For the 2007-13 period, the Government has delegated the implementation of the North East England ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13 to One NorthEast.

Please take a few moments to watch our short filmclip to familiarise yourself with the key elements of the North East programme before exploring our dedicated ERDF webpages:

ERDF is economic development funding for regions like the North East which are encouraging structural economic change.

Investment in innovation, enterprise and stronger support for business start ups are the cornerstones of the latest ERDF programme, which is worth £36m additional European funding per year to boost economic development activity up to 2013.

European Union Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner has delivered a strong message of support to North East England to kickstart the new fund which is bringing £255m to the region.

“I am pleased to see a targeted partnership approach concentrating ERDF funding to generate additional value, complement the investment of domestic resources and deliver a distinctive European contribution.”

Every region develops its own ERDF operational programme with partners to govern how their allocation of money will be spent.

The North East operational programme is closely aligned with the Regional Economic Strategy and will directly support the delivery of its priorities.  It can potentially fund up to 50% of eligible activities.

You can view the ERDF Operational Programme document or a summary of the Programme Priorities by clicking on the relevant links on the right hand side of this page.

One NorthEast’s role in ERDF 2007-13

The Department for Communities and Local Government remains ultimately responsible for the management of the ERDF programme at the national level.

Regional development agency One NorthEast has taken on some of the Managing Authority functions for the ERDF programme, and will be the day to day point of contact for regional organisations seeking funding support.

This means that collectively we must ensure that the operational programme:

• is successfully delivered in the North East
• meets its spend and output targets
• is aligned with, and genuinely adds value to, domestic investment
• is backed up by strong support for its management and administrative structures such as the Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC).

Government Office for the North East continues to chair the PMC which oversees the delivery of the programme, ensuring that it delivers to the challenging standards set by the government and the European Commission.

ERDF operational plan priorities

In line with North East England’s Regional Economic Strategy, ERDF investment is focusing on two priorities:

• Priority 1 - Enhancing & Exploiting Innovation (£135m)
• Priority 2 - Business Growth & Enterprise (£110m).

Priority 1 will promote and embed ‘opportunity’ by advancing science, technology and innovation within the region’s business base and broader communities.

Priority 2 will address the relative underperformance of the North East in terms of business start ups and survival rates.

Both priorities are underpinned by commitments to environmental sustainability, equality of opportunity and sustainable communities.

The programme will target ‘innovation connectors’ and offer a wide ranging package of support designed to nurture enterprise and get more people to set up in business.

What happens next?

The operational programme for the new European Regional Development Fund has received approval from the European Commission.  North East England was one of the first regions to secure approval and our programme is one of the largest.

The PMC is engaging with key partners in the region to successfully deliver the programme and ensure that the focus remains on innovation, business growth and enterprise.  It has developed and agreed selection criteria for activities which will deliver high impact on these agendas and directly contribute to the RES.

You can read more details about the ERDF programme, its activities and selection criteria by clicking on the appropriate links on the right hand side of this webpage.  We will also write to partners with details of developments via our regular e-bulletin.  Our e-bulletins are also available on this website and if you would like to be added to the distribution list for this regular newsfeed, please e-mail erdf@onenortheast.co.uk

Government Office for the North East retains management of the 2000-06 ERDF programme as it reaches its natural end.  For information on the previous programme, click here.

If you require any further information, you can contact the One NorthEast European Secretariat on 0191 229 6630 or 6619, or by e-mail at erdf@onenortheast.co.uk

Click here to view a schedule of ERDF functions for One NorthEast

Supporting Documents and Downloads

ERDF Operational Programme Document 2007-13 [doc] (2.96 MB)

ERDF Guide to Programme Priorities [pdf] (858 KB)