The Operational Programme "North Sea Region" or Transnational Cooperation Operational Programme under the European Territorial Cooperation Objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) between Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom (with participation from Norway) will take place in between 2007-13.

The Programme’s main aim is to make the North Sea region a better place to live, work and invest in. It seeks to make a measurable difference by:

• Increasing the overall level of innovation taking place across the region.
• Enhancing the quality of the environment:
• Developing sustainable and competitive communities.

North Sea Region 2007-2013 promises to deliver a long-term strategic approach to transnational cooperation. It will provide a catalyst for cooperative projects that can support investments in infrastructure that are of transnational relevance. An additional aim is to encourage cross-fertilisation between projects that address similar issues, and that provide complementarity with other programmes be they European, national or regional in make-up.

The Programme will also pool resources to provide critical mass while tackling transnational issues that are of genuine importance to the area.

The Programme is structured around the following priorities:

1. Building on our capacity for innovation [approximately 20.9% of total funding]
2. Promoting the sustainable management of our environment [approximately 28.5% of total funding]
3. Improving accessibility in the North Sea region [approximately 28.5% of total funding]
4. Promoting sustainable and competitive communities [approximately 17.1% of total funding]
5. Technical assistance [approximately 5.0% of total funding]

The managing authority, Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority, Viborg, Denmark, who are handling proceedings will dispose of a total budget of 274,300,000 euros.