First phase POCTEP 2021-2027 – Third call 2022
This text was automatically translated into English from Spanish using machine translation.
Registration deadline
November 2022 – December 2022Objectives
The INTERREG VI-A Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Program (POCTEP) 2021-2027 is the largest cross-border cooperation program in the EU and has been prepared in order to face key challenges in the border area between both countries for the benefit of the citizenship and the environment.
The Program has been structured into four political objectives and one specific Interreg objective, covering seven priorities and a total of 17 specific objectives.
In this third call, those proposals that fit within the framework of the general characteristics of the Program will be taken into account and, in the case of applications that involve infrastructures or interventions in the physical environment, they must especially consider what is related to environmental procedures in the environmental considerations section. It includes priorities 1, 2, 3 and 4, within political objectives 1 and 2, together with its 7 specific objectives, being:
1. Priority 1. Take advantage of the potential of cooperation to consolidate the innovation, scientific and technological ecosystem, promote the creation of knowledge and business networks, promote digitization and improve business competitiveness, especially SMEs and micro-SMEs.
SO 1.1) Development and improvement of research and innovation capacities and implementation of advanced technologies.
SO 1.2) Taking advantage of digitization for citizens, companies, research organizations and public administrations.
SO 1.3) Reinforcement of sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and the creation of employment in them, also through productive investments.
2. Priority 2. Promote cooperation to maximize the use of the endogenous resources of the territory and the development of initiatives and key sectors, advancing in smart specialization.
SO 1.4) Development of capacities for smart specialization, industrial transition and entrepreneurship.
3. Priority 3. Advance in the ecological transition and adaptation to climate change in the cross-border space through cooperation as a tool for the promotion of the green economy and the blue economy.
SO 2.1) The promotion of energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
SO 2.2) The promotion of renewable energies in accordance with Directive (EU) 2018/2001, in particular the sustainability criteria detailed therein.
SO 2.3) Fostering adaptation to climate change, disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches.
4. Priority 4. Protect and conserve biodiversity in natural and rural spaces and value natural ecosystems and the urban environment of the cross-border space through cooperation.
SO 2.7) The promotion of the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity and ecological infrastructures, also in urban areas, and the reduction of all forms of pollution.
Eligible Activities
The eligible activities promoted by the Program within the framework of this 3rd call are:
1. Priority 1
SO 1.1) Actions that contribute to the development and improvement of research and innovation capacities in the cross-border space through actions that have as their goal the consolidation of the activity of the existing R&D&i infrastructures, taking advantage of the possibilities of specialization in technology transfer processes linked, among others, to the agricultural sector, bioscience or the use of natural resources, and that improve future prospects in the implementation of advanced technologies in the productive fabric of the cooperation area.
SO 1.2) Actions aimed at promoting digitization in the cooperation space from a fourfold perspective, integrating the productive fabric, research organizations, administrations and public entities that offer services to citizens, and citizens themselves.
SO 1.3) Actions that promote the implementation of innovative solutions in SMEs related to improving production capacity, profitability and competitiveness, as well as taking advantage of new opportunities linked to the sustainable development model.
2. Priority 2
SO 1.4) Actions aimed at promoting the consolidation of the industrial sector within the economy of the cross-border territory, while promoting and driving the transformation of this sector towards a modern, sustainable and digitized industry specialized in those subsectors identified in the strategies Regional for Smart Specialization in Research and Innovation. Likewise, those actions whose objective is to promote and support entrepreneurship will be considered, from a perspective of integration and social inclusion.
3. Priority 3
SO 2.1) Actions whose main objective is to increase the levels of energy efficiency in various areas (business, in buildings, in public infrastructures) supporting projects of joint cogeneration and efficient energy distribution systems to contribute to the development of a model sustainable economy, and with a low level of greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, these actions will result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and help mitigate climate change.
SO 2.2) Actions that increase the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources, and preferably from local sources, in coherence with the implementation of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SO 2.3) Actions focused on developing shared systems for the assessment and management of natural catastrophes that make it possible to reduce the possible consequences and expand territorial resilience and actions for the recovery and regeneration of areas affected by natural disasters, prioritizing approaches based on ecosystems and solutions based on nature.
4. Priority 4
SO 2.7) Actions that contribute to the protection and preservation of the cross-border natural environment (whether or not it is protected by some legal figure, such as the Natura 2000 Network), through the design, approval and application of joint management instruments that contemplate the factor of climate change, among other types of measures, and the possible implementation of green infrastructures that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of the natural environment.
Beneficiaries
The list of potential beneficiaries below is indicative and not exhaustive, and does not establish an order of preference.
• Public administrations
• SMEs and micro-SMEs
• Interest groups, including NGOs and civil associations
• European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)
• Other relevant agents in cross-border cooperation
Type of aid and economic conditions
For this third call, the total budget financed by ERDF is €134.8M (75% financing).
Even so, in all cases, the minimum budget for the projects will be €200,000.
Requirements
• Being part of one of the 36 NUTS III regions within the 6 cooperation areas involved in the POCTEP Program. It is also possible to carry out multi-regional cross-border cooperation actions.
• The period of execution of the projects is of the highest priority. The chosen projects must have a realistic execution calendar in coherence with the proposed activities.
• There is no possibility of requesting extensions.
• Annual budget execution milestones will be established that the projects must meet.
Applicable regulations
• Border-orientation paper Spain-Portugal (2020) https://www.poctep.eu/sites/default/files/border_paper_es_pt.pdf
• Common cross-border development strategy (2020) https://www.poctep.eu/sites/default/files/ecdt_es.pdf
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of June 24, 2021, regarding the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund
https://www.poctep.eu/sites/default/files/rgto_2021_1058_feder_cohesion_es.pdf
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of June 24, 2021, on specific provisions for the objective of European territorial cooperation (Interreg) that receives support from the European Regional Development Fund and financing instruments exterior https://www.poctep.eu/sites/default/files/rgto_2021_1059_interreg_es.pdf
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of June 24, 2021, establishing the common provisions relating to the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, as well as the financial rules for said Funds and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Financial Support Instrument for the Management of Borders and Visa Policy https://www.poctep.eu/sites/default/files/rgto_2021_1060_rdc_es.pdf
Route for processing
The processing of the project has not yet been specified.
