Better decision making with Cost Benefit Analyses

“Now we are able to make better decisions about our Structural Funds and IPA projects”. This was the general conclusion of all participants of the Ecorys Academy course on Cost Benefit Analyses, held from February 9 till 11 in Brussels.

The atmosphere in the main event room of the West Midlands in Europe Office in Brussels was very positive after the closing ceremony on Friday afternoon. After three intense days of training, Ecorys Academy director Rob Boudewijn handed over certificates to all the participants.

“We liked the mix of theory, examples and exercises in all the sessions”, said a participant from the Czech Republic. “Now we not only know when we need more insights regarding the costs and benefits of projects, but we also know what we can do with the results of a cost benefit analysis. The fact that we can use Cost Benefits Analyses for improving the quality of our individual projects and - as a result - the efficiency of our whole Structural Funds programme was an eye-opener to me.”

“Until three days ago, a Cost Benfit Analyses was a ‘black box’ for me, I didn’t know when and how to use it. Now I know it is important to look at the risks and how I can manage them. Also the techniques to calculate socio-economic benefits are very useful for my projects. This enables me to show society why we put public money into these projects”.

The participants from Croatia were also pleased with the content of the course and with the training approach: “Learning by doing is better than just plain teaching. The combination of theory and practices keeps you concentrated. The examples the trainers provided brought me the necessary link between theory and practice. I learned al lot from the experienced trainers, but also from my fellow participants, by the way.”

“I’ve been dealing with IPA Funds for quite some time, but had no experience at all with Cost Benefit Analyses”, said another participant, “but now I know how to apply this tool and can judge the quality of the results. I can give better feedback to the consultants I hire and also better inform my boss. I will use my new knowledge and skills as soon as I’m back in the office on Monday”.

The second edition of this successful training course is scheduled for 29 June-1 July 2011 in Budapest. For more information regarding this course, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

<<< Back to index of Ecorys Academy newsletter no. 5