First call for proposals

The first call of the Danube Region Programme was targeted to proposals for transnational projects focused on all the four programme priorities.

The first call of the Danube Region Programme was open from September 29, 2022, until November 21, 2022, at 14:00 CET. On October 19, 2023, the Monitoring Committee approved 60 new projects.

You can find all the essential information about the first call projects in project factsheets published in our Library.

First call in numbers

290 - number of expressions of interest submitted by the deadline
2,853 - number of partners applying from all 14 Danube region countries
EUR 455 million - total budget the projects proposals applied for, which was 5 times more than the allocated budget for this call

Indicator progress

The outputs planned by the first call projects significantly contribute to achieving the overall programme indicator targets. The number of organizations cooperating across borders and the pilot actions to be implemented by these projects already surpass the indicator targets set for 2029 in the Interreg Programme document (IP).

Project partners per country

Altogether, 831 organisation cooperate in 60 first call projects - Hungary with 97 organisations, Slovenia with 87 and Romania with 83 institutions are the countries with the highest number of partners.

In the first call of the Danube Region Programme, lead partners can be both from EU and non-EU countries (exception: Ukrainian organisations could participate in the 1st call for proposals only as project partners).

The countries gathering most partners leading the projects are Slovenia with 16 partners, Hungary with 13 and Austria with 7 partners.

Number of projects per specific objective

Out of 60 contracted projects, the majority are implemented under Specific Objective 1.1, which focuses on enhancing innovation and technology transfer, with 15 projects. There are also 10 projects under Specific Objective 2.1, aimed at greening the energy and transport sectors in the Danube Region by integrating renewable energy sources. A

Additionally, there are 8 projects dedicated to Specific Objective 3.3, which promotes socio-economic development through heritage, culture, and tourism.

New partners

The average percentage of new partners in Danube Region programme projects is approximately 47.71%, reflecting a strong influx of fresh participants. Here are the countries with the highest percentages of new partners:

Ukraine leads with 78% of its project partners being new to the programme, totaling 14 out of 18. Montenegro follows with 68% new partners, having 25 out of 37 being new. Germany has 58% new partners, with 23 out of 40, Moldova has 52% new partners, with 11 out of 21 and Czech Republic having 50% new partners with 25 out of 50.

Interreg Funds contracted (EUR)

The total Interreg Funds allocated for the first call projects amount to EUR 113,732,199.29, comprising around 60% of the overall programme budget—substantially higher than initially planned when the first call was announced (up to EUR 92 mil).

The EU contribution tcovers 80% of the total project costs, drawing from the ERDF, IPA, and NDICI funds, which are combined into a single fund.