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Central Baltic Programme
2014-2020 project database

Current status
137 contracted projects
811 partners
€132 045 712 ERDF allocated

B.Green makes cities greener

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B.Green project piloted several activities both in Helsinki and Tallinn which gave tools to plan city areas more sustainable by having a specific focus on urban greenery.

Gastrotourism for thriving islands

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Read about impressions from project EPIG's final event. EPIG tackled educating businesses operating within the field of gastronomy in the Central Baltic islands...
iSEE intensive week participants. Photo by: Martti Reinet.

Hello from iSEE-project!

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​It is time to look back to the iSEE-project and share our results. iSEE-project has been funded by the Central Baltic -programme. Together we, LAB University of Applied Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, and Riga Technical University developed aligned social...

International students enjoyed their stay at maritime enterprises in Rauma

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At the beginning of this summer, five students from Liepaja arrived in Rauma for a work-based learning (WBL) period as part of the Finlat-Logic project funded by Central Baltic programme.

The Interreg 30 year history in the Central Baltic archipelago area

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INTERREG is an EU structure, funding cooperation projects between organisations from different countries. Interreg programmes has been in the EU for 30 years (2020). A national border should not be a barrier. Our challenges and our opportunities are often common. We can learn from each other and...

Good advice from project expert Kairi Jõesalu

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"There is a structure, and you need to understand it"...

"Why walk a pilgrimage route today?"

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Why do you walk a pilgrimage route? I asked some people participating in the premiere walk of St Olav Waterway 2019 - why did they want to be part of this 1200 km walk? ...

Pilgrimage provides the opportunity for both an outer and an inner journey

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Now I know how it feels – to sit down, take a sip of water, lace up my shoes and breathe out. Satisfied and exhausted at the same time. Thanks to the St Olav Waterway project, I myself tested pilgrimage walk and realized I can walk longer than I thought, says Ester Laurell, Contact Point Åland...

DefenceArch project has brought history into life

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Top secret history is an important part of the experience at Gålö seal station, one of the destinations highlighted by project DefenceArch and found both in real life and the app Coastal Past.

Long-term cooperation for better water quality in the Baltic Sea

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The WATERCHAIN project aim was to find methods to reduce emissions of nutrients and hazardous substances to the Baltic Sea.

Cooperation increases security and attractiveness on islands

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The voluntary sea rescue is organized in different ways in Estonia and on Åland. Project MASAPO improved security in several small ports through exchanges, joint exercises and investments.

"The right person is more important than the right idea"

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"The right person is more important than the right idea" is a surprising statement. Aren't successful ideas what drives the world forward? Yes. But good ideas and masterful innovations are of no use if they remain in the drawer or on the hard disk. Sometimes you need someone...

"The archipelago is an unused research field"

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“This project will have a domino effect andlead to more projects. The Archipelago Entrepreneur Portal - a result of the ABD project - has helped me find not only material but also contacts”, says Youssouf Merouani, who became an enthusiastic user of the website during his master's studies in...

Nutrition from sea to field - when a problem becomes a resource

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The aim of the project is to find good methods to reduce the Baltic Sea's internal nutrient load and thereby improving the areas around the coast. The results of the various pilot measures are compiled by the John Nurminen Foundation guidelines and the goal is to find more good methods for...

Circular economy challenges and entrepreneurship for students

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Students in joint international groups meet at boot camps and work together for half a year to produce background facts, plan and test different solutions based on a sustainability and circular economy concept. Finally they make a presentation of assignments and solutions.

Care and maritime units brought together

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In the project OnBoard-Med, care and maritime units were brought together in a new way by developing joint online courses.

Visit the CB underwater museum with a diving guide!

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The water is calm today on Dalarö in the Stockholm archipelago. Up along the beaches climbs well-kept villas and a variety of boats are moored at the piers. 300 years ago, it looked completely different here. Dalarö was the most important customs post for maritime traffic with imported goods on...

