The 2007 "Energy Policy for Europe" targets towards improving energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. The ANSWER project aims to contribute to this policy by reducing energy use. The project will promote the reduction of carbon emissions through increased energy efficiency amongst businesses and communities within the North Sea Region.

The project calls for promoting changes in practice by addressing attitudes and behaviour of businesses and societies, therefore leading to a reduction in energy use (and hence in carbon footprint). The project will develop a Climate Barometer Monitoring Tool which will be used to monitor and visualise the real time energy and climate performance of the participating communities and SMEs.

The project focuses on enabling farmers to act successfully as water managers in changing climatic conditions. The project will present water risk management practices that will reduce the consequences of flooding, droughts, water shortage and nutrient transport.

The emphasis on the farmer as a water manager is contributing towards implementing EU policies, such as the Water Framework Directive. The final result of the project is a water management concept to use as a manual for farmers and a set of recommendations on future land and water management planning.

Ships' ballast water is a main source of acute and chronic pollution in the North Sea. The project aims to improve the North Sea environment and economy by facilitating the ratification of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC).

The implementation of the BWMC creates a new market for innovative products; Ballast Water Opportunity aims to support the NSR industry to enter this market. It encourages the ratification of the BWMC through reducing a major barrier: providing treatment and detection equipment.

As a result common certification standards for BWT will be defined, which will stimulate technological development to comply and enforce the BWMC.

The project concerns BioChar (BC), which is a product of biomass-to-energy processing systems, and has as its aim in raising awareness and building confidence in BC as a way of capturing carbon and increasing soil quality and stability. In order to keep up with international competition it is mandatory to develop and compile a transnational NSR knowledge base which can be utilized by national and regional authorities, businesses and the general public.

Climate change in the North Sea Region is predicted to have a pronounced effect on annual rainfall patterns. Soils, rich in organic matter and biological life, function both as a water buffer during periods of drought and as drainage during periods of heavy rains. Biochar creates a triple win scenario for simultaneously producing bio-energy, permanently sequestering carbon, while increasing crop yields by improving soil and water quality.

Interoperable, standardised and adequate tools are important for coastal zone management and maritime safety. In respect to geographic data, it is a fundamental problem that data on the landward side is collected and maintained by topographic mapping or cadastral agencies and is utilised primarily for development, nature conservation etc., while sea data is collected by hydrographical survey services and focuses primarily on marine navigation issues. Furthermore, the collaboration between member states at national, regional and local level can be improved.

The BLAST project has a primary focus on

The aim of the Build with Care project is to mainstream energy-efficient building design by raising the awareness and increasing the knowledge of the potential of energy savings. In collaboration with the building sector, a transnational strategy for increasing energy efficiency in buildings will be developed. Within the project, an education and information programme will be carried out to change behaviour in the complete building chain (from consumer to planner, from carpenter to architect); this will aid in setting up a transnational knowledge and information network.

The project will focus on the development of new and sustainable energy-related technologies and strategies on islands around the North Sea Region. C2CI will develop and implement the cradle-to-cradle (C2C) methodology for NSR islands, i.e. designing intelligent products and materials that can be used over and over again and thus replace the concept of waste.

Three development clusters that focus on sustainable energy in relation to mobility, water and materials will create relevant networks and deliver sustainable innovations for the islands' environments. Incubator centres on the partner islands will foster further development and implementation.

The project activities consider cultural and natural heritage, as a means to improve public health, the development of SME's and the demographic profile of the region.

The project builds on the results of two former Interreg IIIB project; Nave Nortrail and Cycle-on, using the trails set up by these projects as a basis for activity. The project will carry out a number of transnational field studies within the partner countries, the results of which will feed into a toolkit.

The work will be supported by three universities, the UK organisations, Federation of Small Business and British Ramblers Association, the North Sea Commission and a Political forum. The project results (toolkit) will be promoted through the projects own website and also the North Sea Commission website.

