Funding and programmes
What are Structural & Cohesion Funds?
The European Union created Structural & Cohesion Funds as a
means of tackling the social and economic inequalities that exist
between EU regions. One third of the EU’s budget is allocated
to the funds. They support investment in infrastructure,
telecommunications, developing people’s skills and supporting
research and development. Each fund has a number of
‘programmes’, setting out the strategy for investing in its
particular region.
How can Structural Funds help the South West?
There are four Structural Funds operating in the South West,
offering a variety of support for investments that focus on
competitiveness, innovation and creating an economy based on
professional, highly-skilled jobs.
There are two additional sources of European funding available
across the region:
How is the South West RDA involved in Structural Funds?
The RDA manages the South West Competitiveness & Employment
ERDF Programme and the Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly, on behalf of the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government (CLG). The Secretary of
State is the managing authority and has designated the South West
RDA as a single intermediate body (Article 59(2)) to carry out some
of the tasks of the managing authority.
The RDA considers proposed investments, issues grant offer
letters, processes claims for grant payment and monitors and
evaluates projects and programmes in accordance with adopted
protocols. The Agency also submits claims for reimbursement of
grant paid to CLG.