Interreg programs, or European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) programs, are part of the EU’s regional and structural policy. Interreg programs aim to support the integration of border regions and cross-border cooperation areas. They also aim to support and strengthen networks between regions and cities. The competitiveness and economic development of the regions is contributed to through increased cooperation, exchange of experience and dissemination of good practices. The programs also aim to contribute to the environmental objectives of the European Green Development Program (Ministry of Employment and the Economy 2022).
Finland will participate in the implementation of eight Interreg programs in the 2021‒2027 programming period (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment 2022). One of the interregional cooperation programs is Interreg Europe, which aims to improve the delivery of regional development, including by promoting the exchange of experience and good practices between regional policy actors. The program contributes to all EU priorities and aims to improve regional governance through capacity building. The topics are Smart, Green, Connected, Social, Citizens and Governance. (Interreg Europe 2024).
ACTIVE ID promotes sport business growth and cooperation
At the end of the last year, LAB University of Applied Sciences received good news. Three projects (ACTIVE ID, ClimateGo and DeCo) prepared for the second funding period of the Interreg Europe program received a positive funding decision. In all three projects, LAB is the lead partner. The role of the lead partner in international projects is extremely important and challenging. Therefore, the Interreg Europe program organized a meeting for lead partners of all projects that were successful in the second call for proposals in March in Antwerp, Belgium. The seminar went into more detail on project implementation, financial monitoring and reporting, and communication. One of the main benefits of the event, in addition to the project management guiding, was the opportunity for networking, especially between projects of the same topic.
A project from LAB’s Wellbeing Unit is ACTIVE ID (Activating Citizens Towards healthy lifestyles In Vital EU Regions with Innovative Data-driven solutions), which is part of the Smart topic of the Interreg Europe program. The project aims to promote innovative growth and competitiveness of sport and leisure SMEs in the EU. The project will strengthen cooperation and development between stakeholders in the regions to support SMEs.
For LAB, the objectives of the ACTIVE ID project (LAB 2024) will be promoted in the Päijät-Häme region. In addition to Päijät-Häme, the project regions are the Dalarna County in Sweden, the North Brabant Province in the Netherlands, the Castilla-La Mancha Region in Spain, and the Vratsa Province in Bulgaria.
Author
Kirsi Kiiskinen, RDI specialist at LAB’s Wellbeing Unit, is the project manager of the ACTIVE ID project (LAB 2024).
References
Interreg Europe. 2024. Discover the program. Cited 7 May 2024. Available at https://www.interregeurope.eu/discover-the-programme
LAB. 2024. Activating Citizens Towards healthy lifestyles In Vital EU-regions with Innovative Data-driven solutions. Project website. LAB University of Applied Sciences. Cited 7 May 2024. Available at https://lab.fi/fi/projekti/activeid
Ministry of Employment and the Economy. 2022. Interreg programs 2021-2027. Cited 7 May 2024. Available at https://rakennerahastot.fi/interreg-ohjelmat
