Interreg North Sea Region Programme 2021-2027

Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-11 10:42

Transnational cooperation programme focusing on biodiversity, green energy, and clean-tech challenges including circular economy and plastic waste reduction in the North Sea region. Future call details for 2026-2027 to be announced on programme website.

Source: https://interreg.eu/programmes

Funding Details

Funder

Interreg North Sea Region Programme (EU / Interact)

Funding Goal

Transnational cooperation across the North Sea region to address shared challenges including sea-level rise, biodiversity loss, the urban-rural divide, green energy transition, and clean-tech innovation — including circular economy and plastic waste reduction.

Funding Amount

Not specified on the programmes listing page; individual project budgets vary — typically hundreds of thousands to several million EUR per project based on Interreg North Sea historical rounds.

Deadline

2026-2027 calls to be announced (Rolling)

How to Apply

Applications are submitted in response to open calls published on the dedicated Interreg North Sea programme website. Applicants must form a transnational partnership with organisations from at least three eligible countries. Applications are assessed against programme priorities and eligibility criteria. Future 2026-2027 call details are to be announced on the programme website.

Target Region

North Sea Region (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and parts of France/UK)

Contact

General Interreg contact: interregonline@interact.eu | Programme-specific contact available via https://interreg.eu/programmes/north-sea/

Official Page

https://interreg.eu/programmes/north-sea/

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:08

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Form a transnational partnership with organisations from at least three different eligible North Sea countries (e.g. Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Belgium)
• Your organisation must be located in or work within the eligible North Sea Region programme area

Project Scope

• Project must address a shared transnational challenge in one of the programme priority areas (biodiversity, sea-level rise, green energy, clean-tech, circular economy, urban-rural divide)
• Project activities and outputs must have clear transnational added value — not achievable by a single country acting alone

Required Documents

• Prepare a full project application form including partnership details, work plan, budget, and expected results aligned to programme indicators

Constraints

• Submit project during an open call period — monitor the Interreg North Sea programme website for 2026-2027 call announcements
• Project must comply with ERDF co-financing rules; national co-financing from each partner's country may be required
• Lead partner must take responsibility for overall project management, reporting, and financial coordination across the consortium

Summary

The Interreg North Sea Region Programme 2021-2027 is a transnational EU cooperation programme that brings together innovators, public bodies, NGOs, and research organisations from countries bordering the North Sea to develop joint solutions to shared challenges. The programme co-creates a better future for the 60+ million people living in the North Sea Region by enabling cross-border partnerships to build trust and realise impactful ideas. Key challenge areas include sea-level rise, biodiversity loss, the urban-rural divide, green energy, and clean-tech innovation. Funded under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of Interreg B (transnational) cooperation, the programme requires partnerships of at least three organisations from at least three different eligible North Sea countries (typically including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, plus parts of France and the UK). Projects must address common challenges transnationally rather than locally. The programme aligns well with themes such as sustainable blue economy, coastal protection, biodiversity conservation, circular economy, and plastic waste reduction in the North Sea context. For the 2021-2027 period, future call details for 2026-2027 are expected to be announced on the programme's dedicated website. Previous rounds have funded projects ranging from small pilots to larger transnational initiatives. As a transnational programme, it is particularly suitable for NGOs and public bodies that already have or can build international networks across North Sea countries. The requirement for multi-country consortia means that smaller single-country NGOs will typically need to enter as consortium partners rather than lead applicants.

Historical Context

The Interreg North Sea programme is part of the 2021-2027 EU programming period. As of March 2026, approximately 70% of total Interreg funding across all programmes for this period has been allocated, per the State of Interreg 2025 report. The North Sea programme has operated since earlier programming periods. The current period runs to 2027, with additional calls expected in 2026-2027.

Why it was added

Interreg circular economy / plastic waste program relevant for OPF value chain work

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