CONVOCATORIAS ABIERTAS

Call	Priority	ERDF	Opening	Closing	Decision	Documents
9th Call Small Project Funds	SO 1.4., 2.1., SO 2.7.,  4.6., Interreg Specific Objective – actions a) and c).	€10 M	09/09/2026	21/10/2026	March 2027	Published terms and conditions

 

DOCUMENTS – 9th Call

• TERMS AND CONDITIONS – 9th Call: download in Spanish | download in Portuguese
• EVALUATION CRITERIA: download in Spanish | download in Portuguese
• APPLICATION FORM – 9th Call and GUIDE FOR COMPLETING THE FORM (New version): working documents; applications must be submitted exclusively through CoFFEE.
• Sole Beneficiary Declaration (NEW)
• GTSpp Agreement Template (NEW)
• Small Project Funds – Technical Data Sheet
• More information at POCTEP Seminars

The following is a brief summary of some relevant aspects. It is essential to read the call terms and conditions in full. In the event of any discrepancy or difference in interpretation, the content of the official call documents shall always prevail.

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What is the budget allocated to the call?

The ERDF funding allocated to this Call amounts to €10,000,000. The maximum ERDF co-financing rate is set at 75% of the eligible cost of each SPF operation.

The minimum budget for each application (Small Project Fund) shall be €200,000. In turn, each public contribution to a small project (to be received by the final recipients) shall not exceed €100,000. If the aid is granted to a company, it shall not exceed €22,000.

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What applications can be submitted?

Each application shall constitute a single Small Project Fund.

Proposals must fall under a single specific objective of those indicated in the Call and demonstrate their contribution to the expected results and indicators. The terms and conditions include an indicative list of the types of actions that may be financed.

The specific objectives include:

• SO 1.4. Developing capacities for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship.
• SO 2.1. Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• SO 2.7. Enhancing the protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution.
• SO 4.6. Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation.
• Interreg Specific Objective – action a). Improving the institutional capacity of public authorities, in particular those responsible for managing a specific territory, and stakeholders.
• Interreg Specific Objective – action c). Building mutual trust, in particular by encouraging interpersonal actions (people to people).

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Who can submit an application?

Each Small Project Fund (SPF) shall have a single Lead Beneficiary or Sole Beneficiary (LB/SB). Beneficiaries must have legal personality and be established as public entities or entities of an equivalent public nature.

Entities eligible to submit an application as Lead Beneficiary or Sole Beneficiary include public entities or equivalent entities, entities established under the Treaty of Valencia, international organisations whose objectives are compatible with those of the Programme, and legally established European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) comprising institutions from Spain and Portugal.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Sole Beneficiary (LB/SB) shall be fully financially and legally responsible for the proper management of the operation vis-à-vis the Managing Authority (MA) and the other Programme management and control structures. It must have the necessary competencies, technical and financial capacities, and economic solvency to implement and manage the SPF, carrying out the corresponding calls, award procedures, monitoring and payments to the final recipients of the small projects.

Consequently, the MA may request the SPF LB/SB to demonstrate such capacity: it is essential that the LB/SB assesses its participation taking into account its administrative, financial and management capacity to carry out the tasks assumed under the operation.

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How and when should applications be submitted?

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Applications shall be submitted exclusively electronically through the Programme’s information system, Interreg (CoFFEE environment).

The application period shall remain open from 10:00 a.m. on 9 September 2026 until 2:00 p.m. on 21 October 2026 (Spanish mainland time).

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What is the implementation period?

The start date for the eligibility of expenditure shall be 1 January 2026. However, the Small Project Funds (SPFs) must not have been physically completed or fully implemented before the date of submission of the application.

The maximum implementation period for the Small Project Funds ends on 30 June 2029.

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What is the budget allocated to the call?

The ERDF funding allocated to this Call amounts to an initially estimated €21 million, taking into account the ERDF funding currently available. This amount may be increased by the remaining and released ERDF funding under each priority at the time of the Call decision. The maximum ERDF co-financing rate is set at 75% of the eligible cost of the projects.

