High five: new project platforms onboard!

Five strong transnational partnerships, five strategic topics addressed, and endless opportunities to showcase the power of Interreg: the new project platforms, designated as Operations of Strategic Importance, met for their kick-off meeting in Berlin on 9 June.

Kicking things off!

“Future Cities”, “Innovate together”, “Symbioter”, “CirCan” and “BalticBlue” may still sound like cryptic acronyms, but they will soon become active members of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region community, demonstrating what it means to consolidate project results!

To mark the beginning of this exciting journey, platform representatives gathered in Berlin on 9 June for the kick-off meeting. The event helped them gain a deeper understanding of the framework in which they will operate over the next two and a half years.

Even more importantly, participants discussed their strategic role within the Programme and reaffirmed their strong links to regional policy debates through contributions to the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and other processes led by pan-Baltic organisations, like VASAB and HELCOM. The meeting also offered a unique opportunity to connect in person with members of the Programme’s Monitoring Committee, representing all countries in the Programme area.

OSI: a title to be proud of

Earmarked as Operations of Strategic Importance (OSI), project platforms greatly contribute to the Programme’s success.

They bring together results of other projects funded by Interreg, Horizon Europe, ESF+ and national programmes, and consolidate them into practical formats that public authorities, practitioners and policymakers can readily apply.

As such, project platforms are the Programme’s main capitalisation instrument, demonstrating how efficiently Interreg builds on project results to support knowledge transfer and generate wider policy impact. The value of the process also lies in the fact that this is done by experts for experts, with direct application in mind.

Policy Area Coordinators from the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and representatives of pan-Baltic organisations play an active role in the platforms, helping align their work with the region’s current political agendas.

Egija Stapkēviča from the VASAB Secretariat, which coordinates EUSBSR Policy Area Spatial Planning, highlighted the mutual benefits of close cooperation between project platforms and Policy Area Coordinators. Her perspective is rooted in extensive experience as a project platform partner (Baltic PlaNet), associated partner (SEABAS and BSR Urban Mobility) and lead partner (Capacity4MSP).

Five project platforms in the nutshell (click to view them all)

The meet-up with the Programme Monitoring Committee

How can social innovation help address societal challenges? How can culture unlock resilience and liveability in cities? Can water symbiosis be the key to cleaner water systems? Why is systemic change needed to increase nutrient recovery? And how can navigation services be redesigned to improve safety at sea?

These important topics require joint action as well as convincing communication. During the meeting, platform representatives reflected on their visions, ambitions and expected results, sealing their key messages in golden envelopes.

On the following day, they had their first opportunity to test those messages during a meet-up with members of the Monitoring Committee. As the body responsible for selecting project platforms and overseeing their implementation, the Committee can also contribute to the platforms’ success along the way. The first exchange between Committee members and platform representatives proved highly valuable. Lively discussions quickly filled the room, reflecting genuine interest in and support for the platforms’ future work.

When thirteen is the new eight

With the addition of five new project platforms, the Programme’s portfolio of Operations of Strategic Importance has grown to 13! Together, these capitalisation efforts now bring together more than 160 projects from 36 programmes.

Interested in learning more? Explore the project platforms already in motion and stay tuned for updates from the newest additions to the Interreg Baltic Sea Region community.

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