Interreg 2021-2027

For whom?

The Interreg subsidy is for:

• entrepreneurs
• knowledge institutions (such as universities and universities of applied sciences)
• governments (such as central government agencies, provinces, municipalities and water boards)
• development agencies
• non-profit organisations
• private, non-profit organisations
  

Interreg or other European subsidy?

Would you like to apply for a European fund? Then first read the available information on the program page of this fund. View the overview of the European subsidy options here.

Interreg-programs

You can read more about the Interreg North-West Europe (NWE), North Sea and Europe 2021-2027 programs below.

North-West Europe (NWE)

Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) is a transnational program. It focuses on the participation of organisations from 6 countries in Northwest Europe. Organisations from Switzerland can also participate.

The goal is green, smart and fair improvement for all NWE areas. In addition, with NWE, the EU wants to develop every country equally and make all regions more resilient.

See more information on the Interreg North-West Europe page

North Sea

Interreg North Sea is a transnational program. It focuses on cooperation between organisations from 7 countries around the North Sea. The aim of Interreg North Sea is to encourage innovation and more sustainable economic growth in the North Sea region.

More information can be found on the Interreg North Sea page

Europe

Interreg Europe supports interregional cooperation throughout Europe. It concerns all 27 countries of the European Union, the European Union (EU) or Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine and Switzerland. Interreg Europe focuses on improving regional policy instruments. 

The program co-finances projects and networks involving regional or local authorities and other partners. Through these initiatives participants exchange best practices and ideas to improve their policy instruments.

More information can be found on the Interreg Europe page

Changes in new period

Are you familiar with previous Interreg programming periods? One of the changes in the period 2021-2027 is that NWE and North Sea apply to the whole of the Netherlands. The program area has also changed in other countries. The United Kingdom no longer participates in this period.

In terms of content, the programs are mainly in line with the European Green Deal. Important themes are:

• climate adaptation
• water management
• renewable energy
• circular economy

In addition, innovation is a pillar within every program. Green and Smart, in other words. Within the North Sea program, (maritime) governance is also an important theme.

Introduction videos (on YouTube)

• Interreg - What's new
• Interreg - Themes and challenges
• Interreg - Success factors
• Interreg - Interreg makes an impact

Information and inspiration on EU websites

There are dedicated Interreg program websites.

• The Interreg website provides information on how Interreg fits into the general cohesion policy. It also lists the different programs and their project calls.
• On the keep.eu website you will find almost all Interreg projects that have been implemented since 2000. You can select by programme, theme, subject, country and make combinations with them. This will show you the topics of previous Interreg projects, and their results.

Tips for the 2021-2027 kick-off

On 16 September 2020, we organised a kick-off for the programs in 2021-2027. 

Tips from the kick-off:

• Start a project from a need. This can be the policy of your organisation, or a need from the network in which you have a role;
• Prior to an Interreg project, think about co-financing and follow-up financing;
• Put people at the heart of the project approach. Think of the right profile in the right place in your organisation, but especially of a common goal and division of ownership;
• Ensure political support. An 'ambassador' can help make the project a success;
• As a lead partner of a project, you have the greatest control over both the project progress, its content and impact. This requires a lot of attention and problem-solving skills. Organisations can also choose to participate as a 'regular' project partner in the transnational consortium.

Contact

Would you like to stay informed about upcoming calls for projects? Sign up for our digital Interreg newsletter. Send an e-mail to interreg@rvo.nl and indicate which program you would like to receive updates about.

You can always get in touch with one of our contact persons. They are there to help you. You can find the contact details below and on the pages of the programs.

Background

Interreg was founded in 1990 to improve cooperation between regions across Europe. It is one of the oldest and largest funds that finances cooperation in projects between national, regional and local organisations from different member states. The foundation of Interreg is cooperation, just as cooperation is the foundation for Europe.

For the period 2021-2027, Interreg consists of 71 programs that support cooperation in different ways. These programs are grouped into 4 strands based on geographical location, common challenges and goals: Interreg A, Interreg B, Interreg C and Interreg D.

In addition, there are 24 programs aimed at cooperation with EU candidate countries and countries on the EU's eastern and southern external borders. The Netherlands does not participate in these programs.