Cross-border cooperation within Interreg North Sea Region: second call is now open
On 1 August, the second call of the EU programme Interreg North Sea Region (NSR) opened. Within this grant programme, solutions or instruments – related to one or more NSR themes (for example energy transition and circular economy) – can be tested. Partnerships – consisting of knowledge institutions, companies, government organisations and citizens / users from several NSR countries – can submit an application until 14 November 2022. Read everything there is to know about this Interreg NSR call:
- Interreg North Sea Region (NSR): objectives and themes
- Programme area and type of partnerships
- What type of projects are eligible?
- Budget and grant contribution
- When to apply for the second Interreg NSR call
- Results of the first call
- Personal advice or support
Interreg North Sea Region (NSR): objectives and themes
Below you will find an overview of the objectives and the spotlight themes within this programme:
| Themes | Objectives |
| Robust & smart economies |
|
| A green transition |
|
| Climate resilience |
|
| Better governance |
|
Additional spotlight themes are:
- Digitalisation;
- Rural-urban linkages;
- Strength & challenges in the North Sea basin.
These spotlight themes are considered relevant to all four themes.
Would you like to find out whether your project fits one of these themes and/or objectives? Feel free to contact us for personal advice!
Programme area and type of partnerships
This programme is intended for parties from several regions within the programme area that jointly want to address a shared problem. These partnerships are designed on the basis of the “Quadruple Helix” model, meaning cooperation between knowledge institutions, companies, government and citizens / users. The figure below shows the NSR programme area for the period 2021-2027:
What type of projects are eligible?
You can recieve a grant contribution for either small-scale projects or regular projects. The differences between these two types of projects are outlined below:
| Small-scale project | Regular project |
| Total project budget: maximum € 500,000; recommended minimum € 200,000 | Total project budget € 1 – 6 million |
| Project duration: maximum 1.5 years | Project duration: between 2 and 4 years |
| 3 – 7 partners (from 3 NSR countries) | Approximately 10 partners |
Budget and grant contribution
The budget of Interreg NSR is approximately € 170 million (period 2021 – 2027). You can get a grant of up to 60% of the eligible costs. For Norwegian parties, the grant rate is up to 50%.
When to apply for the second Interreg NSR call
The second Interreg NSR call opened on 1 August and will close on 14 November 2022. You can submit the following types of applications in this period:
- Expressions of Interest (step 1 for regular projects);
- Small-scale project applications (full application);
- Full applications based on a successful Expression of Interest (during the first call);
- Full applications without a prior Expression of Interest.
On 30 August, 2022, the programme secretariat of Interreg NSR will organise a webinar about the second call. Are you interested in joining this session? You can register here.
Results of the first call
At the end of June the results were announced regarding the applications submitted during the first call of the new programme period (2021-2027). Only three full applications for small-scale projects were submitted (project size: maximum € 500,000); all three were approved.
In addition, the NSR Monitoring Committee assessed 18 applications submitted as Expressions of Interest (for regular projects), of which 13 were selected to submit a full application. These selected projects cover themes such as hydrogen, circular economy & construction and hydrogen valleys.
At the end of September the Monitoring Committee will make a decision on the full applications (for regular projects); these projects could be submitted until 22 April 2022.
Personal advice or support
Hezelburcht has supported several Interreg applications in the recent past. We therefore have the necessary knowledge and experience to prepare a high-quality application. If you would like to know more about this programme, do not hesitate to contact us for a one-on-one meeting with one of our specialists!
Contact us for more information
Or call us directly: 088 495 20 00
