About EASY-ECO

EASY-ECO ("Evaluation of Sustainability: European Conferences and Training Courses") was a training and conference programme on evaluations in the specific context of sustainable development. EASY-ECO was launched by the Institute for Managing Sustainability at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Twelve European top-class research institutions collaborated to organise five conferences and ten EASY-ECO Trainings on sustainability evaluations within the EASY-ECO programme. All events were aimed at building sustainability evaluation capacity and facilitating the exchange of relevant experiences. EASY-ECO 2008-2010 brochure (PDF, 523 kB) EASY-ECO 2005-2007 brochure (PDF, 681 kB) The EASY-ECO series was organised by: EASY-ECO was financed by the European Union Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses, EASY-ECO 2005-2007, contract number MSCF-CT-2004-516613 and EASY-ECO 2008-2010, contract number MSCF-CT-2006-045794.

About evaluations of sustainable development

Sustainable development: from vision to practice

Since the Brundtland Report was published in 1987, sustainable development evolved from a vague vision to a set of basic principles, guiding decisions and actions at various levels. Countries, for example, are developing and implementing strategies for sustainable development in order to reshape their policies accordingly. Thousands of municipalities worldwide are engaged in Local Agenda 21 activities, which address sustainable development at the local level. More than 60,000 businesses of all sizes have introduced environmental management systems or are publishing sustainability reports as a response to stakeholder demands and as a means to create long-term competitiveness. As a consequence, sustainable development also plays an increasingly important role for investors. These various actors have one request in common: they all call for reliable information on sustainability performance. The only solid way of generating such information is through professional evaluation, i.e. neutral and fact-based.

Evaluation of sustainable development: A cutting-edge topic

Professional evaluations, which are based on scientifically tested concepts and methods, provide decision makers in both public and private sectors with reliable information. They document both drawbacks and progress, and identify related obstacles and success factors. By doing so, they also support learning processes in a systematic way. Evaluating sustainable development , however, forces both contractors as well as evaluators to confront new challenges. These challenges and solutions to them will be addressed in the EASY-ECO Series.

EASY-ECO Conferences

The EASY-ECO series comprised seven conferences:

Overall, the conferences aimed to build sustainability evaluation capacity and trigger a significant scientific impact. The key purposes of the conferences were:

• to provide an international scientific platform and networking opportunities for researchers,
• to facilitate exchanges of experience between leading scientists, practitioners and young researchers,
• providing practitioners with scientific knowledge and scientists with feedback from its practical application,
• to start up EASY-ECO and to disseminate its results.

EASY-ECO Trainings

The EASY-ECO Series offered ten training opportunities, all following the same curriculum and the same aim: educating sustainability evaluators.

Target Group

The EASY-ECO Trainings are designed for young researchers already working on – or with a strong interest in – the areas of evaluation and/or sustainable development. EU-Grants to cover all costs are available for participants of this target group. Young researchers are highly encouraged to first visit a conference, then attend one of the EASY-ECO Trainings and finally submit a paper for one of the conferences following their training.

In addition to young researchers, EASY-ECO Trainings also target the staff working in the area of sustainable development/evaluation from

• governments,
• public administration,
• international organisations, and
• NGOs.

Aim

The EASY-ECO Trainings explore key elements in sustainability evaluations. After attending one of the trainings, participants will be able to conduct actual evaluation projects as a part of a team. The training will teach you knowledge applicable in practice and embed you in a thematic network of leading scientists and practitioners. All trainings address the urgent need for high-quality evaluations in the context of sustainable development and support institutional capacity building.

Organisation of the trainings

During 2008-2010 six trainings are going to be held. Each EASY-ECO training consist of three phases:

1. e-learning
2. on-site case trainings
3. virtual follow-up

The content and structure of the e-learning phase of each training is identical. The structure of each on-site case training is also identical, however each training will offer three different evaluation case studies (and a trainee has the opportunity to apply for one of them). The e-learning phase on on-site trainings are linked together: the young researcher applies to a specific on-site case training (such as October 2008 in Saarland, Germany) and its immediately preceding e-course. Only under special circumstances (occurring either on the side of the trainee or on the side of an organiser) will the trainee take a different on-site training than the one for which he took the e-course.

