Danube Region Programme Launches Final Regular Call for Proposals with €27 Million in Funding

The Danube Region Programme (DRP) has officially launched its third and final regular Call for Proposals, opening up a funding opportunity worth approximately €27 million. This amount is allocated across seven Specific Objectives, each targeting key areas of development within the region.

Following the success of the previous two calls, which led to the approval of 90 projects, the Programme conducted a comprehensive analysis to assess the outcomes and identify remaining gaps. This strategic evaluation revealed several areas where further intervention is needed - insights that played a crucial role in shaping the focus of this third call.

As a result, the third call has been designed as a targeted initiative, encouraging applicants to address specific needs identified through the Programme’s in-depth review. By aligning the available funding with these clearly defined priorities, the DRP aims to maximize the impact of its final round of regular project support and ensure a balanced and sustainable development across the region.

Developing and advancing AI skills, strengthening employment services and labour mobility, transforming Vocational Education and Training, accelerating the energy transition, adapting to climate change and environmental risks, enhancing transnational water management, tackling societal challenges and governance resilience – all these can be addressed in the third call by interested organisations.

To contribute to the socio-economic advancement of the Danube region and prepare it for the future, the DRP disburses funds for building AI capacity of public and private non-profit organisations to better support businesses being competitive in the rapidly evolving market. It also supports strengthening the employment support institutions through improved information and data systems and enhanced coordination, and driving vocational excellence in the region to better address pressing societal challenges while aligning more closely with the evolving needs of employers and communities.

In response to the current environmental challenges and increasing demand for sustainable and renewable energy solutions, DRP commits to support projects that strengthen region’s capacity to adapt to climate change and environmental risks through coordinated, transnational efforts, projects that address the growing impact of climate change on transnational water management as well as projects that propose innovative approaches to energy production, heating and cooling systems, grid load management, and the development of energy communities.

DPR also welcomes proposals that address complex societal challenges that require multifaceted approaches and multi-stakeholder involvement. This specific funding targets key areas like the accelerating territorial polarisation of the Danube Region and related demographic trends (e.g. brain-drain, depopulation, decline of rural / remote areas), strengthening crisis resilience of local and regional public governance systems to better respond to unforeseen crisis-situations, promoting and optimising models for participative and sustainable democracy and strengthening transnational capacities of public local and regional governance systems to ensure the continuity and functionality of key value chains.

Through this targeted funding, DRP aims to foster a more innovative, sustainable, and cohesive Danube Region, while also contributing to the EU enlargement process by supporting candidate countries in their preparations for membership.

Disclaimer: This article does not provide complete or detailed information for application purposes. Interested applicants are encouraged to review the Call documents to ensure alignment with the Programme’s priorities and call requirements.

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