Together. Without Borders.

Interreg Germany-Netherlands

We support the innovative, green, social and citizen-centred further development of the German-Dutch border region. Over 465 million euros are available for cross-border projects in the current funding period.
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About us

The European Union set up Interreg in the 1990s under the structural funds in order to promote cross-border cooperation. Since then, the programme has led to closer cross-border cooperation across the European Union. It is one of the main instruments used to implement the EU’s cohesion policy – in particular its regional policy, which is geared towards reducing development disparities between European regions and improving economic cohesion.
Between 2021 and 2027, the EU will invest almost 8 billion euros in cross-border cooperation across Europe.
The Interreg programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The sixth Interreg funding period began in 2021 and runs parallel to the EU budget cycle.
That means that Interreg projects can be carried out until 2029.
Karte Programmgebiet

Priorities & Funding

We contribute to four European priorities.

Priority 1: A more innovative programme area

Policy objective

A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic change and regional ICT connectivity

Specific objectives
  • Develop and enhance research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies
  • Increase sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including through productive investments

Priority 2: A greener programme area

Policy objective

A greener, low-carbon transition to a carbon neutral economy and a resilient Europe by promoting clean energy and a fair energy transition, green and blue investments, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Specific objectives
  • Promote climate change adaptation and disaster and risk prevention, resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches
  • Promote the transition to a circular and resource-efficient economy

Priority 3: Working together on a connected border area

Policy objective

A more social and inclusive Europe through the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

Specific objectives
  • Improve the efficiency and inclusiveness of labour markets and access to quality employment through the development of social innovation infrastructure
  • Improve equal access to more inclusive and higher quality services in education and training and lifelong learning by developing infrastructure, including by promoting the resilience of distance and online education and training
  • Ensuring equitable access to health care through infrastructure development, including primary care and promoting the transition from institutional to family and community-based care

Priority 4: A Europe closer to its citizens in the border area

Policy objective

Better governance in terms of cooperation

Specific objectives
  • Improve efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and collaboration between citizens, civil society actors and institutions, in particular with a view to removing legal and other obstacles in border regions
  • To build mutual trust, in particular by promoting people-to-people activities

Operations of strategic importance

As part of Interreg Germany-Netherlands, strategic projects will be developed that not only promote local development but also have a profound strategic importance for the entire region. These projects will be carefully selected to enhance cross-border cooperation and address key areas of crucial importance for the sustainable development of the German-Dutch border region.
Strategic projects within the Interreg programme focus on bridging regional differences and addressing common challenges to have a visible social impact.
A visible social impact can be, for example, direct applications of solutions, involvement of user groups or citizens or tangible facilities for cross-border cooperation, which can also be made visible in the project’s communication.
Projects of strategic importance will increasingly be reported during the current funding period 2021-2027. So far, the following projects have been defined as strategic projects:
- Emergency Drone
- Realise-Bio
- ERMWIC
- KPF INDUSTR_I4.0
- DIWA
- Health4DE-NL
Want to know more about our strategic projects? Then take a look at our project database.

Interreg VI A programme Germany-Netherlands 2021-2027

The European Union is supporting the Interreg VI A Germany-Netherlands programme 2021-2027 with approximately 225 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
National ministries, provinces and other public bodies at regional and local levels provide additional funding. In total, almost half a billion euros can be invested in cross-border projects by 2027.
The funding that has already been used can be seen in the graphic, which is continually updated.
Apply for your project
Program budget
232.899.309,50 euro
available
465,798,619.00 euro
total budget

Experience reports from project partners

Paludi & Markt

“The C02 footprint of peat is high (greenhouse gas emissions due to oxidation). In DE and NL together there are 58 million tons of C02, approx. 6% share of total CO2 emissions (DE), 4% of total CO2 emissions (NL). In the future, on thousands of hectares of moorland the water level will be raised to counteract the oxidation of these soils. The Interreg programme has funded innovative replacement production with almost EUR 0.5 million to give peat farmers alternatives to peat extraction. Instead of mining peat, in the future, chopped cattails will be used as substrates for horticulture or in potting soil. Through paludiculture (cultivation of plants on areas with high water levels), we were able to achieve innovative new production processes for cattail cultivation.”

Rino JansDirector Bargerveen Foundation
Rino Jans (Director Bargerveen Foundation)
Interreg-Projekt: Paludi & Markt
Partner: Bargerveen Foundation
Agropole Innovates

“Interreg Germany-Netherlands has supported our project consortium Agropole Innovates with over EUR 3.5 to help become one of the most competitive, sustainable and innovative agribusiness/food regions in Europe. We are building an innovation platform for knowledge transfer and exchange and are developing solutions for the following topics:

  • Evaluation of organic matter from insect production as a potential fertiliser and soil conditioner
  • Reducing the use of pesticides through early detection of diseases and pests in tree nurseries
  • Development of learning algorithms and use of AI to be able to react earlier to the dangers of plant diseases
  • Improving animal welfare, resource efficiency and food safety through greater transparency in pig farming.

I am Managing Director of the Netzwerkverbund Agrobusiness Niederrhein and we are the lead partner in this project.”

Dr. Anke SchirockiGF Agrobusiness Niederrhein e.V.
Dr. Anke Schirocki (GF Agrobusiness Niederrhein e.V.)
Interreg-Projekt: Agropole Innovates
Partner: Agrobusiness Niederrhein e.V.
BioNanoGel

“As a company in the biotech sector, we were able to benefit greatly from the EU investing over EUR 3 million in new drug development. The funding will allow us to develop a hydrogel that enables continuous drug delivery over weeks and replaces oral absorption. An innovative new form of painkiller treatment that helps save EUR 10-100 million in healthcare costs annually.”

Bas van den BroekR&D Director BioMed Elements
Interreg-Projekt: BioNanoGel
Partner: BioMed Elements B.V.
Landscape without borders

“Climate change and the biodiversity crisis know no borders and are two major problems that we as a society can only solve together, across borders. This is why the Vereniging Nederlands Cultuurlandschap (VNC) and the Naturschutzzentrum im Kreis Kleve e.V. (NZ Kleve) have joined forces and launched the Landscape without borders project. Together, we are looking for ways to make the landscape in our project area, near Uedem, Goch, Weeze and Kalkar on the German side and Mook and Middelaar, Gennep and Bergen (L) on the Dutch side, climate-proof for the future, while also contributing to an increase in biodiversity.”

Malve FalkVereniging Nederlands Cultuurlandschap
Interreg-Projekt: Landscape without borders
Partner: Vereniging Nederlands Cultuurlandschap

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