Vision

Through continuous public consultation, Epirus envisions to become “worth-living for and self-sustaining Region, with an outward-oriented growth, focusing on productive activities that constitute its comparative advantages and enhance local identity, respecting its environment, history and citizens”.

Objectives

To achieve its growth vision, the Region focuses on a coherent grid of five strategic objectives, namely:

Developing human resources, fostering social inclusion and fighting against discriminations.

Strengthening education, health and welfare infrastructure.

Strengthening transport infrastructure.

Enhancing regional competitiveness through the development of innovation and information and communication technologies.

Protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development.

Strengthening research, technological development and innovation.

Supporting various bodies to excel through supporting the networking of research institutions and strengthening clusters and collaborations between the research sector and businesses.

Improving the access, use and quality of information and communication technologies.

Improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises

Supporting SMEs (new or existing) to develop innovative products and services, to invest in technological modernization and to support organizational innovation and extroversion.
Developing supportive mechanisms to promote innovation in local entrepreneurship.

Supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy in all sectors

Upgrading buildings and improving energy efficiency in public and private (residential) buildings.
Investments to improve energy efficiency in transports, particularly in urban areas, and actions to improve energy efficiency in urban centers.

Promoting adaptation to climate change, risk prevention and management

Investments in natural disasters management and prevention.

Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency

Investments in water resources (drinking water) management and wastewater management.
Investments in enhancing local economy by exploiting the cultural and natural assets.
Investments in the management and protection of areas of particular ecological value for the Region of Epirus.
Urban planning / spatial planning studies.
Investments in urban regeneration projects.

Promoting sustainable transport and removing problems in core network infrastructures

Upgrading an existing road network for both the trans-European transport network and its support projects (linking trans-European transport network with other regions).
Investments in improving safety conditions in the local and national road network.

Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility

Employment programs for unemployed with high qualifications in enterprises operating in cutting edge sectors for the regional economy.
Support workers and entrepreneurs to adapt to the environment formed by the implementation of Regional Smart Specialization Strategy.

Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty and all forms of discrimination

Health infrastructure.
Social welfare, care and housing infrastructure and infrastructure for marginalized communities.
Actions promoting active inclusion of disadvantaged groups in the labor market.
Supporting marginalized communities for their socio-economic integration.
Interventions in promoting equal opportunities.
Development of a health protection network for the citizens of the Region.
Provision of general services to vulnerable groups
Developing social economy and social entrepreneurship at Regional level.
Integrated local programs to promote employment.

Investing in education and vocational training for skills acquisition and lifelong learning

Infrastructures for pre-school, school and tertiary education.
Infrastructures for initial vocational training and adult education.

Technical support

Please note that the above actions are indicative. This means that other actions may be included on the basis of the objectives of the program, or that there should be no call for some of them if this is deemed necessary by implementation. In any case, the beneficiaries should base their choices on the specialization of the program as this will be reflected in the calls to be published and posted on the program’s website.

Indicative Actions

Submission of Proposals

Proposals according to the Calls for Proposals of the Operational Program of the Region of Epirus can be submitted:

Residents of the Region of Epirus
National, Regional and Local Authorities and Development Agencies (Local Authorities and Bodies, Local Authorities A and B, Local Development Organizations, etc.)
Academic Institutions, Research Centers – Institutes, Technological Institutions and Research Universities
SMEs and start-ups
Special categories and vulnerable population groups (immigrants, repatriated citizens, people with disabilities, Roma, etc.)

Budget

The total budget of the program is: 337.076.281€. 284.497.887€ of the total budget is co-financed by Greece and the European Union – European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and 52.578.394 € is co-financed by Greece and the European Union – European Social Fund (ESF).

Managing Authority

The Managing Authority of the Operational Program of the Region of Epirus is responsible for the management, monitoring and control of development interventions and projects, which are co-financed by the European Union and included in the “Operational Program of the Region of Epirus 2014-2020” and they are located within the administrative boundaries of the Region of Epirus.

Examples of Operations

This section presents on going projects or implemented by the 2014-2020 Operational Program of Epirus. In addition to their core information (Title, Funding Fund, Budget, Description of the project) benefits or expected results as well as multimedia material related to these projects are displayed.