29 million for the development of Norrbotten and Västerbotten

The Covid-19 crisis has hit companies in Norrbotten and Västerbotten hard. Priority is therefore focused on initiatives aimed at supporting companies in Norrbotten and Västerbotten that have been affected by negative effects as a result of Covid-19.

Projects have been prioritized that will contribute to long-term sustainable growth for small and medium-sized enterprises in the region and, with capacity-building measures, increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality industry. The goal is increased digital maturity with more attractive and sustainable products, increased collaboration between companies and research so that the industry can develop positively.

– The tourism industry in the region is one of the industries that has been hit hardest by the Corona pandemic. Many companies are small and EU funding contributes to the transition required for companies to be able to develop through the crisis, notes Helena Öhlund, Chair of the Structural Funds Partnership.

The efforts will work towards long-term sustainable growth for small and medium-sized enterprises through capacity-building measures. The need for support is linked to strategic capacity utilization, increased digitalization, strengthened quality work, and joint clusters and networks to strengthen competitiveness in an international market.

Digitalization is one of the major forces of change in Norrbotten and the pandemic has accelerated this development. In order for digitalization to support companies in working in new ways, broadband is required and therefore two broadband projects have been prioritized. Companies in rural areas will be offered fiber optic infrastructure to increase their competitiveness, which also creates the prerequisites for further expansion of fiber infrastructure in rural areas.

– Giving more companies the opportunity to develop their respective operations and enabling more entrepreneurs to operate in rural areas and contributing to a reduced environmental footprint is a priority, says Monica Lejon, business manager in the Norrbotten Region.

Facts: The Structural Fund Partnership

The Structural Funds Partnership for Upper Norrland is one of eight partnerships in Sweden. The partnership aims to facilitate common national and regional priorities between regional development policy, labour market policy and EU cohesion policy.

The partnership is tasked with prioritizing among approved applications for the regional Structural Funds program and the Social Fund program. Övre Norrland includes the counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten and the EU funds amount to approximately two billion SEK for the program period 2014-2020. Helena Öhlund is the chair of the Structural Funds Partnership for the program period 2014-2020.

After the partnership has made its priorities, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Development, as the managing authority, will make the formal decisions for the project owners.

Decide on priorities for applications to the ERDF.

Welcome to contact Monica Lejon, Business Manager or Kenneth Sjaunja, General Secretary of the Structural Funds Partnership for Upper Norrland if you have any questions.