Planning and implementation created new wetland

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The newly built wetland in Mariehamn became a popular destination for residential and visitors. The Coast4us project was about coastal planning, and the city implemented the planning and built the wetland.

Both people and vegetables grow in the Gardens of possibilities

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The Gardens project, which aims to help people outside working life find their place in society again, has literally grown. "The beauty of a garden is that it offers something physical to do, and the result is both useful and beautiful", says project manager Simon Eriksson...

New bird watching platforms increase accessibility

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New birdwatching platforms increase accessibility One Sunday in September, I meet a group of birdwatchers who are attending guide training arranged by the Baltic Wings project. I follow their tour to three of the seven new birdwatching platforms at Kökar. One of the participants is Suvi Riihiluoma...

"We want to be a small, cozy sustainable port"

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Blue Flag certificate is the label of good and sustainable work in small ports. This is the story from Käringsund on Åland...

Moderna sjömätningar ökar säkerheten och förkortar rutter

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Det är inte alltid man tänker på färjor när man hör ordet kollektivtrafik. Men färjorna utgör skärgårdens landsvägar och är livlinan för den som bor och verkar på en ö. För att öka säkerheten, hitta optimala rutter och sålunda minska bränsleförbrukningen gjorde man nya sjömätningar i Stockholms...

Projects make a big difference in Finland's smallest municipality

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In Sottunga municipality, the EU funding has resulted in changes that would never have happened otherwise. This community shows that size is not an obstacle, as long as there are commitment and perseverance...

“We will help visitors find destinations in the archipelago”

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I saw an update on Central Baltic Facebook group some time ago – Ira Lahovuo shared a post about their ongoing project Archipelago Access. As I am living in the archipelago and realized this project is really dealing with an existing problem, I contacted her to get more information.
A fair day in Illuka (Estona) in summer 2020 (community service of Illuka village community from Alutaguse municipality, project Act Local)

Designing community services within international project / Kogukonnateenuste loomine rahvusvahelises projektis

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Project Act Local is nearing completion of its activities. One week before the project final event, it is appropriate to ask the project coordinator Silja Lehtpuu some questions to better understand how the project was delivered, how the global COVID-19 crisis affected this international project...

Inspired to work in new ways

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Some interesting articles in the archipelago magazine Skärgård, published by Åbo Akademi University, showed real capitalisation, how the project experiences gave Novia university of applied sciences new working methods and tools for development. ...

Allowing for language learning

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- If we wish to help immigrants integrate and participate in the Finnish society better, we should pay attention to our own uses of languages, Anna-Maria Ratia emphasises. We have to give people genuine opportunities to practice Finnish (or Swedish). Positive experiences of succeeding in something...
Erika Gustafsson Åland

Professionals, hospitality and stories for better gastro tourism - Sakkunskap, gästfrihet och berättelser skapar goda matupplevelser för besökare

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By educating professionals in Gastro Tourism on Central Baltic islands, we can increase the added value for visitors and inhabitants in the archipelago. ...

Demonstrating the uniqueness of Central Baltic underwater cultural heritage

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Project Baltacar manager Marii Asmer reflects on experiences related to demonstrating the huge tourism potential of the underwater cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea.

Ön Rödhamn - utposten mot havet

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The small guest harbor on the island of Rödhamn has been improved thanks to MASAPO and SMART MARINA.
Diver in an underwater museum

Underwater museum in the middle of the Baltic Sea / Veealune muuseum keset Läänemerd

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The wrecks of ships sunk in the Baltic Sea are well-preserved and provide an extraordinary opportunity to take a look at the everyday life of sailors who lived hundreds of years ago. The Baltic Sea is like a big underwater museum waiting to be visited. Project Baltacar manager Marii Asmer reflects...
CB projects Smart Marina and SEASTOP at boat fair in Helsinki 2020

Smart Marina - A huge project to implement and communicate

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"Now it is important to communicate to potential visitors about the investments that have been done in the different guest harbors", says Annica Grönlund, communication manager for project Smart Marina with the task to improve the service level in and increase the amount of visitors to 34...
Oliwer Bäcklund 2018

The story of a young project manager - Oliwer Bäcklund in RIBS

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"The project managers themselves are incredible important", says experienced lead partner representative Teresia Blomberg from Parainen, Finland, "With good project managers you can do anything - whatever you want. And that we have experienced in RIBS! RIBS is a really good project...

