Innovative societies Water-smart societies Climate-neutral societies 

Interreg makes
a difference!

Explore how people in the Baltic Sea region have been benefitting
from our projects.

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#MadeWithInterreg solutions for

Inclusive communities 

Interreg proves that regardless of age, origin, economic status, situation or religion, we are always greater together.

What are we doing?

Sometimes, it is not about the topic that unites people. Sometimes, it is about the people themselves. Interreg projects have proven to be very successful in giving a voice to the people in the region to make sure that everyone, also coming from disadvantaged groups, is being heard. This is how Interreg is actively building trust beyond borders, bringing communities together. Ultimately, this inclusive approach brings a lot of creative ideas pushing forward the transition to a green and resilient region.

Examples of #MadeWithInterreg solutions:
  • schemes for using cultural activities and art to co-create social and urban plans
  • an online library packed with information about seniors, helping furniture manufacturers and others design products suitable for seniors
  • public spaces adjusted to the needs of seniors, children and people with disabilities
  • spreading good practices of participatory budgeting
  • empowering disadvantaged people to design social services for themselves
  • interactive gardens boosting the offer of health services
  • mobility centres to improve accessibility and mobility in remote rural areas
  • programmes to successfully integrate immigrants and refugees into the labour market and actively support entrepreneurship

 

What we’ve achieved so far

Since the early 2000s, Interreg projects have addressed the challenges of disadvantaged and marginalised groups and involved people into the processes. Young people actively co-created mobility plans and discussed concepts for a healthy, eco-sustainable and competitive city. Seniors learned how to stay actively employed longer, whereas young people got support for their start-up businesses. Over 50 youth-driven actions improved local surroundings in seven countries. Several hundred of young people improved their skills in governance, spatial development, sustainability and entrepreneurship thanks to tailored programmes whereas a new non-profit network, engaging young people, continued to drive the development of small and medium-sized places and rural areas around the Baltic Sea.

In the years 2014-2020, projects mobilised and engaged with people by means of participatory budgeting, which led to over 300 implemented projects reflecting the needs of local communities. Thanks to Interreg, cities opened up to cultural planning methods, which enabled the co-creation of urban spaces.

Instead of relying on social services, projects also showcased how to empower people in need instead. As a result, people from disadvantaged groups, e.g. single mothers, elderly and migrants, brought 35 micro-projects info life. Several of them turned into long-lasting initiatives.

Furthermore, projects equipped manufactures with the knowledge on how to design furniture for the elderly, and developed multiple prototypes of IC-driven furniture and equipment to adjust the public spaces to the needs of the elderly, children and people with disabilities.

Projects also looked into digital tools that address health-related needs of children and adolescents. To improve mobility and accessibility for people in remote areas, the projects co-created eco-friendly mobility service with seniors, developed mobility centres to pool from available mobility resources and pushed forward demand-responsive transport options.

Ongoing projects

The ongoing projects continue exploring ways to co-create attractive city spaces to live in. They also use creative methods to engage the youth in developing climate and sustainability plans for urban spaces.

Addressing people’s well-being, they showcase how experiencing the nature can improve health services and help children and others with traumatic experiences. Digital tools also assist children in their hospital visits.

The projects accompany young people in finding their place on the market and build up their communication competences. In order to ensure the steady inflow of skilled workforce and bringing communities together, Interreg projects help refugees and immigrants integrate successfully into labour markets, paying attention also to women refugees from Ukraine who aspire to start their own businesses in local communities.

Supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

Our projects play an important role in achieving the ambitious goals of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) to increase prosperity in our region. In collaboration with the coordinators of the EUSBSR policy areas Innovation, Health, Spatial Planning, Culture, and Education, our projects promote social cohesion and develop inclusive solutions. These efforts ensure that citizens have a voice and actively engage in the life of our cities and regions, leaving no one behind.

Explore project solutions in more detail

Liveability

Liveability - Designing public services for resilient neighbourhoods
The project Liveability trains public administrations in innovative ways to engage people to create liveable and attractive city environments that adapt to people’s needs.
Read more about the project

BSR Cultural Pearls

Baltic Sea Region Cultural Pearls for more resilient Cities and Regions
The project BSR Cultural Pearls helps smaller cities and regions be more attractive to live in and improve their quality of life by engaging people in cultural activities and developing a stronger sense of commonship.
Read more about the project

KidsLikeUs

Empowering NGOs & public institutions in helping children overcome migration traumas using creativity and favors of nature
In the project KidsLikeUs, educators, public authorities and NGOs explore how contact with nature and appeal to all senses can improve mental well-being of children with traumatic experiences.
Read more about the project

Mobile Hospital

Mobile Hospital, Digital counseling environment for children and families
The project Mobile Hospital develops a mobile application that helps children and their families experience authentic hospital surroundings and better prepare for a hospital visit.
Read more about the project

INTERACTIVE GARDENS

Integrated system for interactive public garden development in Baltic Sea Region
In the project INTERACTIVE GARDENS, public authorities develop a system of interactive public gardens in order to improve health services for people, and thus better meet their well-being, social and educational needs.
Read more about the project

BSI_4Women

The Baltic Sea Initiative for the Development of Business Activity of Refugee Women
In the project BSI_4Women, public authorities and business support organisations help women refugees from Ukraine and beyond start their own businesses and become active community members.
Read more about the project

Prosper BSR

Promoting Perspectives for promising potential workforce in the Baltic Sea Region
The project Prosper BSR empowers business support organisations to integrate refugees and immigrants into labour markets, and ensure access to skilled workforce at the same time.
Read more about the project

We make transition!

