More Norrbotten on your plate – new projects receive EU funding
Food is not just what we eat – it is also sustainability, quality of life, business, jobs and safety. Charm FoodLab and The Kitchen are therefore two of 18 projects in Norrbotten that will share in 64 million kronor in EU funds. Region Norrbotten is co-financing several of the projects.
It is now clear which projects are next in line to receive money from EU funds. These are funds that will contribute to a smarter, greener and more interconnected EU and strengthen the labor market.
Charm FoodLab will lead to a food lab in Älvsbyn. It will receive funding to contribute to increased sustainable innovation in the food sector. The Kitchen project will conduct a feasibility study on an incubator for small food companies. Two long-term goals of both projects are more production of Norrbotten food and more Norrbotten food on the plate.
– It is important, for several reasons. The food sector can contribute to a broadened labor market and a broader regional economy, a growing tourism industry and a higher degree of self-sufficiency. Today, only a quarter of Norrbotten's food is produced here in the county. Getting it up is also a matter of food safety, says Helena Ölund, chair of the regional development committee.
Luleå University of Technology receives funding for the ESUDA project, which aims to reduce energy use in municipal properties. Piteå, Arvidsjaur, Arjeplog, Pajala, Kalix, Överkalix and Luleå will participate. Among the projects that will receive EU funding is also an infrastructure project to increase capacity in the port of Luleå.
Prepare for the future labor market
Several municipalities are receiving funds to work with local skills development and skills supply. Överkalix wants to equip employees for the future labor market and thereby help local companies with the skills they need. The Association of Local Authorities of Lapland will conduct a feasibility study on skills development at the upper secondary school in Pajala. Piteå Municipality will work with the regrowth of personnel for health and social care.
Several projects address the need to recruit residents and workers to Norrbotten. One of them is Move up North in Region 10, which includes Arjeplog and Arvidsjaur. The project aims to attract people from other parts of Sweden and the world. It will help them move and settle down.
– Population supply is a matter of fate and is particularly challenging in inland municipalities. It is not a problem that we can solve with education alone or by moving labor between municipalities and industries. We need to increase our numbers in the county, says Helena Ölund.
The decision on which projects are prioritized was made by the Structural Funds Partnership for Upper Norrland.
These are the Structural Fund partnerships
The Structural Fund partnerships are intended to facilitate common priorities between regional development policy, labour market policy and EU cohesion policy.
The partnership gives priority to applications for the European Regional Development Fund programme and the European Social Fund programme. The Övre Norrland Structural Fund partnership covers the counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten.
The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and Development and the Swedish ESF Council make the formal decisions for each project.
Contact
Helena Ölund (S), Chair of the Regional Development Committee
070-328 61 48
helena.olund@norrbotten.se
Monica Lejon, Head of Unit Business and Society
070-387 37 52
monica.lejon@norrbotten.se
Appendices
Here are all ERDF projects in Norrbotten
Here are all ESF+ projects in Norrbotten
All priorities of the Structural Funds Partnership 231208
Links
Cohesion policy within the EU
The Structural Funds Partnership