A participant receives altogether more than 6 months of individual support:

1. The e-learning phase will start three to four months in advance of every on-site case training, with the participation of ca. 40 young researchers. The flexible e-course takes 14 weeks to complete, with a time investment of approximately 60 to 80 hours of asynchronous course work. The ‘e-learning team’ will support the young researchers throughout the entire virtual phase, facilitate their discussions and interaction with experts and monitor learning progress. Based on their performance in the first half of the e-course approximately 80 to 90 per cent of trainees will be awarded with EU-grants to cover their participation in the subsequent on-site training.

2. On-site case trainings last 5 days and are organised by local institutions, each of them a leader in sustainable development research and in the training of young researchers. Trainings provide hands-on experience with case studies of actual evaluation projects. Each of the eight on-site case trainings will consist of three parallel working groups of 10-15 young researchers and will focus on a specific topic. Three experienced evaluators as case trainers and scientific tutors will guide the participants through the different steps of an evaluation. In order to ensure high-quality and coherent didactics in all groups the case trainers will prepare their cases according to a common training blueprint. Participants reflect the variety of the EASY-ECO Network and join in from all over Europe.

3. Each training is concluded by a 3-month virtual follow-up phase. During this time, the young researchers are able to work on their own projects (e.g. a paper, case study, country survey, theoretical paper) and have the chance to receive individual scientific support from the Advisory Board, as well as the trainers who were working with them in the on-site trainings. Abstracts of the projects can be submitted and the best papers presented at one of the conferences following your EASY-ECO Training.

Content of the trainings

The 14-week e-course aims to provide extensive theoretical background on sustainability evaluations. It has the following structure:

Part A: Understanding Evaluations and Sustainable Development (30 units)

• Block 1: Evaluation Foundations
• Block 2: Theory-Based Evaluations and Policy Analysis
• Block 3: Understanding SD Evaluations
• Block 4: Stakeholder Participation and Communication

Part B: Performing SD Evaluations (30 units)

• Block 5: Evaluation design and data collection
• Block 6: Data analysis, integration and valuation
• Block 7: Delivery and dissemination of evaluation results
• Block 8: Markets and cases

Trainees will have access to teaching materials such as lecture notes, papers, video clips, interactive exercises, and they will participate in discussion groups with leading researchers. The ‘e-learning team’ facilitates the e-course to ensure continuous learning progress.

In the 5-day on-site trainings trainees work in working groups of 10 to 15 people on actual evaluation case throughout all its stages, where they have the opportunity to apply and integrate the theoretical knowledge they acquired in the e-course. Each case study is a sustainability evaluation of a policy, programme or project (such as an infrastructural or nature conservation project, climate change or poverty elimination programme, transport or sustainable development policy), utilising methods and instruments of peer review, impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment and others.

On-site trainings are structured on the basis of the following blueprint:

Altogether, the trainee should significantly strengthen his/her competences in the following areas:

• Theoretical and methodological knowledge
• Paradigmatic orientation
• Market overview
• Professional ethics
• Political sensitivity in the context of an evaluation
• Complementary skills of evaluation practice such as setting up a scientifically sound and attractive evaluation design, budgeting and managing an evaluation project, dealing with conflicting stakeholder interests, communicating the results of an evaluation and others.

