News 2026

The Interreg Slam is a storytelling contest for Interreg projects and Programmes to celebrate European cooperation and give visibility to projects' achievements. 

Participate in Interreg Slam

Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme invites its projects to join this competition, especially if your project: 

• Has or is starting to produce results, with the focus on the real human impact of cooperation
• Wishes to share its story, turn it into a video and present it on stage in front of European policymakers, politicians and professionals

Between December 2025 and February 2026, all projects funded under the 1st Call for small scale projects were successfully completed. The projects addressed various topics, including environmental protection, sustainable tourism, climate action, innovation, and youth engagement.

• INTERSMARTS (BSB00332) promoted smart and sustainable tourism through research, innovation, and cooperation between research institutions and tourism stakeholders.
• MARMAPS (BSB00113) supported marine ecosystem protection and maritime spatial planning through an open environmental eFolio platform and cooperation among stakeholders.
• EcoYOU (BSB00532) raised environmental awareness among young people through educational activities, campaigns, and joint initiatives promoting environmentally friendly behaviour.
• SEAQUEST (BSB00580) strengthened research, innovation, and youth engagement in the blue economy, supporting sustainable growth in maritime and coastal sectors.
• BlackNETs (BSB00164) addressed the problem of abandoned fishing gear (ghost nets) by studying their impact and supporting actions for their removal to protect marine ecosystems.
• T3N-BSB (BSB00264) supported research and innovation by creating a transnational technology transfer network connecting research institutions and innovation stakeholders.
• STEP2CleanPlan (BSB00004) improved cooperation between local authorities for sustainable energy planning and stronger climate policies in the Black Sea region.
• FoodWISE (BSB00221) promoted actions to reduce food waste through awareness campaigns and practical tools for sustainable consumption.
• IMPACT+ (BSB00001) strengthened disaster preparedness by improving cooperation, training, and response capacity in local communities.
• SEEDGUARD (BSB00450) supported the protection of traditional plant varieties by promoting community seed collections and agricultural biodiversity.
• NBS-CORES (BSB00208) promoted nature-based solutions to help communities reduce climate-related risks and increase environmental resilience.
• EOL (BSB00432) increased environmental and ocean literacy among young people through education, training materials, and awareness activities.

All twelve projects have delivered real results, strengthened cross-border partnerships, and contributed to the programme objectives for a cleaner, greener, and more innovative Black Sea Basin.

The materials and results produced by these projects will continue to support future cooperation and policy development in the region.

On 10 March 2026, we organised an online webinar for beneficiaries of the 1st Calls for Proposals.

The session provided practical guidance on the different types of indicators and presented examples to help ensure that reported outputs and results comply with programme requirements. It also shared lessons learned from the previous programming period, regarding data collection, aggregation and reporting at programme level.

The webinar aimed to strengthen beneficiaries’ reporting capacities and clarify programme rules related to indicators, supporting full compliance with programme requirements.

We would like to thank all participants for their active involvement and for the valuable questions raised during the session.

The presentation is available HERE.

On 9 March 2026, we organised an online webinar for the beneficiaries of the 2nd calls for proposals.

We are happy to share the launch of a new ‘Solutions’ section on the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme website while the implementation phase of our projects continues at full speed.