European Commission (EC) has launched a campaign RegioStars 2017 to award EU-funded projects that are innovative and inspiring to other regions.
After being selected by an independent jury, representatives from the finalist projects will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony, which will take place on Tuesday, 10 October 2017, during the 2017 European Week of Regions and Cities, where the winners in each category will receive a RegioStars trophy, a short video about their project and a social media promotional package.
Eligibility:
Among the project eligible to participate* in the campaign are the projects which received support from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) under a 2007-2013 operational programme – Hungary-Serbia IPA Cross-Border Co-operation Programme.
The Award Categories for 2017 are:
- Smart Specialisation for SME innovation
- Energy Union: Climate action
- Women Empowerment and Active Participation
- Education and training
- CityStars: Cities in Digital Transition
Application Process:
Applications must be submitted electronically by midnight on Monday, 10 April 2017. Guide to the application process, the Application Form, and the FAQ may be found on the web page of the EC: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/regio-stars-awards/#1, and in case of any questions, the interested projects may contact: regiostars2017@iservice-europa.eu.
Prior to applying, project managers of the projects which received funding within the Hungary-Serbia IPA Cross-Border Co-operation Programme and which are interested in participating must contact the Managing Authority of the programme for endorsement: Zsuzsanna Törő, Programme Manager: zsuzsanna.toro@me.gov.hu.
The Managing Authority may endorse only one project per category, based on the selection process it deems appropriate.
*Project managers (public or private) from all European regions can apply, if their project has received support from the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund or the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) either under a 2007-2013 or 2014-2020 operational programme.