Welcome to the INSURED Project

The INSURED project (ENV4960211) was funded by the European Commission – DG XII – within the Programme 'Environment and Climate 1994 – 1998' (ENV2C). Co-funding came from the Federal Government of Austria, the Government of Hessen / Germany and several local governments in Central Hessen, the Federal Government of Switzerland and the Region of Tuscany. The project began in April 1996 and ended in July 1998.

The project partners were: EURES, Freiburg, Germany (Ruggero Schleicher- Tappeser), co-ordinator of the European research team; ÖAR, Vienna, Austria (Robert Lukesch); SIASR, St. Gallen, Switzerland (Alain Thierstein); SICA, Dublin, Ireland (Gerry Sweeney); SRS, Florence, Italy (Filippo Strati). Associated with SICA was the Dublin Institute of Technology (Consultancy and Research Unit for the Built Environment) and St. Patrick’s College Maynooth (Centre for Local and Regional Development, CLRD, Co. Kildare). Associated with SRS was the Department of Chemistry of the University of Siena (professors Enzo Tiezzi, Riccardo Basosi and Claudio Rossi).

The project was largely based on case studies in five European regions: Central Hessen – Germany; Lower Styria – Austria; Midwest – Ireland; Tuscany – Italy; St. Gallen /Appenzell – Switzerland. In each of these regions an advisory regional group was created with local experts and representatives of public and private agencies in order to support the research group through discussions and suggestions on the basic aims, orientations, methodologies and findings of the INSURED project.