs).
4.1 Internalization in RIS3 in the Northern Netherlands: a more systemic approach?
During the first week, I got acquainted in the organization and I introduced myself to all the other employees, while getting as much information as possible about the pillars of interregional collaboration in the Northern Netherlands (N-NLs). More specifically, I examined the role of SNN in regard to some specific EU funding programmes, such as INTERREG Europe, Horizon2020, Research Innovation for Smart Specialization (RIS3), funded by one of the five European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
My main task was to develop a research project on interregional collaboration, encompassing SNN’s guidelines and policies in the subject matter. My supervisor, Luc Hulsman, gave me a lot of independence with this assignment, which I experienced it as a bit challenging but also rewarding at the same time. The goal was to build a new strategy for the Northern Netherlands (N-NLs), that pursued a more systemic approach towards interregional collaboration. I also described this approach as a search for a “missing piece”, because the Northern Netherlands (N-NLs) did not possess all the competences to reach the strategy’s objectives. So, it was essential to identify EU regions where the missing pieces could potentially be found.
To accomplish this objective, I formulated one main research question “Based on the current patterns
of N-NLs’ interregional collaboration, to what extent are the N-NLs be able to perform a more systemic approach?”.
By analyzing the common patterns in EU projects themes and structural similarities between regions, the main research question was divided into four sub questions, which were the following:
1. Are the N-NLs RIS3 priority areas reflected by the data found?
2. With which other regions in the EU do the N-NLs have similarities in priority areas?
3. With which other regions have the N-NLs established a strong and solid collaboration? In which EU funding projects can we assess it?
4. With which regions do the N-NLs have similarities, but have not established strong links yet?
First, I provided a theoretical framework, which assessed the main components of the Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3) as well as addressing its actively evolution in the Northern Netherlands (N-NLs). As a result, SNN acted both as a facilitator and as a responsible organization for the design and implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3). In light of the most recent EU regional developments, internationalization was an essential component of Northern Netherlands’ guidelines as well. The concept of smart specialization was not only limited to regional borders: if missing links might not be found in the region itself, they might be present somewhere else in Europe. Therefore, the Northern Netherlands encouraged programmatic interregional collaboration based on connecting regional innovation strategies.
Concerning the methodology, my research project was based on a qualitative desk research, while collective relevant information on a consistent number of EU datasets, namely INTERREG Europe, Horizon2020, EYE@RIS3 and JRC Regional Benchmarking. Besides, I performed a comparative analysis of these EU datasets, examining the data obtained.
Subsequently, I created small tables to show the results of my comparative analysis as well as assessing N-NLs’ regional network of collaborations. As an example, the table below shows the data I obtained from the JRC Regional Benchmarking developed by the Orkestra Basque Institute of Competitiveness, which highlights regions that have structural similarities with the N-NLs in order of decreasing. The list of regions is given by a “synthetic index of structural distance”, meaning that the first regions at the top of the column have a lower value, which signifies that they are structurally closer to the N-NLs. On the other hand, we can see below the regions with less strong structural similarities with the N-NLs. The most interesting data I acquired from this table is the following: 6 of the first 10 regions with most similarities are French. It suggested that French regions and the
N-NLs had a lot in common even though these French regions, Bourgogne (FR26) and Aquitaine (FR61) for instance, had a low rate of collaboration with the N-NLs in the other European projects.
