Why does information in keep.eu differ from information elsewhere?
Users may sometimes find different information about the same Interreg programme, project or partner in keep.eu and elsewhere. This does not necessarily mean that one of the sources is wrong.
Different databases and websites serve different purposes. They may therefore request different information from Interreg programmes, structure and process that information differently, and update it at different times. Differences can occur even when the information ultimately comes from the same Interreg programme. For example, keep.eu collects information on contracted programmes; other sources (including some programme websites) may contain information on approved projects.
Where does the information in keep.eu come from?
Interreg programmes are the source of the project and partner data in keep.eu. They provide data from their monitoring systems, either automatically or by sending files to the keep.eu team.
Keep.eu asks programmes for a defined set of information on their projects, partners and calls. This information was selected and structured specifically for keep.eu, with the aim of making Interreg data from different programmes, countries and programming periods searchable and comparable. More information on how programmes share their data with keep.eu and on the project, partner and call data available in keep.eu can be found here.
Another database may also receive information from Interreg programmes but request different fields, use different definitions or structure the information differently. Therefore, the fact that the information ultimately comes from the same programmes does not mean that different databases will necessarily contain the same data.
Keep.eu also processes some of the data it receives to make information from different programmes easier to search and compare. For example, the keep.eu team verifies and cleans the data, classifies projects according to a common set of themes and, where required, translates specific fields into English. More about this can be read in the description of the process from data collection to publication in keep.eu, here.
Information may have been updated at different times
Timing is one of the most common reasons for differences.
By default, each programme’s project and partner data in keep.eu are updated every four months. However, the actual timing also depends on when new or updated information becomes available from each programme. This means that information may already have been updated in a programme’s own system, website or another database while the corresponding update has not yet reached keep.eu. Conversely, keep.eu and another source may have received or processed updates at different times.
Timing can also explain why a project or partner appears in one place but not yet in another. Keep.eu can only publish project and partner data once these data have been made available to it.
How can users understand the data they see in keep.eu?
Keep.eu provides metadata to help users understand the coverage, source and currency of its data.
At the bottom of each programme page, users can find information about that programme’s project and partner data in keep.eu. Depending on the programme and programming period, this includes information such as the data source, when the data were received, fields missing from the data provided, and other relevant notes.
Users can also use keep.eu’s Representativeness information to understand how much of the Interreg universe is represented in the database. More about how representativeness is assessed in the FAQ entry How representative is the data in keep.eu?.
If information in keep.eu differs from information elsewhere, checking this metadata is a good first step. The difference may simply reflect when the data were received, what information was provided, or how complete the available data are.
What if another database uses data from keep.eu?
Keep.eu makes its data available for reuse through its API. This allows other websites and databases to use keep.eu as a source of harmonised Interreg data.
An important example is Kohesio, the European Commission’s platform providing information on projects and beneficiaries across EU Cohesion Policy. Kohesio uses the keep.eu API as its source for Interreg project and partner data.
But even where another platform obtains its Interreg data from keep.eu, what users see in the two platforms does not necessarily have to be identical. Platforms may select different fields, structure and present information differently, and update the information they obtain from keep.eu at different times. Continuing with the example from Kohesio, the two platforms also have different scopes. Kohesio covers Cohesion Policy as a whole and provides the European Commission’s comprehensive view of EU-funded projects and beneficiaries. Keep.eu specialises in Interreg and cooperation, and provides more detailed tools for searching, comparing and analysing territorial cooperation programmes, projects and partners across countries and programming periods.
What should users do if they find a difference that they cannot explain?
As mentioned, differences between keep.eu and another source often have a straightforward explanation. They may result from different data requirements, structures, processing methods, coverage or update times. But mistakes are also possible. If users find information in keep.eu that appears to be incorrect, or a difference that they cannot explain after checking the available metadata, the keep.eu team would appreciate their contact.
When contacting us, please tell us which programme, project or partner you are looking at, which information appears to be different, and where you found the information you are comparing it with. We will check the issue and, where necessary, contact the programme concerned.