Innovative, water-smart & climate-neutral societies

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Do you have a smart project idea how to bring in innovative, water-smart and climate-neutral solutions for the benefit of people around the Baltic Sea? Do you want to develop and apply your solutions transnationally in regions around the Baltic Sea? Or maybe you want to drive synergies across projects and funds to bring Interreg efficiency and impacts to a higher level?

If you answer – yes – to these questions, we call for your project applications! We offer EU funding for organisations to connect and work as if there were no borders. We provide more than money: we create an environment for working together across borders to let great solutions become common practice

Innovative, waters-smart & climate-neutral societies

Core projects 

Core projects are the main tool to deliver the change Interreg Baltic Sea Region aims at. All core projects are requested to prepare, pilot and transfer practical and durable solutions to the challenges they choose to tackle. These challenges must correspond to one of the Programme objectives within the priorities of Innovative societies, Water-smart societies or Climate-neutral societies.

The main results of the core project are increased capacities of the target groups to deal with the defined challenges. The target groups are organisations that have the competencies to influence the challenge and are interested in the solutions. Hence, reaching out to the target groups and involving them in the preparation of the solution, piloting and transfer are crucial for the success of the core projects.

Innovative, waters-smart & climate-neutral societies

Small projects

Small projects aim at facilitating easier access to the Programme, in particular for those partners that have not previously participated in the Programme. Applying for a small project and implementing a small project is much simpler when compared to the core projects. For example, the budget of a small project is smaller than a regular project. The work plan consists of one work package and it may be implemented by small partnerships.

In small projects, partners are encouraged to develop practical and durable outputs and solutions for challenges in the region. These challenges need to correspond to one of the Programme objectives. Small projects should increase capacity of the target groups to deal with the identified challenges during and after the end of the project implementation. The development of solutions is not obligatory in small projects. However, activities need to go beyond pure networking and knowledge exchange.

Focus of the call

The call is open for applications tackling challenges under Priority 1 Innovative societies, Priority 2 Water-smart societies, and Priority 3 Climate-neutral societies.

The Programme is particularly looking for projects supporting the cohesive development of small places, rural areas, and areas experiencing challenges significant to the social and economic fabric of their local communities within the Baltic Sea region.

Call documents

 Capitalisation in action

Project platforms 

Project platforms are Interreg Baltic Sea Region’s main capitalisation tool. They enable project partners to consolidate the outcomes of Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects, and integrate them with results from projects of other funding programmes.

Project platforms support public authorities and relevant organisations in using consolidated project results in their work. This is how they help them govern and manage their areas more effectively. This, in turn, allows to tackle territorial challenges and influence policy improvements with greater impact.

By bringing partners from Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects and other EU funded projects together, project platforms are operations of strategic importance (OSI). They provide a significant contribution to the achievement of the Programme objectives under Priority 1 Innovative societies, Priority 2 Water-smart societies, and Priority 3 Climate-neutral societies.

Focus on the call

Project platforms in this open call should contribute to the following topics:

• Resilient and smart territories (within Programme Objective 1.1 Resilient economies and communities or 1.2 Responsive public services)

• Social innovation for sustainable transformation (within Programme Objective 1.1 Resilient economies and communities)

• Closing water and nutrient loop (within Programme Objective 2.1 Sustainable waters)

• Safe navigation at sea (within Programme Objective 2.2 Blue economy)

• Circular food systems (within Programme Objective 3.1 Circular economy)

• Uptake of alternative fuels (within Programme Objective 3.2 Energy transition)

Core changes for the region

Core projects 

Core projects are the main tool to deliver the change Interreg Baltic Sea Region aims at. All core projects are requested to prepare, pilot and transfer practical and durable solutions to the challenges they choose to tackle. These challenges must correspond to one of the Programme objectives within the priorities of Innovative societies, Water-smart societies or Climate-neutral societies.

The main results of the core project are increased capacities of the target groups to deal with the defined challenges. The target groups are organisations that have the competencies to influence the challenge and are interested in the solutions. Hence, reaching out to the target groups and involving them in the preparation of the solution, piloting and transfer are crucial for the success of the core projects.

Cooperation potential with Ukraine

Interreg Baltic Sea Region recognises the promising potential for collaboration between organisations in the Baltic Sea region and Ukraine. The Programme invites project applicants to engage with Ukrainian organisations, where such activities bring mutual benefits. Ukrainian organisations can join projects as associated organisations and participate in various activities. Project partners may cover some costs for Ukrainian organisations when they join project activities (for example, travel for events or expertise/service, following the Programme rules). Projects may plan travels to Ukraine or organisation of events, following the Programme rules detailed in the Programme Manual.

Priority 2: Water-smart societies: Programme objective 2.1: Sustainable waters

Core projects tackling the challenge of hazardous submerged objects and dumped munition in the Baltic Sea

The Programme responds to the strategic, political relevance and urgency of the topic and the need for establishing long-lasting procedures to remediate the challenge. The call for applications addresses the critical challenge of hazardous submerged objects and dumped munition in the Baltic Sea. The Programme seeks core project applications that develop solutions for tackling this challenge, for example, through remediation and salvage, monitoring of polluting substances and harmonising the legal framework for handling these objects and munition in the whole Programme area.

Cooperation governance

Organisation of the Strategy Forums of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

The Programme provides funding to applicants to prepare and organise the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Forum, usually once a year, from 2023 till 2028. For each Strategy Forum, a separate application must be submitted. More information you will find here. 

Overview of calls in our Programme

In case you are interested in an overview of completed and planned calls for project applications, please take a look at the document below.

**Instructions for pdf forms

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