DATASET SUB-QUESTION LOOKING FOR RESULT DISTANCE INDEX NUTS 2 Orkestra / JRC Regional Benchmarking Which regions have the strongest structural similarities with the N-NLs? Structural similarities between regions 1. Bourgogne 2. Aquitaine 3. Tirol 4. Lorraine 5. Wales 6. Alsace 7. Schleswig 8. Centre 9. Languedoc- 10. North East 11. Auvergne 12. Trento 13. Mecklenburg 14. East Midlands 15. PoitouCharentes 16. Rheinland 17. Sysdverige 18. Syddanmark 19. Midtjylland 20. Wien 21. Rhone-Alpes 22. Northern Ireland 23. HauteNormandi 24. Sachsen-Anhalt 0.0274 0.0294 0.0301 0.0318 0.0333 0.0369 0.0372 0.0373 0.0378 0.0382 0.0392 0.0393 0.0398 0.0404 0.0407 0.0409 0.041 0.0422 0.0426 0.0436 0.0437 0.0438 0.0439 0.0443 1. FR26 2. FR61 3. AT33 4. FR41 5. UKL 6. FR42 7. DEF 8. FR24 9. FR81 10. UKC 11. FR72 12. ITH2 13. DE8 14. UKF 15. FR53 16. DEB 17. SE22 18. DK03 19. DK04 20. AT13 21. FRK2 22. UKN 23. FR23 24. DEE
Unfortunately, the results of my analysis showed that I was not able to identify a systemic approach yet that justified the different partnerships within European regions. No systemic pattern emerged from my research project. For this reason, I recommended the introduction of a more systemic approach in the Smart Specialization (RIS3) background, which could be considerably beneficial for SNN and for all the others N-NLs organizations.
On the other hand, this research project highlighted that the Northern Netherlands had strong and solid collaborations across Europe, in detail with the Brussels region, Wien, Switzerland and Romanian regions. Additionally, the JRC Regional Benchmarking emphasized that some French regions, including for example Bourgogne (FR26) and Aquitaine (FR61), might be considered potential partners of the N-NLs for further collaborations, while the JRC Regional Benchmarking being a precious and valuable instrument that might be deployed for further investigations and researches in the subject matter.
5. Conclusion
During my placement at SNN, I strongly developed research and training skills, while gaining a solid working experience that could also enrich my CV. This opportunity allowed me to improve my teamwork skills because I worked closely with other colleagues of the European project management department of SNN, which is geared to promote and support European projects with the participation of the Northern Netherlands. Besides, I grew my knowledge about governmental organizations, such as SNN, and how they interact with the European institutions, enforcing new rules and policies. I was also really satisfied with the supervision of Luc Hulsman, because he was always really approachable and polite. Regularly we had meetings to discuss the different topics for my research project and how I could improve my assignments. For this reason, I felt really comfortable with my supervision at SNN.
Furthermore, the connection between the placement and my degree program lies on the international aspect within SNN, which complimented my academic knowledge of the field. First, SNN cooperates with the most notorious and powerful European institutions in Brussels and the Hague. Second, my research project entails the dynamics of internalization within EU regions in order to foster SNN’s network of collaborations. I strongly believe this practical experience contributed to strengthen the theoretical background I acquired during the first semester of my Master programme.
This placement represented my first working experience, so I did not have many expectations, I just wanted to do a good job. I was really happy to see how the working environment at SNN was: it was casual and pleasant, all the employees were really nice to me and they involved me in all their conversations, even though they knew I could not speak Dutch and I really appreciated it. On the other hand, I also came across some difficulties. After the first two weeks, I started to analyze the EU datasets and to match some Excel data sheets and it was the first time I did something like that so at the beginning I had some struggles because I was afraid to make mistakes. Additionally, due to the high level of independence, the responsibility for my tasks was more real and it put much more pressure on me, but it was also challenging at the same time. As a result, it made me enjoyed it even more. To conclude, this placement gave me a clear picture of my career ambitions and desires because, after seeing the job that Luc Hulsman does as a project manager, I would also like to pursue a career in project management and expand my network, while working with international companies and collaborators. To sum up, I could not be more satisfied with my placement at SNN and I would do it again.
Bibliography
SNN, Strong Northern Netherlands, 2018. Last Retrieved on April 21st, 2020 from
https://www.snn.nl/en/strong-northern-netherlands.
EYE@RIS3, Smart Specialization Platform, 2018. Last Retrieved on April 21st, 2020 from