While the NSR deals with the effects of climate change, transport-related CO2 emissions continue to increase. We face an urgent need to develop and implement carbon reduction strategies and to secure an ongoing energy supply for transport. The NSR has a huge potential for innovative transport strategies which could improve the economic performance of its regions and cities in a post-fossil economy (see Lisbon Agenda).

Transnational collaboration will be used in terms of building political support and momentum, as well as in concrete terms of establishing uniform standards and infrastructure across the region. CARE-North has developed and plans to implement, innovative carbon reduction strategies for urban and regional transport in order to maintain and improve accessibility in a more carbon-responsible way and overall make the NSR a leader in carbon-efficient accessibility.

CCC aims to build and implement an integrated evidence-based strategy for cities to strengthen their innovative capacity. This will be done by means of a methodology of joint development and pilot testing of new tools and instruments in the fields of skills development, business cooperation and the development of urban creative clusters. CCC focuses on the catalyst role of creative industries in building and strengthening the innovative capacity of these urban economies through the use of a transnational triple helix of government, education and business.

Project outcomes include instruments for skills development for entrepreneurs, masters’ classes and a network for NSR business cooperation. Urban showcases will demonstrate instruments on how to establish creative clusters.

ClimaFruit will establish transnational cooperation between research institutions and the NSR berry fruit industry in order to maximize the implementation of innovative technologies. Thereby, the project will secure, sustain & grow the economic value of the industry under by developing a world leading Berry Fruit Cluster in the NSR to ensure investment opportunities, sustainable use of resources & the production of healthy food.

The project will produce methods to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry, superior plant material and future production strategies better suited to the NSR climate, as well as a virtual Soft Fruit Climate Change and Environment Centre, ensuring the continuous uptake of methods by the berry fruit industry.

The project will focus on the effects of climate change for groundwater systems. CLIWAT aims to identify the challenges caused by the higher water levels and to develop climate scenarios focussing on surface water and water supply as well as the impacts of it on buildings. This will enable the North Sea Region to react more efficiently to the consequences of climate change.

The project will build on and improve existing geo-physical methods and these will be tested in the partner regions in order to be able to develop recommendations for the North Sea Region on how to deal with the consequences of increased groundwater levels.

CPA aims to create a portfolio of climate adoption strategies for the North Sea Region. This will be done by carrying out multi-focused pilot projects across the NSR in order to analyse the impacts of climate changes as a first step. Subsequently, diverse climate adoption strategies will be developed, implemented and tested. In addition, the project will foster political support established by the Memoranding of Understanding (MoU) of the North Sea Commission, triggering future investments on a transnational level.

DC NOISE aims to deal with demographic change related issues, namely labour market, service provision and housing issues by developing transferable action strategies in the North Sea Region.

The project activities include the creation of a transnational housing atlas which contributes to the implementation of transferable and innovative housing approaches and a regional level statistical monitoring system including demographic data and indicators, as well as themes such as ‘DC and the impact on the labour market for higher educated', the introduction of a ‘housing ambassador' approach and researching and communicating ‘day to day Information & Communication Technology for people with a mobility handicap'.

All activities contribute to finding mechanisms to reduce job, service and population loss and to promote attractive regions supported by concrete measures to raise the awareness of demographic change in the North Sea Region.

The DiPol project has the aim of identifying impacts and suggesting measures to reduce the adverse consequences of climate change that affect the quality of urban and coastal waters.

A programme tool, (SIMACLIM) that illustrates the impacts of climate changes on water quality will be developed and implemented within the DiPol project. By introducing the results into the level of European policy making, a long term impact on the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy is expected.

The project's aim is to develop, design and set effective Hinterland inter-modal freight transport nodes - dryports - which are fully integrated with the Gateway freight handling systems, to adapt a public concept to a private sector model, and to integrated dryports into the EU Motorways of the Sea concept.

The project includes the identification of suitable dryport land sites in the North Sea Region, to start a planning process that will support the increased number of logistics hubs, to assess the environmental and socio-economic impact of improved inter-modality, to develop a business model blueprint and to develop and start-up a IT system.

