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  1. An institution, body, office or agency established by or based on the Treaty on European Union and the Treaties establishing the European Communities.

    All education and training facilities for people of different age groups.

    An intergovernmental organization having legal personality under public international law or a specialized agency established by such an international organization. An international organization, the majority of whose members are Member States or Associated Countries and whose main objective is to promote scientific and technological cooperation in Europe, is an International Organization of European Interest.

    A person with legal rights and obligations. Unlike a legal entity, a natural person does not have a legal act (e.g. association, limited liability company, etc.).

    An NPO is an institution or organization which, by virtue of its legal form, is not profit-oriented or which is required by law not to distribute profits to its shareholders or individual members. An NGO is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that does not represent business interests. Pursues a common purpose for the benefit of society.

    A partnership, corporation, person, or agency that is for-profit and not operated by the government.

    Any government or other public administration, including public advisory bodies, at the national, regional or local level.

    A research institution is a legal entity established as a non-profit organization whose main objective is to conduct research or technological development. A college/university is a legal entity recognized by its national education system as a university or college or secondary school. It may be a public or private institution.

    A microenterprise, a small or medium-sized enterprise (business) as defined in EU Recommendation 2003/361. To qualify as an SME for EU funding, an enterprise must meet certain conditions, including (a) fewer than 250 employees and (b) an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million. These ceilings apply only to the figures for individual companies.

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  1. Governance, partnership: Projects aimed at increasing the application of multilevel and transnational or cross-border governance, designing and testing appropriate governance structures and mechanisms. Also cooperation between public institutions on any theme.

    Innovation capacity and awareness-raising: Actions that increase a person’s or organisation’s capacity for innovation (not innovation as such), and that establish the capacity to diffuse and apply innovation; projects that stimulate innovation in different areas and innovation capacities; strengthening and empowering of innovation networks.

    Institutional cooperation and cooperation networks: Projects working on the improvement of institutional cross-border co-operation and capacities, on renewing and simplifying administrative management through long term cooperation between institutions (e.g. Euregion), on establishing and sharing regional knowledge and intercultural understanding and cohesion. It also deals with cooperations between universities, health care facilities, schools and sports organisations, as well as with management and capacity building.

    Activities focussing on agricultural products, organic farming, horticulture, as well as forest management and wood products; furthermore the development of the food sector, food chains, organic food production, and seafood products and any topics related to animals and fishing.

    Agriculture and fisheries and forestry: Projects focussing on agricultural products (i.e. fruits, meat, olives, etc.), organic farming, horticulture, as well as forest management and wood products. Also the development of the agro-food sector, food chains, organic food production, and seafood products. Any topics related to animals (i.e. health, management) and fishing (i.e. sustainable fishery, aquaculture).

    Soil and air quality: Projects that deal with any topic against soil and air pollution, except water pollution, for example, reduction of soil and air contamination, pollution-management systems, but also prevention and eradication of soil erosion, new ways of improving air quality (also indoors) and soil/air knowledge in general.

    Climate change and biodiversity projects assisting mitigation and adaption to climate change and environmental impacts of climate change. Development of low carbon technologies and strategies, reduction of CO2 emissions from all sectors. Promotion of biodiversity, new instruments to enhance biodiversity and natural protection.

    Soil and air quality projects that deal with any topic against soil and air pollution, except water pollution, for example, reduction of soil and air contamination, pollution-management systems, but also prevention and eradication of soil erosion, new ways of improving air quality (also indoors) and soil/air knowledge in general.

    Water management projects about management and distribution of drinking water, integrated sustainable water management, monitoring systems for water supply and improving drinking water quality; also water treatment (wastewater), in particular, innovative technologies to improve wastewater, treatments in the purification of industrial and domestic wastewater and water reuse policies. Waterways, lakes and rivers: This deals with any topics on waterways, lakes and rivers, from improving water quality, protecting and developing of ecosystems or sustainable wetland management.

    Activities that protect, promote and enhance cultural and natural heritage, increase the attractiveness through preservation and valorisation of common cultural and natural heritage in a sustainable manner, and improve and develop cultural and natural heritage objects, services and products. Cultural heritage management, art and culture, (maritime) heritage routes, access to cultural and natural heritage. Also all topics on cultural services such as festivals, concerts, art workshops.

    Cultural heritage and arts projects that protect, promote and enhance cultural and natural heritage, increase the attractiveness through preservation and valorisation of common cultural and natural heritage in a sustainable manner, and improve and develop cultural and natural heritage objects, services and products. Cultural heritage management, art and culture, (maritime) heritage routes, access to cultural and natural heritage. Also all topics on cultural services such as festivals, concerts, art workshops.

