New £209m EU cross-border funding programme launched

SCENE Loch Lomond
The Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE) in Loch Lomond was previously funded by the initiative

A £209 million EU funding programme for innovation, health, environment and transport projects across western Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, was launched in Belfast last week.

The INTERREG VA initiative, which is open to applications, will fund projects working across the three regions in areas such as environmental protection, business research and innovation, the provision of healthcare solutions and sustainable transport.

The fund, intended to strengthen cross-border links between the three countries, will support activity from now until 2020.



Previous funding led to the development of an aquatic research and training facility at Loch Lomond.

Speaking in at an event in Belfast to mark the launch of the initiative, cabinet secretary for infrastructure and investment, Keith Brown, said: “I welcome this investment and commitment to strengthening our cross-border partnerships and look forward to seeing people and communities in Western Scotland sharing in the benefits being delivered to all three regions.

“This huge investment will help projects delivering healthcare, transport, environmental benefits and wider innovation, strengthening our already good cross-border links with Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland.

“Funding such as this also demonstrates quite clearly how communities in Scotland gain from being an active part of the European Union.



“Western Scotland was incorporated into the previous round of this programme in 2007 and we have already seen good results. For example, the IBIS project, which was funded under the programme, delivered a world-class research and training facility at Loch Lomond.”


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