Grant options for cross-border cooperation

September 25th

The European Union undertakes various efforts to stimulate cooperation between regions in the European Union. Interreg is a series of five programmes set up to achieve this goal. The budget for the current period is 10.1 billion euro. However, the final beneficiaries of Interreg funds are usually public authorities, interest associations and non-profit organizations, such as chambers of commerce, employer organizations, unions or research institutes.

Possibilities for SME companies

SMEs can acquire support from these funds through other means. For example, the CrossRoads2 is a project within the European program Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland. Its aim is to stimulate sustainable cross-border cooperation between SME companies in Flanders and the southern provinces of the Netherlands on promising innovation projects. The project focuses on companies with good, innovative and technically feasible project ideas that would like to work cross-border with other SMEs. During the first four openings within this project, 66 projects received a grant.

On September 25, CrossRoads2 opened a new call. Companies can apply for an innovation project in one or more of the following eight sectors until October 31: High tech systems, Chemicals & materials, Agro & food, Life sciences & health, Cleantech, Biobased economy, Logistics and Maintenance. An innovation project is granted up to 135.000 euro, with a support rate of 45 percent. Feasibility studies, in which the technical or commercial feasibility of a future project is examined by an external party, located on the other side of the border, receive up to 10.000 euro support, with a support rate of 50 percent. Similar initiatives can be found in other border areas within Europe.