    Tourism projects dealing with the promotion of natural assets, and the protection and development of natural heritage, as well as increasing the touristic attractiveness through the better use of natural, cultural and historical heritage. Also projects about improved tourist services/products, development of ecotourism models, tourism development strategies.

    Sustainable management of natural resources projects focussing on the protection, promotion and valorization, and sustainable management and conservation of natural areas (habitats, geo parks, protected areas, etc.). Also projects focussing on preserving and enhancing cultural and natural heritage and landscape, as well as protecting the marine environment.

    Projects on waste management (innovative services and strategies), ecological waste treatment, treatment techniques/systems; waste disposal and recycling (improvement of recycling, innovative recycling technologies, recovery of organic waste, repair & re-use centres and networks); also prevention of pollution and pollution control (ecological and circular economy, marine littering, etc.).

    Labour market and employment: creating employment opportunities and/or optimising jobs, academic (un)employment and job mobility, workforce attraction and improvement of employment conditions for different groups.

    SME and entrepreneurship: strengthening SME capacities, boosting entrepreneurial activities in different sectors and for different groups, supporting social entrepreneurship, creating business support/advisory systems for start-ups/spin-offs/incubators, improving the competitiveness of SMEs, and promoting new business processes.

    Community integration and common identity projects that build identity, create a more cohesive society, promote positive relations through an increased provision of shared spaces and services.

    Demographic change and immigration is about projects tackling major societal challenges like demographic change in different areas and migration, in particular, aging society (active aging, best agers, silver economy strategies) and related new public services (adaptation of key services and infrastructure), social and spatial segregation, and brain drain. Also all topics on migration (policy tools, strategic planning, integration).

    All projects where ICT has a significant role, including tailor-made ICT solutions in different fields, as well as digital innovation hubs, open data, Internet of Things; ICT access and connecting (remote) areas with digital infrastructure and services; services and applications for citizens (e-health, e-government, e-learning, e-inclusion, etc.); services and applications for companies (e-commerce, networking, digital transformation, etc.).

    This is about the mitigation and management of risks and disasters, and the anticipation and response capacity towards the actors regarding specific risks and management of natural disasters, for example, prevention of flood and drought hazards, forest fire, strong weather conditions, etc.. It is also about risk assessment and safety.

    Education and training projects on expanding educational opportunities, reducing barriers in the field of education, improving higher education and lifelong learning, training and labour mobility, educational networks, higher vocational education, common learning programmes.

    Topics on energy management, energy-saving methods, evaluating energy efficiency measurements, energy rehabilitation/efficiency in buildings / public infrastructure, promotion of energy efficiency, cooperation among experienced energy efficiency firms, institutions and local administrations, co-generation.

    Projects focussing on wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal and other renewable energy, increasing the production of sustainable renewable energy and improving research capacities in biomass. Also projects focussing on storage and management of renewable energy, new technologies, sustainable regional bioenergy policies and financial Instruments for investments on renewable energy.

    Social projects concerning people with disabilities and excluded groups; enhancement of the capacity of children, young people, women and elderly; creation of infrastructure to improve access for disabled people, integration of socially vulnerable people; innovate in the care of victims of gender violence, social inclusion of women, etc.

    This deals with the development of health and social services and improved accessibility and efficiency for different groups (elderly, children, etc.). It is also about new healthcare models and medical diagnosis and treatments (dementia, cancer, diabetes, etc.), hospitals, care management, and rare diseases, as well as improving wellbeing and promoting sports.

    Projects about (organised) crime, efficient and secure borders, such as enhancing the effectiveness of the police in the prevention of drug crimes, the development of safety services, or tackling security and organised crime issues.

    Activities related to:

    • Transport and mobility covering all sorts of transport (incl. urban transport) and mobility.
    • Improving transport connections dealing with traffic and/or transport connections, rehabiliation/modernisation, better connectivity, improving accessibility/connections, but also public transport.
    • Multimodal transport and logistics and freight transport focusing on using different means of transport, developing multimodal connections, optimising intermodal transport chains; offering multimodal logistics solutions and providing access to clean, efficient and multimodal transport corridors and hubs; establishing cooperation among logistic centres and developing multimodal mobility strategies.

    Activities related to:

    • urban development, such as planning and design of cities and urban areas, urban renewal, urban-rural links (climate, sustainable mobility, water efficiency, participation, sustainable land use, smart cities, public urban areas, regeneration)
    • regional planning and development, such as the implementation of regional development policies/instruments and programmes, sustainable land use management plans, integrated regional action plans, spatial planning, and marine protected area management.
    • rural and peripheral development, referring to remote, sparsely populated areas, rural community development, and rural economics, in particular access to remote areas and policies for rural areas.
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Call key data

Interreg Central Europe- 3rd call for proposals

Funding Program

Interreg Central Europe Programme

deadlines

Opening
15.10.2024

Deadline
10.12.2024 16:00

Funding rate

80%

Call budget

€ 14,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

max. € 800,000.00

Link to the call

www.interreg-central.eu

Link to the submission

jems.interreg-central.eu

Call content

short description

With this call, Interreg Central Europe invites organisations from across central Europe to develop transnational cooperation ideas for small-scale projects that “pioneer solutions for peripheral and lagging areas, making them more attractive to live and work in”. Consequently, the call has a territorial and thematic focus and addresses small-scale projects.