All project activities will contribute to connecting the dryports with the short sea shipping system to shift interregional transport from road to sea.

E-CLIC aims to develop research and innovation networks related to broadband media services in order to stimulate the commercialisation of the region’s knowledge base and encourage the development of new employment opportunities.

E-CLIC aims to enhance the provision of broadband services that are perceived as the engine for stimulating economic growth and employment. A ‘cluster' of eight Broadband Media Centres will be established to create NSR competence and increase critical mass in the sector and promote cooperation between businesses, research and education organisations.

The project focuses on strengthening the regional production of biomass as a source of bio energy. A substantiated and consolidated investment plan based on commercially viable bio-energy supply chains will be presented and implemented. The business model will be applied in parallel to differentiated blue-green energy clusters in the NSR and ensure transfer of management expertise between the clusters and identify market interdependences.

The aim is to enable the successful further exploitation of the region's blue-green low carbon energy sources by integrating the biomass grower at one end and the energy producer at the other end. enercoast will thereby open new sources of bio energy, reduce the regional dependency of energy imports and increase the competitiveness of regional energy producers as well to ensure their income in a long-term perspective.

The project identifies an increasing pressure on EU manufacturers to be more efficient and innovative in their processes. The cause of this pressure is identified by the project as increased production capacity in low-cost economies (LCE) and increased innovation and level of sophistication of supply chains in high-cost economies.

The main problems undermining the competitiveness of SMEs are limited knowledge of lean/agile techniques; limited understanding of regional governments; lack of knowledge transfer to SMEs and a lack of resources amongst SMEs. The method applied is to use a regional model to improve manufacturing efficiency as the initial core of the ERIP model, which is subsequently transferred across the NSR.

IFP establishes a transnational framework of cooperation to systematically tackle challenges regarding the competitiveness of regions in the NSR in the global economy. Foresight Planning is used as a method not only to link regions and selected clusters transnationally and plan for joint actions in the future, but also to find solutions tailor-made for the regions facing challenges related to the shift of the industrial base (decline, transition, and growth).

The project will design forward-looking strategies and concrete action plans based on applied Foresight Planning processes to build capacity for innovation. The public sector is considered a key partner for facilitating the processes of innovation, internationalisation, and creation of critical mass in the NSR.

The Living North Sea project will solve problems surrounding the management of fish species which rely on moving between the North Sea and freshwater systems of partner countries. These species are under considerable threat, some even in hazardous decline.

Living North Sea brings together representatives from across the NSR country, in a project that which will make long lasting changes to the way that migratory fish species, whose stocks are shared between nations, are managed in the region. The project will create a permanent management group for migratory fish of these habitats which will continue to work collaboratively, but will also tackle decision making processes ensuring project results can be integrated in future policies on the national and EU level.

Recent flooding has demonstrated the vulnerability of North Sea Region. Municipalities have an urgent need to reduce flood risk, but lack a framework and the resources. The project is focusing on developing a transnational methodology to implement urban Flood Risk Management (FRMP) in four countries.

The project will thereby support national policy making related to the European Floods Directive and beyond. The main result will be a transnational methodology for FRM planning applicable in urban environments. In addition, the focus on long-term perspective on Climate change adaptation provides a practical follow-up to the EC green paper on climate change.

MP4 focuses on innovative approaches for planning and designing, maintaining and using public places. The project aim is to demonstrate how open space improvements offer positive socio-economic benefits, and how the benefits offered to key communities can be maintained in the long run (‘place-keeping'). In cooperation with key EU policymakers and networks, the project activities illustrate support for greater interaction between all those involved in the open space management process.

The project will create and promote model agreements for partnerships and social enterprises and implement 8 urban regeneration projects. As an end result the project will develop an EU-level Agenda for place-keeping and mainstream best practice across the North Sea Region.

The NMU project is building on the broad range of knowledge and expertise in the North Sea area which is being harnessed within a common and lasting transnational network of universities, The "Northern Maritime University" will directly address the needs of the maritime industry: To better prepare maritime business managers to cope with growing maritime traffic, port development, and rising environmental challenges, by developing multidisciplinary and internationally oriented qualifications at Bachelors and Masters level.