Sofia 16 years, from Åland - Why be part of RIBS?

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​To participate in any RIBS activity is an energy boost. You are surrounded by young people, talk, laughter, mobiles, cameras, commitment, mind maps, friendship, ideas, sharing. Rolling Images in Business Startups (RIBS) is about young entrepreneurship and media literacy. The young participants...

How to build a successful partnership - the PortMate example

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PortMate project in six words – what is it all about? 1. Small ports 2. Safety 3. Resource efficiency 4. Marketing 5. Cross-border cooperation (Finland, Sweden, Åland) 6. More visitors ...

PortMate-hankkeen loppukonferenssissa esiteltiin tuloksia ja lopulta katseet suunnattiin tulevaisuuteen

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Itämeren alueella on nyt 19 piensatamaa, joissa on paremmat palvelut satamien käyttäjille. PortMate-hankkeen tuloksia esiteltiin 12. syyskuuta 2019 pidetyssä loppukonferenssissa Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulussa (SAMK) Raumalla.

Det spännande kulturarvet under ytan - oersättliga tidskapslar

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Fartyg som förlist i Östersjön kan bli stående på botten i hundratals år, med last och master och kanske kanoner, helt opåverkade av tidens gång. Hur kan vi bättre tillgängliggöra det osynliga kulturarvet under ytan för flera?

From an ordinary creative person to an inspiring entrepreneur

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What are some of the obstacles and difficulties for a young creative person to enter the technology and startup world? What are the opportunities and possibilities to tackle these difficulties? Neveli Niit, a young entrepreneur, CEO of the start-up company Ridline, shares her experience.

"We want to strengthen the belonging of young immigrants"

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"Tell me about it" is one of the most important questions we can say to each other. By listening and giving each other the possibility to formulate what we have been through or what is on our mind, we can understand ourselves and each other better. Project TELL works with young immigrants...

​YOUTH-SPORT-VOL gives better access to the labor market through sports volunteering

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In April, Diversity Day is celebrated in Estonia and elsewhere in the world. Its purpose is to recognize and value the importance and uniqueness of each person in companies and organizations as well as in society at large. Project Youth-Sport-Vol was launched in order to provide young people with...

Transport between Helsinki and Tallinn is being developed in various ways / Helsingin ja Tallinnan välistä liikennettä kehitetään monin tavoin

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Conversation is lively and ongoing about transport between Helsinki and Tallinn. The main focus has been the results of the feasibility study of project FinEstLink analyzing whether there are grounds for visioning a sub-sea railway tunnel between the two cities, future visions for a suitable...
Figure Stockholm

ADAPT - Better and safer public transportation in the archipelago

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Ferries are perhaps not the first you think of when you hear or read “public transportation”. But in the unique archipelago of Stockholm and Turku and on the Åland islands, the ferries are the lifeline, the “roads” at sea. There are challenges in offering a safe, time saving and fuel-efficient...

CAITO: A bridge between Estonia-Latvia-Southern-Finland and Japan

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What is common to Japan and the Baltics and what are the cultural differences? It is clear that all countries mentioned above are keen on nature and culture. How does Central Baltic Programme’s project CAITO change the readiness of Japanese tourists to visit the Baltic cluster area, will be...

Joanna from Spain - an INTERREG Volunteer Youth (IVY) in the RIBS project

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Joanna Mqr is a Spanish young woman who has been an INTERREG Volunteer Youth on the Åland islands within the RIBS project during spring 2018.