EASY-ECO Partners

Twelve European top-class research institutions collaborated under EASY-ECO and hosted conferences and/or training courses (listed alphabetically):

Co-ordinator

Institute for Managing Sustainability (WIMAS)
at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU)

Address
Franz Klein Gasse 1
1190 Vienna
Austria

Fax: +43 1 31336 90 5458
http://www.sustainability.eu

Reference persons
André Martinuzzi
Michal Sedlacko
Ursula Kopp

Hosted events: EASY-ECO I & II Conferences (2002-2003), EASY-ECO Vienna Conference (2008), EASY-ECO e-course (2008-2010)

Partners

• Central European University Business School (HU)
• CEval Centrum für Evaluation / Center for Evaluation (DE)
• Department of Applied Economy - University of Basque Country (ES)
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Trento (IT)
• Impact Assessment Research Centre in the University of Manchester's School of Environment and Development (UK)
• International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University (SE)
• National Centre for Sustainable Development (RO)
• The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (CZ, HU, SK)
• The Sendzimir Foundation (PL)
• Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre/Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development (EE)
• Université Libre de Bruxelles – Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et d’Aménagement du Territoire (BE)

Central European University Business School, Center for Business and Society

Address
Frankel Leó út 30-34
1023 Budapest
Hungary

http://www.ceubusiness.com

Reference person
Peter Hardi

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Budapest Conference (2009)

CEval Centrum für Evaluation / Center for Evaluation

Address
Universität des Saarlandes / Saarland University
Gebäude 35
Im Stadtwald
66123 Saarbrücken
Germany

http://www.ceval.de

Reference person
Wolfgang Meyer

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Saarbrücken Conference (2006), EASY-ECO Saarland Training (2008)

Department of Applied Economy - University of Basque Country

Address
Avenida Lehendakari Agirre nº 83
48015 Bilbao
Spain

http://www.ehu.es/eaI/

Reference person
Maria-Angeles Diez

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Bilbao Training (2009)

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Trento

Address
Via Belenzani 12
38100 Trento
Italy

http://www.unitn.it

Reference person
Corrado Diamantini

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Trento Training (2010)

Impact Assessment Research Centre in the University of Manchester's School of Environment and Development

Address
Institute for Development Policy and Management
University of Manchester
Harold Hankins Building
Precinct Centre
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9QH
United Kingdom

http://idpm.man.ac.uk/iarc

Reference persons
Colin Kirkpatrick
Clive George
Joe Ravetz

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Manchester Conference (2005)

International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University

Address
Tegnerplatsen 4
22100 Lund
Sweden

http://www.iiiee.lu.se

Reference person
Aleh Cherp

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Lund Training (2009)

National Centre for Sustainable Development

Address
15, Alexandru Philippide Str., Sector 2
Bucharest
Romania

http://www.sdnp.ro

Reference person
Tania Mihu

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Brasov Training (2007)

The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe

Address
2000, Szentendre
Ady E. u. 9-11
Hungary

Fax: +36 26 302 137
http://www.rec.org

Reference persons
Eva Csobod
Petur Farkas
Gergo Horvath

Hosted events: EASY-ECO Bratislava Training (2005) , EASY-ECO Szentendre Training (2006), EASY-ECO Prague Training (2010)

The Sendzimir Foundation

Address
Ul. Konarskiego 21a/9
30-049 Krakow
Poland

Fax: +48 12 633 07 17
http://www.sendzimir.org.pl

Reference person
Tomasz Bergier

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Krakow Training (2007)

Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre/Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development

Address
Lai Street 34
10502 Tallin
Estonia

http://www.seit.ee

Reference person
Kaja Peterson

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Tallinn Training (2010)

Université Libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels) – Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et d’Aménagement du Territoire

Address
Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50
1050 Brussels
Belgium

http://www.ulb.ac.be/igeat

Reference persons
Tom Bauler

Hosted event: EASY-ECO Brussels Conference (2010)

Contact

Co-ordinator

EASY-ECO was co-ordinated by the Institute for Managing Sustainability (WIMAS) at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU).

Scientists in charge

Michal Sedlacko, Ursula Kopp
Institute for Managing Sustainability (WIMAS)
Franz Klein Gasse 1
A-1190 Vienna

Contact

For general enquiries, please see the contact information on https://www.wu.ac.at/sustainability.

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