From Territories to Europe: Building Synergies for Transnational Cooperation - PBA

This Partnership Building Activity (PBA) is focused on transnational cooperation, territorial development and European project design, taking place in Luso, Portugal, from 6 to 10 July 2025, with activities starting on the afternoon of 6 July and ending on the morning of 10 July. Participants may travel on 5 July or on the morning of 6 July, and return at the end of the day on 10 July or on 11 July.

The activity is targeted at professionals actively working in territorial development, European cooperation, social innovation, community development, regional cooperation, local governance, education, culture, sustainability, innovation and related fields. It is designed for participants representing organisations, institutions, municipalities, NGOs, development agencies, research or knowledge institutions, social enterprises, cultural organisations and other civil society or public/private entities with an interest in developing transnational cooperation projects.

This PBA is particularly relevant for professionals who already have experience in European project work, including the design, management or implementation of projects funded by Erasmus+, Interreg or other relevant European and international funding programmes. The activity is not designed as an introductory session to European projects, but as a practical and strategic space for participants who are ready to contribute actively to partnership building and project development.

The PBA aims to create a collaborative and practice-oriented space where experienced practitioners can:

• exchange concrete experiences, territorial challenges and good practices from their regions;
• explore the Interreg ecosystem and other European funding opportunities for transnational cooperation;
• identify common needs, priorities and complementarities between organisations and territories;
• build strategic international partnerships across European regions;
• co-develop concrete project ideas as part of transnational consortia.

A key objective of the activity is the creation of project-ready partnerships and the development of concrete transnational cooperation ideas. Participants will work together to identify shared territorial challenges and transform them into structured project concepts, with the clear intention of preparing future submissions under Interreg or other relevant European funding programmes.

The programme will combine:

• peer learning and exchange of territorial practices;
• facilitated thematic discussions on transnational cooperation and territorial development;
• hands-on working sessions focused on partnership building, project design and funding alignment;
• collaborative workshops on needs analysis, consortium development and project structuring;
• structured networking moments to support long-term cooperation beyond the activity.

Special attention will be given to European cooperation frameworks and funding opportunities, including Interreg Europe, Interreg SUDOE, Interreg Central Baltic, IPA ADRION, Interreg Euro-MED, NEXT MED, POCTEP, ESPON and other relevant opportunities for cooperation projects between European regions, organisations and institutions. Participants will also explore how different European programmes, such as Erasmus+, Interreg, Horizon Europe, CERV and ESF, can complement each other within broader organisational funding strategies.

This PBA is not an introductory activity. It is aimed at participants who already have some experience in European project work, territorial development or cooperation initiatives, and who are able to actively contribute to advanced discussions, collaborative design processes and strategic planning.

By the end of the activity, participants are expected to:

• have established or strengthened international and transnational partnerships;
• have exchanged concrete practices and challenges related to territorial development and European cooperation;
• have gained a clearer understanding of Interreg and other European cooperation frameworks;
• have co-created one or more project ideas ready for further development and potential submission;
• have reinforced their strategic and practical capacity to position territorial cooperation initiatives within European funding frameworks.