What Interact does
Cooperation can be complex;
Our job is to make it easier
Throughout Europe, Interreg programmes are implementing projects which improve the lives of Europeans. Interact helps Interreg programmes, and other actors working in a cooperation context, to be more efficient and more effective, to achieve more with EU funds.
You can watch this short video to find out more!
Interact has supported Interreg for more than 20 years, and continues to offer bespoke interventions to address the key challenges facing Interreg programmes and other cooperation actors in working in a complex environment.
We ensure the exchange of experience, information and innovation in order to promote best practice and make cooperation easier. We achieve this through targeted events, publications and tools.
Our services are targeted at cooperation programmes under the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) objective of Cohesion Policy - known as Interreg. To find out more about Interreg click here.
Our organisational structure
Interact is itself an Interreg programme, under Strand C Interregional Programmes. We are established in the Interreg regulation (2021/1059), Article 3 (3) (C) to ensure the exchange of experiences, innovative approaches and capacity building among cooperation actors.
The Interact Managing Authority and Interact Secretariat is hosted by the Bratislava Self Governing Region. Partnership agreements establish four implementing offices which pool experiences, innovations and ideas from all over Europe. Our offices are located in Turku (Finland), Valencia (Spain), Viborg (Denmark) and Vienna (Austria).
Each office combines the management of specific projects and contributes to the overall knowledge and implementation of the programme. Our specalists work across offices and topics, to build a broad understanding of the challenges facing Interreg programmes and design interventions to address them.
You can find out more about our mission in the programme document, and more about the hosting organisation in our List of Operations.
History
Interact I (2002-2006) primarily focused on the immediate needs to support the Interreg initiative. It provided support for the implementation of the three strands of Interreg (Cross-border, Transnational and Interregional programmes) to increase efficiency, effectiveness and quality. Unlike the current programme, Interact funded projects to develop local and regional initiatives and contribute to the development of the institutions involved in Interreg.
Interact II (2007-2013) went on to support the Interreg community as well as IPA and ENPI CBC programmes (EU external borders). In order to do so, Interact developed harmonised tools such as HIT, eMS, KEEP, European Cooperation Day, Interreg branding. Interact also provided support to innovative cooperation methods, such as the EU macro-regional strategies.
Interact III (2014-2020) further supported Interreg, and other cooperation actors, moving towards a more result-oriented approach, through work on the 11 thematic objectives, specialised capitalisation networks and the creation of a single web portal Interreg.eu which would serve as an entry point into Interreg. In addition, the harmonised tools were redeveloped and enhanced. The second generation of tools, co-created with Interreg programmes through core groups resiulted in a new page of HIT tools, a new monitoring system Jems (replacing eMS), which supports more than 50% of Interreg programmes with eMonitoring. New tools such as an Online Learning Portal pioneered new ways of helping those working in Interreg access and understand the harmonised approach to programme management, built in HIT.
Interact IV (2021-2027) supports Interreg prorgammes and other cooperation actors in the 2021-2027 funding period. Interact's mission remains largely as created for Interact III, but with new focal points to support Interreg, particularly around 5 Policy Objectives and 2 Interreg Specific Objectives. Interact has also launched new methodologies, such as the Acadmey, offering certified training programmes with clear learning outcomes, as well as the Interreg Knowledge Fair, a large-scale event gathering more than 200 Interreg experts in one location to exchange on key topics.
You can find out more about Interact and our topics of work on our website, and in our working documents. You can find out more about our cooperation tools here.
Interact is also working to support Interreg contribute to the future cohesion policy. You can find out more about this work here.