Long

Interreg programmes every day stimulate and support relevant actors in their programme area to solve together problems respectively to make joint use of development potentials. Imagine what could be achieved if not only individual actors worked together across borders as project partners. But if Interreg programmes themselves joined forces with other funding programmes. This way single projects and single Interreg programmes would have a much bigger impact far beyond their own project respectively programme area. The solution lies in a more coordinated use of funding instruments, hence requiring coordination and cooperation between the different funding sources.

Who is the course for?

The course is designed for anyone interested to find out which capacities and competences it takes to coordinate and cooperate with other funding programmes within and beyond Interreg. In most cases, these will be staff members from Interreg Joint Secretariats and Managing Authorities. But as much as the topic is about going beyond borders, also this course is not limited to those working in Interreg. It could be equally interesting for e.g. someone working in Regional Operational Programmes.

This course is for you if

• You think that you and your funding programme can achieve more if you join forces with other funding programmes.
• You want to improve your personal capacity and competence to coordinate and cooperate with other programmes.
• You want to find out how to encourage and equip your team with the necessary skills and resources to coordinate and cooperate with other funding programmes.
• Even if you are still hesitant if coordination and cooperation with other programmes makes sense and is feasible.

This course is not for you if

• You want to continue business as usual or expect ready-made answers which you can apply 1:1.
• You want to stay within the comfort zone of your programme or even of Interreg.
• You promote cooperation among beneficiaries but are not interested in cooperating yourself with other programmes.

By the end of the course …

• You will have a better understanding why coordination and cooperation with other programmes makes sense.
• You will have discovered ways how to find out with which other programme you could coordinate and cooperate.
• You will have some ideas of how such coordination and cooperation actually could look like in practice.
• And first and foremost, your personal inter-programme capacity and competence as precondition to make it all happen will, hopefully, have increased.

Course developers and contributors

Many persons have contributed to developing this course. The main responsibility lies with Philipp Schwartz (Interact) who is dealing with the issue of Inter-programme capacity and competence since 2014 largely benefitting from his previous work as Head of the Joint Technical Secretariat of an Interreg cross-border cooperation programme (2007-2013). His passion for this topic comes from his involvement in the coming into being of the first ever EU macro-regional strategy, the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region back in 2009 – and the linkages between “his” Interreg programme and such strategic regional framework for cooperation. From his perspective as Head of Secretariat, he quickly realised that the starting point for this are personal skills, abilities, experiences, attitude and the willingness of those involved in Interreg (and other) funding programmes to gain and use ‘Inter-programme capacity and competence’.

 

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