NMU is thereby working towards establishing a Area of Research and Innovation for the maritime industry in the North Sea Region, contributing towards the Lisbon strategy to create a more effective maritime business sector and an enhanced competitiveness of the maritime sector.

During the last few years the costs for fossil energy resources have been heavily increasing. A possibility to absorb rising costs is to critically question the status quo of energy consumption in order to be able to use existing energy saving potentials. Rising energy costs are contributing to a steadily increasing source of financial pressure for public utilities. This leads to a negative cycle: the public bodies have a lower budget at hand while at the same time the costs are rising, despite the lower demand. There is no available model showing how to link energy policies with the regional and/or local development.

The aim of North Sea - SEP is to foster a future oriented development on regional level by an energy oriented approach. To tackle these problems, the project has to improve local/regional development and the decision making processes by -creating tools for regional planners. Successful reorientation and creation of new profiles like energy regions must consider all actors in a region to involve them in the processes and to create ground for interactive development. Therefore methods and tools for regional planning and decision making will be developed with focus on systematically energy planning.

Small markets in the NSR and SME access barriers to European supply markets are key problems addressed by the project. They cause competitive disadvantages for Northern SMEs and their regions compared to suppliers and regions involved in large regions. If SMEs stick to prosperity of traditional regional markets, mayor markets are at risk. This risk is further aggravated by the ongoing global economic crisis which challenges regional economies to join forces with partners at an interregional level in order to regain competitiveness and to master structural change. NorthseaSupply adresses them with a Company Register and Training Measures with a SME-orientated partnership.

The project addresses efficiency and effectiveness of the North Sea Region transport freight. To secure the NSR as a global competitor, the project develops an intelligent transport solution (ITS), which will improve accessibility, reduce environmental damage in the North Sea Region and enable the NSR to develop a dynamic logistics solution which is scalable across the EU.

As the main result, the project will develop a multi-lingual electronic communication and data capture system for the freight supply chain to provide information to end users, transport managers, freight handlers about the conditions in the area that they are about to enter. Thereby the project aims to improve efficiency, safety and security in the supply chain of the NSR and promotes the development of efficient and effective logistics solutions.

NSSP seeks to tap the potential of the creative industries (i.e. the film industry) to promote innovation and growth in the NSR and increase the region's competitiveness in a global context. Transnational cooperation is concentrated on common challenges, such as marketing, financing and SME support.

The project aims to tackle issues such as fragmented national markets inhibiting critical mass creation (developing economies of scale), lack of coherence and coordination of actors and actions across the NSR, and loss of talents in more peripheral areas.

As a direct successor of NSR Interreg IIIB's POWER project, POWER cluster is centred on the development of a strong Offshore Wind Industry (OWI) cluster in the NSR. Core activities include a strengthened stakeholder and business-to-business network, energy grid reinforcement across the NSR, developed skills training courses (including higher education and addressing unemployment) and raising acceptance among the wider public as a basis for wider roll-out of wind energy installations.

POYO is focussing on maintenance processes, i.e. preventing problems instead of solving them, in order to increase the efficiency in the production process of the ports in the North Sea Region and thereby to enlarge competitiveness and innovation opportunities.

POYO is strengthening and empowering networks to create an international cluster in the North Sea Area, thereby laying the basis for knowledge transfer on innovative maintenance techniques and the development of an EU standard towards certification of all maintenance techniques.

As a main result, 4 physical Centres of Excellence will bring together industry/SME and vocational education to bundle knowledge and experience on maintenance issues. An action plan and a handbook will foster European certification on maintenance courses.

SAWA strives to strengthen the member states for their current implementation of the EU Flood Directive (FD) by developing a transnational implementation strategy. The aim is to adapt existing water management systems to the effects of extreme flood events due to climate change, focusing on sustainable development of society and regional economies.

Based on case studies and pilot implementations, SAWA will test the new and innovative strategies in Flood Risk Management around the North Sea. The project integrates local, regional and national stakeholders, university and vocational training students.