Towards sustainable and resilient societies through empowered civil society and collaborative innovation
In the project We make transition! public authorities work on social and ecological initiatives with civil society, and co-create changes in the areas of consumption, mobility, energy and social life.
Read more about the project

BSR DeepTech Launch

Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Launchpad - developing efficient model for fostering STEM entrepreneurship among students and young researchers, to increase deep tech innovation in economy
In the project BSR DeepTech Launch, business, research and education institutions empower talented students and young researchers to start up their deep tech businesses and speed up green and digital transition.
Read more about the project

UrbanTestbeds.JR

UrbanTestbeds.JR / AI-supported urban testbeds identification, co-design and data-driven storytelling with and for Young Citizens
In the project UrbanTestbeds.JR, public authorities use artificial intelligence and storytelling to co-create, together with the youth, climate and sustainability plans for urban spaces.
Read more about the project

BaltSe@nioR

Innovative solutions to support BSR enterprises in product development aimed at raising comfort and safety of seniors home living
In this Interreg project, furniture manufacturers, designers, architectures and other experts gain knowledge about the senior’s needs and preferences in order to win a competitive edge in designing customised and smart products for seniors, and by this to improve their quality of life.
Read more about the project

BaltSe@nioR 2.0

Innovative solutions to support BSR in providing more senior - friendly public spaces due to increased capacity of BSR companies and public institutions
Manufacturers, public institutions and experts jointly developed solutions for smart senior-friendly furniture in public spaces, while advancing innovative and social business development.
Read more about the project

GreenSAM

Green Silver Age Mobility
The project GreenSAM helped to involve the senior citizens more actively in developing green transportation solutions.
Read more about the project

MAMBA

Maximised Mobility and Accessibility of Services in Regions Affected by Demographic Change
The Interreg project MAMBA introduced innovative mobility solutions making public transport, welfare services and goods delivery more convenient and accessible in rural areas across the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

OSIRIS

Supporting the Smart Specialization Approach in the Silver Economy to Increase Regional Innovation Capacity and Sustainable Growth
OSIRIS helped to accelerate the development and market uptake of innovative products and services for the elder people.
Read more about the project

RESPONSE

RESPONSE - Demand-Responsive Transport to ensure accessibility, availability and reliability of rural public transport
RESPONSE helped public transport authorities to develop demand-responsive transport solutions for rural areas.
Read more about the project

SEMPRE

Social Empowerment in Rural Areas
In the Interreg project SEMPRE, charity organisations, trainers and universities gave social services in disadvantaged rural areas of the Baltic Sea region a new role: to empower people in need instead of offering help - this brought happiness and hope to elderly people, migrants, single parents and other vulnerable groups.
Read more about the project

SEMPRE Accelerators

SEMPRE Accelerators for Service Co-Creation
Thanks to the project SEMPRE Accelerators, eight initiatives transformed to social start-ups and empowered the marginalised citizens in rural areas to get involved in co-development of self-sustaining businesses.
Read more about the project

UrbCulturalPlanning

Cultural Planning as a method for urban social innovation
The project UrbCulturalPlanning addressed social and urban development by involving citizens in the cultural planning.
Read more about the project

EmPaci

Empowering Participatory Budgeting in the Baltic Sea Region
EmPaci allowed citizens to take part in the public budget planning and bring the most needed projects to reality.
Read more about the project

BaltCityPrevention

Baltic Cities tackle lifestyle related diseases – The development of an innovative model for prevention interventions targeting public health authorities in the Baltic Sea Region
The Interreg project BaltCityPrevention helped public health authorities in the cities around the Baltic Sea to better promote healthy lifestyle, introduce eHealth technologies and strengthen cooperation between public health authorities and business.
Read more about the project

Solutions stay with the people: listen to our #InterregVoices:

©Hanse-Parliament/D.Möllenhoff

Thanks to the Interreg projects, we brought tangible results for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Baltic Sea region for the past 20 years. (...) We created many solutions for SMEs to help them run their businesses better. We also created very strong structures that are still intact.

Max Hogeforster

Hanse Parliament

©City of Tartu

With the EmpInno project, we have developed a statistics tool in collaboration with Estonian citizens and entrepreneurs. Now local policymakers have a better overview of the local business ecosystem, and also its development trends.

Finally, the Baltic Game Industry project helped us to create a gaming and film industry incubation programme in Tartu. The programme is still running even though the project is over.

Raimond Tamm

Deputy Mayor of Tartu, Estonia

©Michael Biel

The Baltic Sea region is a games hotspot in Europe. BSG GO! supports players in Berlin's game industry in entering into international cooperations and thus strengthening entrepreneurial resilience.

Michael Biel

Senate Department of Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises of Berlin

#MadeWithInterreg solutions by topic

Agriculture

Attractive cities for people

Cleaner waters

Digitalisation

Energy efficiency

Fewer hazards

Health &
well-being

Healthy & sustainable
food

Inclusive 
communities

Renewable energy

Safety at sea

Strong & competitive
companies