1000-year-old tradition of wandering supports regional development

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The project St Olav Waterway prolongs the 1000-year-old tradition of wandering along the northernmost pilgrim trail in the world. By engaging local entrepreneurs, the project supports well functioning pilgrimage tourism outside the peek season in the archipelago.

RIBS Rolling Images in Business Startups – företagssimulering och "medialäskunnighet" för unga

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Att besöka någonting som RIBS arrangerar är en energikick. Du är omgiven av ungdomar, ivrigt prat, skratt, mobiltelefoner, kameror, engagemang, mindmaps, postit-lappar, idéer, vänskap och delaktighet. Allt handlar om entreprenörskap och idéskapande, utbyte, att våga ta sig för och att kunna använda...
Suomen vesifoorumi, Finnish Water Forum

CB2East Taking Cleantech Companies to Russia and Central Asia

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Project CB2East helps Finnish and Latvian cleantech companies to launch themselves in the challenging Russian and Central Asian markets. Project has helped to create a new cooperation cluster Baltic Cleantech Alliance.

​Garden of possibilities Att odla möjligheter – nya chanser för personer utanför arbetsmarknaden

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​The urban gardening project Gardens (Gardens of Possibilities) combines rehabilitation, education and job training, and it is implemented in Valdemarsvik municipality and in Mariehamn by the NGO Emmaus.

BELT Bringing Start-ups Around the Region Together

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International Bootcamps in the BELT Project have helped young and bright entrepreneurial minds forward.

Modern and attractive small ports network by SmartPorts

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One challenge and opportunity in the CB programme related to transport is the infrastructure of small ports as a precondition for tourism development.

Seabased Measures - Exempel på havsbaserade åtgärder för Östersjön på Åland

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The project Seabased was approved in the Third Call. It aims at reducing nutrients from the Baltic Sea. This interview in Swedish is a presentation of the project and of what Annica Brink, working for the project partner Government of Åland, thinks about her tasks and the expected results.

NATTOURS invites you to enjoy the city nature

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The main goal of NATTOURS is to make people aware of the city nature and its existence, its value and its importance.
SME2GO project meeting

€12 million business deals secured through our project SME2GO

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Participating companies in Central Baltic project SME2GO have secured business deals for over €12 million and more is to come. An additional four business cases including small and medium sized companies (SMEs) from Sweden, Finland and Estonia are in the final phases of negotiation. In total,...

CB HealthAccess nya arbetsmodell för att hjälpa Life-Science-företag att komma in på nya exportmarknader uppskattas

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Syftet med projektet CB HealthAccess – Access to Distant Markets in Health and Wellness – är att underlätta för life-science- och medicinteknikföretag att komma in på exportmarknader i Sydkorea, USA, Indien och Uganda. Projektet startade i september 2015 och pågår t o m december 2018.

NutriTrade is Saving the Sea with Gypsum and Fish Patties

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Project NutriTrade is testing several different pilots to reduce the nutrient load of the Baltic Sea. Different pilots include crowdfunding platform Nutribute, targeted fishing of cyprinid fish, gypsum application of fields and harvesting of blue mussels. In addition to these, project produces...

Internet-of-Things technology improves the logistics industry in EU’s core network corridors

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The project Smartlog, which started in September 2016, is aiming at optimizing logistics management and services along the EU transport corridors ScanMed and North Sea-Baltic. Their goal is improved solutions regarding transportation, warehousing, cross-docking, inventory management, packaging and...

CBEwB - Educating youth on entrepreneurship and making friends for life

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Project Central Baltic Student Enterprise without Borders (CBEwB) is developing an international perspective on entrepreneurial education. Students from all Central Baltic Programme key countries – Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Estonia are joining together to learn about how to do business...