The project focuses on the integration and creation of knowledge through various methods for empowering water in interdisciplinary urban development and planning processes. The project has significant relevance for national and EU policy evaluation and it supports the implementation of the Floods Directive (FD) and the Waterframework Directive (WFD).

The project will develop a SKINT Water portal, which provides end-users from the national and regional level with an active source of information for on-line training courses, including an effective web-communication tool.

Smart Cities aims to create an innovation network between governments and academia in six countries to promote excellence in the domain of e-services (development and take-up) in order to set a new standard for e-service delivery in the whole NSR. The transnational working method (pooling expertise and joint model development) is proposed to equip decision-makers to achieve further innovation in the delivery of e-enabled public services.

The project aims to promote and facilitate the shift of cargo from road to sea based inter-modal transport. STRATMOS strives to improve accessibility within the North Sea Region by supporting the implementation of the Motorways of the Sea concept and related transport networks in integrated logistical chains.

On the strategic level, the project intends to provide input for the Master Plan to be developed by the North Sea MoS Task Force as well as to EU entities. On the implementation level practical demonstration projects will be carried out in order to demonstrate actions to be taken by public and private actors to improve the effectiveness of inter-modal transport, in particular related to hubs and hinterland connections.

SURF focuses on the urban fringe (social /economic/environmental) and developing instruments in which to manage a sustainable urban frindge (UF). In addition, the project aims to put the UF higher on the political agenda within the partner regions, at national and regional governments and at EU level. In most cases the UFs act as the hinterland of the urban centres, are of complex shape with a scattered landscape, are administratively fragmented & don't have a distinct identity. Overall UFs are the areas under pressure facing unsustainable growth & expansion.

The cities and urban fringes can not be considered in isolation & therefore there is a need of greater integration between various policies and programmes at local, regional & national level to make the urban fringes challenging and more attractive. The partnership brings together various partners across the NSR and city region which would not have been possible without the support from the programme.

SUSCOD aims to make a step change in the application of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). 7 partners from 5 countries will develop an innovative Integrated Coastal Zone Management (IZCM) ‘assistant'. The ICZM approach has been explored in several parts of the NSR and often the focus of these interventions has often been for public safety. Although these interventions have offered opportunities to realise the full development potential of the areas concerned, in practice a fully integrated, holistic approach has rarely been taken and this is regrettable because coastal potentials are not fully utilised.

SUSCOD brings together partners that want to change this through a well coordinated transnational team approach. This practical web based tool will allow coastal development practitioners to fully realise coastal potentials: economical, social and environmental.

TIDE considers tidally influenced NSR estuaries with large sediment transportation which are used as shipping channels to large harbours. The ecosystem services of intertidal and shallow estuarine habitats are threatened and need to be considered to ensure economic benefits and the maintenance of ecologically important areas. At the same time decision-makers at these estuaries are faced with an increasingly challenging legal and global economic framework.

TIDE will lead the path towards a more sustainable and effective use of large scale investments made into mitigation and compensation measures in NSR estuaries by applying for the first time a unified ecosystem approach to guide the process of integrated participatory management planning. Thus TIDE will not only improve the effectiveness of European, national and regional policy and provide instruments for regional development, but will make an essential contribution towards a more sustainable and effective use of investment into North Sea estuaries - since their planning will be based on a unified assessment concept and integrated management planning procedures.

The project will consider three themes connected to rural development; lack of economic development and innovations, negative or insufficient exposure of regions and downsizing in level of services and amenities.

Using a co-operative approach the project partners will work together on a number of pilot initiatives to consider these issues in a transnational setting. The end result of the project will be a Rural Power Pack, which will be disseminated and communicated at an EU level. The project will be supported by a scientific support group.

To take forward opportunities afforded by recreational inland waterways for the development and realisation of business opportunities and creating attractive places near where people live and work.

The project will work by implementing a number of themed initiatives on business and product development, waterway regeneration and the sustainable management of waterway resource.