Call objectives

Within the third call for proposals, project applications can be submitted exclusively under the following four programme Specific Objectives (SOs):

  • SO 1.2 Strengthening skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship
  • SO 2.5 Greening urban mobility
  • SO 3.1 Improving transport connections of rural and peripheral regions
  • SO 4.1 Strengthening governance for integrated territorial development

Expected results

SO 1.2 Strengthening skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship

The strong industrial base of central Europe and its dependence on adequate skills underlines the strategic relevance of this specific objective. SMEs have been identified as the main providers of employment in central Europe and it is important to foster locally available human skills, especially for the transition to Industry 4.0, digitalisation and a green economy. Capacities for an efficient entrepreneurial discovery process need to be improved as well as for the preparation or updating of smart specialisation strategies. Place-based development of skills is also crucial for reducing urban-rural disparities. Overall, there is the need for a just transition process that is socially responsible.

SO 2.5 Greening urban mobility

A reduction of transport emissions is one of the key targets of the European Green Deal. Smart and greener urban mobility will need an integrated response. Many functional urban areas in central Europe face similar challenges when greening their mobility. The specific territorial need lies in the vast diversity of topics (e.g. pollution and congestion) that need to be addressed in an integrated approach. Furthermore, the topic does not only include different ways of mobility, but also urban as well as urban-rural logistics.

SO 3.1 Improving transport connections of rural and peripheral regions

The programme area is a relevant junction in Europe. This can strategically facilitate the participation in trade and increase competitiveness. Accessibility to larger transport corridors is, however, comparatively weak. There is a need to link especially peripheral regions to the nodes of the TEN-T core network corridors (CNC), to remove bottlenecks and to bridge missing transport links in order to ensure good accessibility across central Europe. Furthermore, there is the need to reduce transport emissions by 90% by 2050, which calls for smart and sustainable approaches to cross-border mobility, intermodality and the introduction of IT-supported solutions for mobility management.

SO 4.1 Strengthening governance for integrated territorial development

Central Europe is highly heterogeneous both in territorial as well as in socio-economic terms. A multitude of challenges and barriers hinders the economic, social and territorial development in central Europe, which are not necessarily bound to specific administrative units. They rather relate to areas with functional ties that are characterised by economic, social, and environmental linkages. Addressing these territorial development challenges calls for integrated multi-level and multi-sectoral governance processes that consider functional linkages at the territorial level. There is a need to improve capacities of public authorities on all territorial levels for setting up and implementing integrated territorial development strategies. Cooperation should be encouraged within and between territories that are sharing functional ties.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

Austria (Österreich), Croatia (Hrvatska), Czechia (Česko), Germany (Deutschland), Hungary (Magyarország), Italy (Italia), Poland (Polska), Slovakia (Slovensko), Slovenia (Slovenija)

eligible entities

Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

Eligible applicants for the third call for proposals are:

  • National, regional and local public bodies;
  • Private institutions, including private companies, having legal personality;
  • International organisations acting under the national law of an EU Member State;
  • International organisations acting under international law, with restrictions.

Any of the eligible applicants, with the exception of international organisations acting under international law, can take the lead partner role as long as it is located in the programme area or it qualifies as “assimilated partner” (for the definition of assimilated partner, please refer to chapter I.3.1.1 of the programme manual).

Private lead applicants must hold minimum financial capacity requirements in order to be eligible as lead partners. Project proposals submitted by private lead applicants that do not meet the necessary financial capacity criteria will be rejected.

As a minimum requirement, the partnership must involve:

  • At least three financing partners;
  • From at least three countries; and
  • At least two of the partners located in Interreg CE regions.

A European Group of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) is eligible as sole beneficiary provided that the above-mentioned minimum requirements are complied with. For an EGTC to be eligible as sole beneficiary, it must be established in one of the Interreg CE Member States.

Applicants located outside the programme area but within the EU can also apply for funding as project partners, however such partners shall bring a clear benefit to the programme area. Their involvement is considered as exceptional and must be duly justified.

Applicants can also be located outside the EU, but they will not receive ERDF funding from the Interreg CE Programme.

In line with the overall aim and territorial focus of the call, the project partnership should preferably involve local and regional authorities (or related institutions), associations, civil society, NGOs, etc.

