The Stakeholder Community: Once-Only Principle for Citizens (SCOOP4C) project was successfully kicked off at a workshop from 30 November to 2 December 2016. Host of the kick-off session was the coordinator of the project – the Institute for IS Research at the University Koblenz-Landau.

The other four organizations that are part of the SCOOP4C project team participated in the kick-off in Koblenz by having management-level representatives attend - ]init[ Digital Communication, the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), the E-Governance Academy from Estonia, and IT-Kommunal GmbH from Austria.

The kick-off agenda consisted of verifying the project management methodology, defining responsibilities for the initial tasks, and coordinating efforts among the project team members to begin work on SCOOP4C’s work packages. Among other things, the initial tasks prepared and elaborated at the kick-off were:

• Setting up and optimizing processes and tools for collaboration among project team members
• Defining a long-term vision for the once-only principle (OOP)
• Elaborating the initial version of a template for OOP cases to be collated over the duration of the project
• Discussing and sharpening the SCOOP4C community building and engagement approach as a foundation for the project’s formal Community Building Plan
• Reviewing the technological parameters as well as the conceptual and visual design of the SCOOP4C website
• Agreeing on the social media activities and channels to be used for community building and project dissemination
• Outlining a rough schedule for SCOOP4C workshops and events in the first half of 2017
• Assigning tasks and responsibilities to project team members until the next project meeting planned for February 2017

Moreover, the occasion was also used for the first meeting of the SCOOP4C Steering Board, which is tasked with directing and supporting the project. Five initial Steering Board members convened in person and remotely to discuss how their expertise and experience can best contribute to the success for the SCOOP4C project.

Since building a vibrant and diverse Stakeholder Community is one of the main project goals, the Steering Board’s contribution to identifying potential stakeholders, continuously expanding the community, and disseminating project results was confirmed to be crucial for SCOOP4C’s success by all kick-off participants.

The kick-off was concluded with a presentation of Prof. Robert Krimmer from the Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance at the Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia. Prof. Krimmer introduced the second project focusing on the once-only principle for businesses that is financed by the same Horizon 2020 call as SCOOP4C – “The Once Only Principle Project” (TOOP), of which he is the Project Lead.

Together with Prof. Krimmer, who also serves on the SCOOP4C Steering Board, the SCOOP4C project members discussed potential areas of collaboration and exchange between both projects, such as a coordination of event participation, or the identification of OOP cases suitable for analysis. While some common ground was identified, there is little risk of overlaps between both projects, since TOOP is clearly aiming at implementing once-only services for business, while SCOOP4C is creating a stakeholder community dealing with OOP for citizens.

With its intensive three-day schedule, the SCOOP4C kick-off laid the groundwork for all ensuing activities, which are currently in full swing, and have produced first results, like this very website.