Before shipping off the initial fund applications back in December 2012, we decided to get some authoritative declarations of interest. What kind of institutions could benefit from our project and deliver something in return? We approached Knowledge Center of Coastal Tourism, Vaeksthus Copenhagen, Nordic Surfers and The Municipality of Thisted and they all agreed to get involved on a monitoring level, supporting the project and its purpose. After many months of waiting for the pieces to fall into place, we finally had our first monitoring group session on June 11th. The workshop primarily revolved around a thorough MZ presentation and the topic of the cross-institutional and cross-regional potentials of the project. Some of the data is confidential and will not be posted here, but the overall outcome was a positive consensus on the necessity of exploring the collaboration between Bornholm (Vaeksthus Copenhagen), Varberg (Nordic Surfers), The Municipality of Thisted and the MZ project in Klitmøller (unfortunately Knowledge Center of Coastal Tourism had to cancel).
Start up
Before you can do anything you have to prepare (almost) everything. That is the first lesson you learn, when you initiate the funding of a completely new and untested concept. We started describing the project in November 2012, undusting the idea after a couple of years in the bottom of Rasmus’ hidden idea drawer. The concept was clear as it appeared, but we needed words, plans and budgets to approach the funds. To highlight the ambitiousness of the project we established a monitoring group consisting of Knowledge Center of Coastal Tourism, Vaeksthus Copenhagen, Nordic Surfers and The Municipality of Thisted. By new year 2013 the application was written and LAG Thy Mors and The Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs knew our agenda. Officially all we had to do was wait. But to be prepared as soon as someone drops the flag, you need to start the engine, tjeck the fuel level and fasten your seatbelt. So we made a provisional project plan, we outlined the potentials and challenges of a project realization and we took contact to any possible future matchmaker in the attempt to assemble diverse focus groups representing the beta-residents of Klitmøller. In March 2013 LAG Thy-Mors made their commitment to the project and by April 1th the project period was initiated even though a delayed feedback from the MHUR supplied no security blanket for the money spent. The official project applicant, the current Cold Hawaii Starfish constituted by 5 micro companies, was involved as a gate keeping project group who - in terms of their core role as the nucleus of a Matchmaking Zone in Klitmøller - has the final saying about the proceeding of the project.