The involvement of research organisations in the partnership should be limited. Such organisations should act mainly as knowledge providers or support local and regional actors.

Cooperation has to be at the heart of each project. In order to be eligible, projects must contribute to at least three out of the following four cooperation criteria.

  • Joint development (compulsory) – i.e. partners have to be involved in an integrated way in developing ideas, priorities and actions in the project development process.
  • Joint implementation (compulsory) – i.e. project activities must be carried out by partners in a cooperative way that ensures clear content-based links and be coordinated by the lead partner.
  • Joint financing (compulsory) – i.e. the joint project budget shall be organised in line with activities carried out by each project partner. The LP is responsible for the administration and reporting towards the programme bodies as well as the distribution of the funds to the partners.
  • Joint staffing – i.e. the project should not duplicate functions within the partnership. In particular, project management functions should be appointed only once at project level.

other eligibility criteria

The third call intends to unlock the development potentials of peripheral and lagging areas. In order to qualify for the territorial focus of the call, areas to be targeted by projects have to show one or more of the following characteristics:

  • Low economic potential;
  • Poor access to services of general interest (SGI)2, often affected by demographic change;
  • Lack of relational proximity, decline in significance, influence or connectivity.

Such characteristics consider both spatial and socio-economic aspects of peripherality as well as functional relationships and links with other areas. In line with the above definition, areas to be addressed by projects of the third call may be identified in rural areas but may include also urban areas which are lagging behind in terms of socio-economic development.

The scale or size of areas to be targeted can vary depending on the project goals, for example ranging from local neighbourhoods (e.g. suburbs), city districts, villages and rural communities, small- and medium-sized towns or entire regions which suffer from peripherality or lag behind.

The above characteristics of peripherality and lagging areas are of qualitative nature, therefore the call does not set any restriction on the eligibility of regions to be targeted by projects. Applicants have to demonstrate in the application form that the areas specifically addressed by their projects are relevant for the territorial focus of the call, notably that they are clearly matching with one or more of the three characteristics listed above.

The Interreg CE programme area stretches across nine EU Member States. It covers all regions of Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, and selected regions in Germany and Italy. Germany participates with Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen and the Braunschweig region within Niedersachsen. Italy  participates with Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta, Liguria, Lombardia, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna and the autonomous provinces of Bolzano/Bozen and Trento.

Indicative ERDF allocation per priority:

  • Priority 1:  Cooperating for a smarter central Europe: € 5,600,000.00
  • Priority 2:  Cooperating for a greener central Europe: € 2,100,000.00
  • Priority 3:  Cooperating for a better connected Europe: € 2,100,000.00
  • Priority 4:  Improving governance for cooperation in central Europe: € 4,200,000.00

Additional information

Topics

Administration & Governance, Institutional Capacity & Cooperation, 
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, 
Competitiveness of Enterprises, Employment/Labour Market, SME & entrepreneurship, 
Digitalisation, Digital Society, ICT, 
Mobility & Transport, 
Rural & Urban Development/Planning

Relevance for EU Macro-Region

EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region

UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)

project duration

between 12 and 24 months

Additional Information

Compulsory individual consultations:

The programme offers a wide range of support measures and tools to help applicants in submitting quality proposals. These include “individual consultations” with the joint secretariat, which serve to advise lead applicants on technical questions related to contents, communications and finances of their project ideas.

Differently from previous calls and from provisions included in the above-mentioned chapter of the programme manual, an individual consultation for each proposal is compulsory in this third call.

Individual consultations can exclusively be requested for project ideas submitted by registered users on the Interreg CE applicant community. It is recommended that the consultation is requested at an early stage of project development, since it will only be based on the project idea form which has to be submitted before the consultation.

Consultations can be requested in the period between 17 October and 3 December 2024. After the consultation, the JS will send a confirmation of the consultation to the consulted applicant, including reference to the consulted project idea. The reference number provided in the JS confirmation is to be included in the lead partner declaration which forms part of the application package referred to in chapter 1 of this ToR.

Project proposals submitted without participation in a compulsory individual consultation will be ineligible and not be further processed.

The third call for proposals is organised in a “one-step” procedure.

Project proposals must be submitted in English language, only through the web-based joint electronic monitoring system (Jems) of the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, which is available at https://jems.interreg-central.eu.

The application package contains also an offline template of the application form (for information purposes only). This template includes additional guidance for filling out the various sections.

Call documents

Interreg Central Europe Programme 2021-2027 (v4)Interreg Central Europe Programme 2021-2027 (v4)(2764kB)
Interreg Central Europe ToR Call 3Interreg Central Europe ToR Call 3(268kB)

Contact

Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme - Joint Secretariat
+43 (0) 1 8908 088 - 2403
info@interreg-central.eu
Website

Interreg Central Europe National Contact Points (NCPs)
Website

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