Brussels time
The Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme provides funding for regions to work together with a focus on promoting sustainable development in remote and sparsely populated communities.
This call aims to support partners developing a successful main project application.
The purpose of preparatory projects is to develop project ideas in a more specific and focused direction, to examine the need for the project outputs among end users and stakeholders and to build up transnational partnerships.
Both, experienced and inexperienced project partners are encouraged to apply and use the preparatory projects for establishing new connections and discussing the project ideas.
Preparatory projects applicants are expected to address their chosen specific objective with actions such as:
The projects will ideally conclude with the presentation of a main project application addressing the Fourth or Fifth Call for main projects planned to open respectively in 2023/2024.
The Monitoring Committee is looking to fund projects in the following Priorities:
PRIORITY 1: Strengthening the innovation capacity for resilient and attractive NPA communities
PRIORITY 2: Strengthening the capacity for climate change adaptation, and resource sufficiency in NPA communities
All projects are expected to make a special effort to include end-users in their project proposals. In all activities that are approved by the Interreg NPA programme, there should be an integration of the horizontal criteria and the activities should strive for sustainable development, with gender equality, non-discrimination and accessibility and inclusion of underrepresented groups, including indigenous peoples and other culturally and linguistically distinct groups originating from the NPA area.
Preparatory projects have a duration of either 6-months (receiving up to 50.000 € budget) or 12-months (receiving up to 100.000 € budget).
Preparatory projects involve at least 2 programme partner countries, at least one of which from an EU Member States. Partnerships are recommended to include at least 2 of the 3 geographical zones of the programme area: Finland-Sweden-Norway; Ireland; Faroe Islands-Greenland-Iceland.
Lead Partners must be public organisations based in the NPA Programme area (unless they have a national remit that covers the Programme area). Project partners can be either public or private. Project partners are expected to be located inside the NPA area and can be either be public or private organisations.
Interreg NPA is funding two types of preparatory projects:
The support to the beneficiaries will be handled as a lump sum based on a draft budget. In case of approval, the draft budget will be converted to a lump sum budget in Jems. The NPA eligibility rules and intervention rates outlined in the Programme Manual apply.
Travis O'Doherty
Northern and Western Regional Assembly
Brussels time
