Interact Office Vienna

Activity range

Interact is the only EU programme to take the form of an exchange platform for all Interreg programmes.

The focus of the work of the Interact Office Vienna is on the support of a total of 28 Interreg programmes (ERDF and IPA), above all in Central and South-eastern Europe. Special priority is given to increasing efficiency in handling these co-operation programmes, in identifying their outcomes and visibility as well as in employing innovative and simplified approaches.

The Interact Office Vienna develops tailor-made services to meet the needs of the different funding programmes:

• Seminars/workshops: participants come together to network, discuss shared problems and potential solutions and develop good practices
• Advisory services: if requested by managers responsible for a specific programme, country or institution
• Establishment of, and assistance to, networks
• Publication of studies, manuals, templates, checklists, IT databases

Every year, the Interact Office Vienna organises more than 20 seminars, workshops and conferences in Central and South-eastern Europe and other European countries. These events are attended by over 1,000 participants annually.

Funding

The Interact Office in Vienna is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the participating EU Member States as well as Switzerland and Norway. The budget for the Viennese Interact Office is roughly 10 million Euro (ERDF co-financing rate: 85 percent) until 2023.

Background

The Interact programme was set up in 2003 by the European Commission and the EU Member States with the aim of supporting the implementation of cross-border, transnational and interregional funding programmes of the EU.

The City of Vienna has participated in the Interact programme since its inception: initially, through INTERACT Point Managing Transition and External Cooperation; since 2008, with the Interact Point Vienna and, since 2015, with the Interact Office Vienna.

The Vienna office is one of four European Interact locations. The other offices of Interact are situated in Turku (Finland), Valencia (Spain) and Viborg (Denmark).

Objective

Interact aims at the joint development of viable solutions across national borders. Thus, examples of good practice are identified, discussed and disseminated among Interreg programmes all over Europe.

In the current funding period, Interact was entrusted with three focuses to improve the capacity of Interreg:

1. to administer and monitor the programmes both technically and strategically
2. to record and communicate the programme outcomes
3. to implement innovative approaches (e.g. macro-regional co-operation)

Target groups

The support extended by the Interact Office Vienna is mainly destined for the competent ministries, regional administrations and other public institutions involved in the implementation of Interreg programmes.

Moreover, the Interact Office Vienna views itself as a link between the EU Commission and the Interreg programme authorities.

Importance for Vienna

The efforts and good reputation of the Interact Office Vienna contribute to confirming the important role played by the Austrian capital in the European Union and in the accession candidate countries. For Vienna, Interact is an instrument that strengthens the city's profile as a pioneer of innovation, knowledge transfer and European co-operation.

Successful examples

• The Interact Office developed free-of-charge software for all EU programmes to allow for the uniform submission and management of EU-funded projects in all EU Member States. Already close to 40 administrative authorities all over Europe are working with this system. By 2017, this standardisation had already demonstrably helped to save 10 million Euro of European taxpayers' money.
• Acting on a request voiced by all EU Member States, the Interact Office Vienna began in 2020 to also develop the successor software "New eMS". In the 2021-2027 funding period, this new software will again be made available to all EU programme management bodies.