Connected professionals produce better results

Stefano Mainero explains why connecting professionals together is important to accomplish innovative results.

“PPP will be increasingly important as a public sector procurement method for companies, but also in the assistance of large motorway projects, including those in Poland, Hungary and Ireland.”
-Raimund Desalla

Why did you decide to set up a consultancy that is also a Professionals Network?

Stefano Mainero. I have been working in European projects for 15 years and I've found that working together with professionals who possess different cultural backgrounds and experiences makes everyone grow faster.

One of my main expertises is Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), a Transport discipline that appeared during the mid-1980s as Road Transport and Traffic Telematics (RTTT) and evolved into ITS one decade later. At that time ITS was concerned only with solutions for traffic infrastructures. In this century, ITS was seen also as a tool to improve air quality and road safety. And today, ITS includes new services for travellers and communications between vehicles and road infrastructures to enhance safety. There are also psychological studies on how ITS influences drivers' behaviour.

As we see, experts in different topics can now sit together to work on an ITS project, which was impossible to foresee 25 years ago. A Professionals Network helps to find the right skills at the right time for a specific project. This generates an economy of scale.

How does belonging to a Professionals Network give added value to individuals as well as companies?

SM. Each of us has a number of friends and acquaintances that work in different fields. The same happens to organizations that have their own relationships, either commercial or technical. When someone has got a question to ask, a topic to discuss, a partner to look for, usually they go first to their closer circle of connections. If they belong to a Network, such as EPN Consulting, they can ask whether these requests can be satisfied by some members. If nobody is able to do it, then the Network will search for solutions among its 2^nd or 3^rd level of connections, which increases exponentially the chances of success.

Does a Professionals Network help also to prepare European projects and National/International calls for tenders?

SM. Sure. For example, EPN Consulting is a not only a Professionals Network but also a consulting firm. One of its services is assisting clients in preparing European projects proposals and helping them to manage project activities once it is approved for funding and kicked-off.

There are basically four cases companies can be in: i) they have innovative ideas but lack partners; ii) they have partners but not ideas; iii) they have both partners and ideas but not the time nor skills to prepare the proposal and, finally, iv) they would like to participate because they have innovative ideas/products but don't know how to proceed.

Each of these cases can be tackled more easily if they are part of a network. In particular, EPN Consulting could help them to find tailored solutions.

The same applies to call for tenders. Larger bids are divided into lots and each lot covers a specific topic (ITS, Telecommunications, ICT, etc.). Within EPN Consulting it is easier to find the right partner(s) for the right lot. Conversely, EPN Consulting informs members about new calls for European projects and/or bid opportunities that individuals and companies may not be aware of.

How can a Professionals Network deliver innovation?

SM. When professionals are inter-connected they can be easily contacted by other members or their acquaintances. Innovation is the act of introducing a new idea or concept; when ideas are shared among professionals with different cultural background they can be discussed and improved. The fact of comparing different solutions to find that one that will meet all requirements will introduce a harmonisation that didn't exist before. This is Innovation.

EPN Consulting firmly believes in networking and its consulting service greatly benefits from expertise and suggestions coming from all members.

Biography

Dr Ing Stefano Mainero is Founder and Managing Director of EPN Consulting, The European Professionals Network. He has 15 years' experience in consultancy on European Projects and Intelligent Transport Systems, helping private companies and public organisations to solve their issues by promoting innovation.