Interreg North Sea Programme 2021-2027
Enriched – · Found: 2026-03-13 15:31
Ongoing Interreg programme funding cross-border projects in North Sea region covering Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden. Priorities include transition to circular economy, pollution prevention, blue economy. Co-funding 60% EU (50% for Norway). Total budget EUR 158M. Supports plastic waste value chains and circular initiatives.
Source: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/apply
Funding Details
- Funder
- Interreg North Sea Programme (EU ERDF co-funded)
- Funding Goal
- Fund cross-border projects addressing four priorities in the North Sea region: robust and smart economies, green transitions, climate resilience/pollution/biodiversity, and better governance. Projects must bring together partners from multiple North Sea countries to achieve shared goals through transnational collaboration.
- Funding Amount
- Varies per call and project type. Call 6 (TakeUP!) has max EUR 1 million per project. Earlier calls had higher ceilings. Co-financing from ERDF typically 60-70% of eligible costs.
- Deadline
- Call 6 deadline: March 2027. Earlier calls closed. Check programme website for current open calls. (Rolling)
- How to Apply
- Applications submitted via the Interreg North Sea Online Management System (OMS). Current active call is Call 6 (TakeUP! call), opening December 2026. See https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/apply-in-call-6 for details.
- Target Region
- North Sea Programme area: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Scotland (UK)
- Contact
- Interreg North Sea Secretariat. National Contact Points: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/national-contact-points
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-15 11:12
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Interreg North Sea Programme 2021-2027 is a transnational EU co-funded cooperation programme for the North Sea region. Managed through the Interreg framework, it channels European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) resources into cross-border projects that create value across multiple countries in the North Sea area. The programme has four strategic priorities: (1) Robust and smart economies, (2) Green transitions — including circular economy, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture, (3) Climate resilience, pollution and biodiversity — including ecosystem management and water governance, and (4) Better governance. Past achievements include blue economy, circular economy, coastal protection, sustainable farming, and energy efficiency projects. Eligible activities include research, piloting, knowledge sharing, and implementation of transnational solutions. Projects must demonstrate clear cross-border value and involve meaningful collaboration rather than parallel national activities. The geographic scope is the North Sea Programme area: Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Germany (coastal states), the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Scotland (UK). All partners must be from these countries. Eligible applicants include public authorities, NGOs, research institutions, private companies, and other legal entities from the programme area. Minimum 3 partners from at least 3 different programme countries are required. The current active call is Call 6 (TakeUP! call), which focuses on scaling existing Interreg outputs and opens December 2026 with a March 2027 deadline. Maximum budget per project in this call is EUR 1 million. ERDF co-financing typically covers 60-70% of eligible project costs.
Historical Context
The Interreg North Sea Programme 2021-2027 is the current programme period. Previous programme periods (VB, IVB) have funded hundreds of projects in the region. Call 6 (TakeUP!) is the current and likely final call of the 2021-2027 period, focused on scaling existing outputs.