1 December 2023
Project selection and outlook for the future!
Written by Anna Galyga
On 1 December 2023, Monitoring Committee members from all Programme countries met for the last time this year. Have a look at the decisions taken!
The Monitoring Committee mastered a long agenda under the chairmanship of Carl-Johan Klint from Sweden and took multiple decisions on the ongoing and future project partners in our Programme. The December Monitoring Committee was the last one chaired by Sweden. Next year, it will be Denmark’s turn to lead the meetings.
Welcome to the Interreg family: new project approved
The Monitoring Committee selected the project MUNIMAP with the Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland) as the lead partner for funding! The project addressing dumped munitions in the Baltic Sea will receive EUR 3.0 million of EU co-financing.
The project applied for funding within the framework of the focused call for applications closed earlier in autumn this year.
Next call for applications at the horizon
Yet, the Interreg Baltic Sea Region family is expected to grow even more. The Monitoring Committee agreed on opening a new call for project applications on 17 January 2024. It will be the third major call within this programming period already. This time, our Programme invites applicants to submit their project ideas for core projects,. New project ideas shall fit into Priority 1 ‘Innovative Societies as well as Priority 3 ‘Climate-neutral societies’, the latter focusing in particular on climate-related topics.
Currently, the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat is developing a support scheme for applicants with clear guidance on the thematic focus of the call along with practical tips for applying and implementing a core project. Among them, there will be a series of webinars planned for early next year. Stay tuned for more updates and, in the meantime, sign up for our newsletter to receive first-hand information.
While discussing the next call for applications, the Monitoring Committee also confirmed the importance of involving the Policy Area Coordinators of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in project generation and development.
New possibilities for cooperation with Ukraine
Transnational cooperation does not know borders. Thanks to funding offered by the Swedish Institute, ongoing Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects can now connect with Ukrainian partners. In format of a separate “sister” project, cooperation with Ukrainian partners shall benefit from and bring in new value to #MadeWithInterreg solutions.
In the case of applicants planning their new projects in the third call for applications, Ukrainian organisations are invited to join partnerships of existing and new Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects as associated organisations
Planned updates to the Programme Manual
The Monitoring Committee agreed on indexation of hourly rates for the partners selected in the upcoming third call for applications. The new version of the Programme Manual is expected early next year.
Outlook for the future
Taking a long-term perspective, the Monitoring Committee held first discussion on project platforms. It is a special financing instrument in our Programme, which, among others, helps consolidate project results, boost their transfer and link them to other EU funding programmes. The preparations for project platforms will start in 2024. Further planning will follow on subsequent Monitoring Committee meetings.
Working hand in hand with ongoing projects
Moreover, the Monitoring Committee members got acquainted with the status of implementation and contracting of already approved projects. They also analysed the results of the survey held among core and small projects from the first call. The survey analysed various aspects of activity and finances reporting, communication and handling our monitoring system BAMOS+. All in all, the lead and project partners highly valued the overall support of the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat as well as the supporting tools. Now, the Programme is even more dedicated to assist applicants and partners, in running great projects and bringing the transition to a green and resilient Baltic Sea region forward.
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