FinEst Smart Mobility Smoothens Travel Between the Busiest Ports in Europe

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Project FinEst Smart Mobility tries to find ways to smoother the travel between ports and also to reduce the disadvantages caused by the ever-growing flows of traffic in Helsinki and Tallinn with intelligent traffic solutions.

DeDiWe Project Provides Digital Skills to Future Health Care Professionals

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At best, digital services do not only generate savings but also contribute to better health care. Project DeDiWe developed a study unit, which brought students and professionals from health care, social care and ICT together to start developing digital health services.

Plan4Blue Seeks for More Sustainable Maritime Spatial Planning in the Gulf of Finland

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As the use of sea space is continuously increasing there is a greater need for closer cooperation and coordination between actors and activities at sea. Central Baltic -funded Plan4Blue project brings together scientists, stakeholders and maritime spatial planners from Finland and Estonia to study...
In situ installation- Motala

In the INSURE project, trees help out cleaning contaminated soil

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Traditional remediation of contaminated sites usually includes digging and bulldozing away the contaminated soil to another location, in order for the site to be remediated and re-used for different purposes. As a consequence the hazardous substances then are moved from one site to another, and...

Baltic Urban Lab develops a 3D INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION TOOL to be used in the urban planning process by cities, landowners and developers

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How can urban planning methods be improved, and how could un-used industrial land, or brownfields, be utilized in a better way? That is questions the Central Baltic programme project Baltic Urban Lab is looking into. New planning tools and models are developed and tested on selected un-used...

ADAPT gör farlederna säkrare i Stockholms och Ålands skärgårdar

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ADAPT är ett projekt inom Insatsområde 3.1 som handlar om att få till stånd smidigare person- och/eller godstransporter på ett hållbart sätt i Mellersta Östersjön. Linda Blied är projektledare och representerar Sjöfartverket i Sverige, som är Lead Partner.

Live Baltic Campus is helping the Neighbourhood

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New campus of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Myllypuro neighbourhood of Helsinki develops the whole area Interreg Central Baltic - funded project Live Baltic Campus develops with cross-border cooperation a model for better urban planning where university campuses become active parts...
The Acceletator Kick off in Pargas, September 2017

Archipelago Business Development facilitates entrepreneurial sustainability

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In this article you will meet some archipelago entrepreneurs and project managers. Archipelago challenges The archipelago region between Sweden and Finland including Åland has the same challenge. The fundamental service level is threatened by decreasing population. Young people move away from the...

30Miles helping to develop the Kotka harbour - Facelift of the guest harbour attracts tourists

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Finland’s updated strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, published in November 2017, states that there are untapped economic possibilities in tourism around the unique nature and culture of the Baltic Sea Region. Strategy aims at steering resources towards tourism in the region and especially to...

Synergy between DefenceArch, LightsOn! and St Olav Waterway

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Good practices from Central Baltic projects DefenceArch, LightsOn! and St. Olav Waterway DefenceArch, LightsOn! and St. Olav Waterway, are three of the 97 projects currently founded by the Central Baltic programme and they all belong to specific objective 2.1 — natural resources developed into...

Let Us be Active! improves social inclusion among elderly

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The first Central Baltic Programme 2014-2020 project has just ended. On the 8th of November 2016 the project Let us be active! organised their final seminar. Project manager Karolina Mackiewicz reflects on the project. What was the project about? The project full title: “Let us be active! Social...

Students help companies in other countries to reach new markets

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The second Central Baltic programme project to finish was EDU-SME's. In this interview, the project manager Eija Källström, talks about her first impresssion after the project ended. Based on her experience, also shares some insights on project implementation. First impression after the project...

Managing Authority | Joint Secretariat
Audit Authority

c/o Regional Council of Southwest Finland
Visiting address: Ratapihankatu 36 (2nd floor), Turku, Finland
Mailing address: P.O. Box 273, 20101 Turku, Finland
E-mail: info@centralbaltic.eu
Phone: +358 40 550 8408