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What projects can be submitted?

Proposals must fall under a single specific objective within Priorities 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the Programme and demonstrate their contribution to the expected results and indicators.

The priorities and specific objectives of this Call are:

Priority 1

• SO 1.1. Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies.
• SO 1.2. Reaping the benefits of digitalisation for citizens, companies, research organisations and public authorities.
• SO 1.3. Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by means of productive investments.

Priority 2

• SO 1.4. Developing capacities for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship.

Priority 3

• SO 2.1. Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• SO 2.2. Promoting renewable energy in accordance with Directive (EU) 2018/2001, including the sustainability criteria set out therein.
• SO 2.4. Promoting climate change adaptation, disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches.

Priority 4

• SO 2.7. Enhancing the protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution.

Priority 5

• SO 4.1. Improving the effectiveness and inclusiveness of labour markets and access to quality employment through the development of social infrastructure and the promotion of the social economy.
• SO 4.2. Improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through the development of accessible infrastructure, including by fostering resilience in distance and online education and training.
• SO 4.5. Ensuring equal access to healthcare through the development of inclusive and quality services, including primary care, and promoting the transition from institutional to family- and community-based care.
• SO 4.6. Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation.

Priority 7

• Interreg SO – action a). Improving the institutional capacity of public authorities, in particular those responsible for managing a specific territory, and stakeholders.
• Interreg SO – action b). Enhancing efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and cooperation between citizens, civil society representatives and institutions, in particular with a view to resolving legal and other obstacles in the regions.
• Interreg SO – action c). Building mutual trust, in particular by encouraging interpersonal actions.
• Interreg SO – action f). Other actions supporting better governance of cooperation.

All projects funded by the Programme must demonstrate a strong cross-border component and impact, both in their design and implementation, with a clear results-oriented approach.

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Who can submit an application?

All projects must be led by a Lead Beneficiary (LB), who shall be financially and legally responsible for the project as a whole.

Potential beneficiaries and partners include: public authorities, local authorities, regional development agencies, universities and other higher education institutions, higher and vocational education centres, technology centres, science, technology and business parks, associations, foundations and public and private research institutes, public employment services, companies (including SMEs and micro-enterprises) and social economy entities, chambers of commerce, clusters and business associations, civil protection services, workers’ associations, interest groups, including NGOs and civil society organisations, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), entities managing protected natural areas, entities dedicated to promoting cross-border cooperation and other relevant stakeholders..

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How and when should applications be submitted?

Applications shall be submitted exclusively electronically through the Programme’s information system, CoFFEE Interreg. Applications shall be completed in one of the two languages provided for in the Programme (Spanish and Portuguese).

The application period shall remain open from 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 17 November 2026 (Spanish mainland time).

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What is the implementation period?

The start date for the eligibility of expenditure shall be 1 January 2026. However, projects must not have been physically completed or fully implemented before the date of submission of the application.

The maximum implementation period for the projects under this Call shall end on 30 June 2029.

The financial plan must be realistic, and each beneficiary must achieve a minimum implementation rate of 80% of its approved annual budget.

Objetivo Específico Interreg (ISO1): «Una mejor gobernanza de la cooperación»

OP1: «Una Europa más inteligente, promoviendo una transformación económica innovadora e inteligente»

OP2: «Una Europa más verde, baja en carbono, en transición hacia una economía con cero emisiones netas de carbono”».

OP4: «Una Europa más social e inclusiva, por medio de la aplicación del pilar europeo de derechos sociales»

1. Contacts of the Coordination Units (View contacts)

2. POCTEP SC Contacts:

candidaturas@poctep.eu (queries regarding the preparation of applications)

As of 16/06/2025: any CoFFEE-related incident must be referred to the User Support Centre (CAU) of the General Secretariat for European Funds (Spain):

0034 910 001 142 / Email: [soporte@soporteffee.zendesk.com](mailto:soporte@soporteffee.zendesk.com)