European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

What kind of funding does it provide?

ERDF offers grants and co-financing through shared management between the European Commission and national/regional authorities. It funds operational programmes addressing areas such as R&D and innovation; climate change, environment and energy transition; civil preparedness and security; SME support; ICT, transport infrastructure; health, education, social infrastructure; and sustainable urban development.

Which authorities are responsible for this instrument?

National and regional managing authorities, national coordinating bodies and the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy are responsible.

The Commission negotiates and approves programmes proposed by EU countries and allocates resources. The EU countries/regions manage the programmes, implement them by selecting projects, control and assess them.

The Commission is involved in programme monitoring, commits the funds, pays out approved expenditure and verifies the control systems. For each operational programme, the national authority appoints: a managing authority (national, regional or local public authority or public/private body to manage the operational programme) and an auditing body (national, regional or local public authority or body for each operational programme to oversee the efficient running of the management and monitoring system).

Which countries are eligible?

EU Member States.

Who is this call for?

This programme provides funding to public and private bodies in all EU regions. Organisations that can benefit from regional funding include public bodies, some private sector organisations (especially SMEs), universities, associations, NGOs and voluntary organisations. Foreign firms with a base in the region covered by the relevant operational programme can also apply, provided they meet European public procurement rules. In most cases, funding is granted to projects: developing a project is therefore a condition for eligibility, with funding issued at different stages of the process.

What does it finance?

In 2021-2027, the fund will enable investments to make Europe and its regions to be:

more competitive and smarter, through innovation and support to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as digitisation and digital connectivity
greener, low-carbon and resilient
more connected by enhancing mobility
more social, by supporting employment, education, skills, social inclusion and equal access to healthcare, as well as by enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism
closer to citizens, supporting locally-led development and sustainable urban development across the EU

Areas of support with relevance to disaster risk management include:

Prevention measures (including in cross-border and transnational areas), such as actions to improve the knowledge base, preparation and implementation of disaster risk management strategies, awareness-raising campaigns, flood protection and prevention infrastructure, disaster-proofing of buildings and networks, management of land, forests and rivers (incl. green infrastructure and natural water retention measures, hydro-morphological changes in line with River Basin Management Plans) to prevent specific risks, etc.
Preparedness measures (including in cross-border and transnational areas), such as infrastructure, response vehicles (incl. aircraft and vessels), equipment, shelters, development of early warning systems and training for civil protection units.

The 2025 mid-term review amendment added new specific objectives related to:

enhancing industrial capacities to foster defence capabilities, and developing resilient defence infrastructure, prioritising dual-use nature
promoting energy interconnectors and related transition, distribution, storage and supporting infrastructure, as well as protection of critical energy infrastructure and deployment of recharging infrastructure
ensuring civil preparedness and resilience in all types of territories
developing resilient defence infrastructure, prioritising that of a dual-use nature, including to foster military mobility in the Union, as well as enhancing civil preparedness
promoting access to affordable and sustainable housing
promoting secure access to water and sustainable water management, including integrated water management, and water resilience
fostering integrated territorial development, through access to affordable and sustainable housing in all types of territories

Member States that reallocate funds to these priorities before 31 December 2025 will receive additional benefits in terms of flexibility, co-financing and pre-financing.

How to apply and other relevant information

For information on how to apply, please check the dedicated webpage

All operational programmes have a website and require the publication of calls and the corresponding calendar. Please find in this website the list of all programmes and managing authorities per Member State.

Project example

GUARDIAN - Green Urban Actions for Resilient fire Defence of the Interface Area

The urban areas of Riba-roja and Paterna share the protected wildland zone “La Vallesa”, which is part of the Natural Park “Parque Natural del Turia”, located in a highly urbanised environment. The wildland-urban interface between this park and these two cities is subject to the growing risk posed by forest fires, further impacted by the effects of climate change.

The project adopts a combined strategy based on the use of recycled water for fire mitigation and protection, providing preventive irrigation and extinction water spraying patterns automatically programmed.

GUARDIAN will implement the hydraulic infrastructure to supply recycled water from the Waste Water Treatment Plant Camp del Turia II to the Wildland-Urban Interface of La Vallesa, and the elements (irrigation and sprinkler towers) which make up the defensive barrier. The installation, positioned in the fire line between forests and urban areas, will integrate irrigation and fireplugs with high-pressure hydrant cannons covering the perimeter.

Last but not least, training to upgrade the preparedness of the population will be carried out, in order to enhance risk perception, create awareness on fire mechanisms, communicate the basis of the project and improve self-protection (fire resilient gardening, household protection…).

The project already responded to the wildfires that took place in Riba-roja on May 2024 and will be scaled up in other municipalities, including the city of Valencia.

Learn more about the GUARDIAN project.