***Please note: this page refers to the period 2007-2013***

The Alpine Space is considered as one of the most attractive areas for living, working and recreating throughout Europe. However, some geographic and economic preconditions are less advantageous if compared to those of other European regions. Therefore, in order to overcome the disadvantages of location factors and to promote the Alpine Space as a dynamic economic region in Europe, projects are called for achieving the following objectives:

• strengthening innovation capabilities of SMEs, creating appropriate environments for their development and fostering stable cooperation between R&TD centers and SMEs;
• enhancing development options based on traditional sectors and cultural heritage, as well as on emerging sectors at transnational level;
• strengthening the role of urban areas as engines for sustainable development;
• strengthening rural-urban relations and the development of peripheral areas.
  
  

How should this be achieved?

Through the submission of high quality projects supporting:

• clusters generation and the strengthen of the key economic branches;
• the development of pilot initiatives for technology transfers;
• the setting up of joint actions dealing with valorization of cultural heritage;
• the development of production chains based on regional products or joint quality labels for key economic branches;
• the promotion of integrated tourism systems.

The list is not exhaustive. For more details please check the Operational  Programme

Projects approved under this priority

AlpBC - Capitalising knowledge on Alpine Building Culture by performing regional smart planning and consultancy strategies for sustainable development and closed loop economies in the Alpine Space

AlpClusters2020 - Alpine space industrial Clusters' networks: paving the way for Europe 2020

AlpEnergy - Virtual Power Systems as an Instrument to Promote Transnational Cooperation and Sustainable Energy Supply in the Alpine Space

AlpEnMat - Alpine Energy Meetings on Advanced Technology

AlpHouse - Alpine building culture and ecology. Competence development of local craft companies in the area of energy-efficient renovation of traditional alpine old buildings and settlements

ALPlastics - A network of private/public actors actively involved in local development policies in 5 Alpine regions, to create proper conditions for strategic innocation in the Alpine plastic clusters and strengthen the related economic sector.

ALPS Bio Cluster - TransAlpine Bio Cluster

Alps4EU - Alps 4 EU

CABEE - Capitalizing Alpine Building Evaluation Experiences

CAPACities -  Competitiveness Actions and Policies for Alpine Cities

CCAlps - Creative companies in Alpine Space

ClimAlpTour  - Climate Change and its Impact on Tourism in the Alpine Space

COMUNIS - Inter-municipal cooperation for Strategic Steering of SME-oriented Location Development in the Alpine Space
 
DEMOCHANGE - Demographic change in the Alps: adaptation strategies to spatial planning and regional development

ENERBUILD - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies in the BUILDing Sector

FIDIAS - Innovative Financial Instruments for Sustainable Development in Alpine Space
 
INNOCITÉ - How to improve competitiveness of small-medium cities under the influence of Alpine great urban centres

NATHCARE -  Networking Alpine Health for Continuity of Care

OPEN-ALPS - Open Innovation in Alpine SMEs

RURBANCE - Rural-Urban inclusive governance strategies an tools for the sustainable development of deeply transforming Alpine territories.

ViSiBLE - Valorisation of Sustainable Alpine Space nearly zero-energy Building and Low-carbon Experiences

WIKIAlps - A wiki for capitalising on spatial-development projects

Learn more about the other two priorities of the Alpine Space Programme:  

Priority 2 Accessibility and Connectivity
Priority 3 Environment and Risk Prevention