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Themes. What are they? How are they assigned to projects?

42 different thematic keywords were agreed when the keep.eu database was set up. Each project whose data is published in keep.eu is classified according to this closed system either with one, two or three themes. This system of project classification applies indistinctively to projects of any programming period, from 2000 to the present days. It is independent from the intervention logic that applies to 2014-2020 only, and fundamentally different in nature: Regarding the latter, thematic objectives (TOs) and investment priorities (IPs) are embodied in the project data itself before its uploading to keep.eu.

Below is the description of keep.eu’s themes, in alphabetical order.

  • Agriculture and fisheries and forestry: Projects focussing on agricultural products (i.e. fruits, meat, olives, etc.), organic farming, horticulture, as well as forest management and wood products. Also the development of the agro-food sector, food chains, organic food production, and seafood products. Any topics related to animals (i.e. health, management) and fishing (i.e. sustainable fishery, aquaculture).
  • Climate change and biodiversity: Projects assisting mitigation and adaption to climate change and environmental impacts of climate change. Development of low carbon technologies and strategies, reduction of CO2 emissions from all sectors. Promotion of biodiversity, new instruments to enhance biodiversity and natural protection.
  • Clustering and economic cooperation: This deals with clusters, business networks and other forms of intense cooperation between e.g. public and private players, R&TD facilities. It brings together different actors from different fields to form strategic partnerships.
  • Community integration and common identity: Projects that build identity, create a more cohesive society, promote positive relations through an increased provision of shared spaces and services.
  • Construction and renovation: Projects dealing with construction, renovation and adaption of buildings, and, in particular, energy rehabilitation, recycling of demolition waste, but also design and housing topics.
  • Cooperation between emergency services: Joint activities and equipment for police, fire and rescue services (promoting volunteer fire and rescue services, strengthening police capacities, improving civil protection systems, rapid intervention force to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies, protection of citizens, etc.).
  • Costal management and maritime issues: Projects about any topic that is happening on the coastal areas and islands, mainly to secure and enhance the marine and coastal environments, marine protected areas, maritime tourism and efficient planning and management of coastal and marine spaces.
  • Cultural heritage and arts: Projects that protect, promote and enhance cultural and natural heritage, increase the attractiveness through preservation and valorisation of common cultural and natural heritage in a sustainable manner, and improve and develop cultural and natural heritage objects, services and products. Cultural heritage management, art and culture, (maritime) heritage routes, access to cultural and natural heritage. Also all topics on cultural services such as festivals, concerts, art workshops.
  • Demographic change and immigration: This is about projects tackling major societal challenges like demographic change in different areas and migration, in particular, aging society (active aging, best agers, silver economy strategies) and related new public services (adaptation of key services and infrastructure), social and spatial segregation, and brain drain. Also all topics on migration (policy tools, strategic planning, integration).
  • Education and training: Projects on expanding educational opportunities, reducing barriers in the field of education, improving higher education and lifelong learning, training and labour mobility, educational networks, higher vocational education, common learning programmes.
  • Energy efficiency: Topics on energy management, energy-saving methods, evaluating energy efficiency measurements, energy rehabilitation/efficiency in buildings / public infrastructure, promotion of energy efficiency, cooperation among experienced energy efficiency firms, institutions and local administrations, co-generation.
  • Evaluation systems and results: This concerns the evaluation of different matters, developing evaluation models to assess prevention measures and evaluation networks. It also concerns monitoring in any field, e.g., environmental monitoring systems, monitoring of the development of the labour market, etc., and projects on studies related to any topic.
  • Governance, partnership: Projects aimed at increasing the application of multilevel and transnational or cross-border governance, designing and testing appropriate governance structures and mechanisms. Also cooperation between public institutions on any theme.
  • Green technologies: This is about all environmental technologies in any field, such as innovative water treatment technologies, environmental conversion technologies, etc.. It also includes projects on environmentally friendly transport (electric mobility, cycling, etc.).
  • Health and social services: This deals with the development of health and social services and improved accessibility and efficiency for different groups (elderly, children, etc.). It is also about new healthcare models and medical diagnosis and treatments (dementia, cancer, diabetes, etc.), hospitals, care management, and rare diseases, as well as improving wellbeing and promoting sports.
  • ICT and digital society: All projects where ICT has a significant role, including tailor-made ICT solutions in different fields, as well as digital innovation hubs, open data, Internet of Things; ICT access and connecting (remote) areas with digital infrastructure and services; services and applications for citizens (e-health, e-government, e-learning, e-inclusion, etc.); services and applications for companies (e-commerce, networking, digital transformation, etc.).
  • Improving transport connections: Projects working on traffic and/or transport connections (planning and implementing), restoration/modernisation of roads, better connectivity on transport corridors, new railway lines, improving accessibility/connections, but also public transport (planning) and ticket combination.
  • Infrastructure: Projects about railways, motorways, roads, airports, ports, energy infrastructure and related buildings (improvements and renovations).
  • Innovation capacity and awareness-raising: Actions that increase a person’s or organisation’s capacity for innovation (not innovation as such), and that establish the capacity to diffuse and apply innovation; projects that stimulate innovation in different areas and innovation capacities; strengthening and empowering of innovation networks.
  • Institutional cooperation and cooperation networks: Projects working on the improvement of institutional cross-border co-operation and capacities, on renewing and simplifying administrative management through long term cooperation between institutions (e.g. Euregion), on establishing and sharing regional knowledge and intercultural understanding and cohesion. It also deals with cooperations between universities, health care facilities, schools and sports organisations, as well as with management and capacity building.
  • Knowledge and technology transfer: Projects fostering the development of new technologies and the transfer of knowledge / technology among key players (researchers, SMEs, companies, universities, public authorities, etc.); also knowledge and technology transfer platforms that strengthen connections and synergies and close the gap between the research phase and the implementation of technological innovations.
  • Labour market and employment: This is about creating employment opportunities and/or optimising jobs, but also academic (un)employment and job mobility, workforce attraction and improvement of employment conditions for different groups.
  • Logistics and freight transport: This deals with the management of the flow of goods and other resources by ship, aircraft, train or truck; projects’ works on sustainable and intelligent logistics, smart Urban Freight Logistics Hubs, sustainable freight transport options and on improving the transport flows of goods and the coordination among freight transport stakeholders.
  • Managing natural and man-made threats, risk management: This is about the mitigation and management of risks and disasters, and the anticipation and response capacity towards the actors regarding specific risks and management of natural disasters, for example, prevention of flood and drought hazards, forest fire, strong weather conditions, etc.. It is also about risk assessment and safety.
  • Multimodal transport: The focus is on using different means of transport, developing multimodal connections, optimising intermodal transport chains; offering multimodal logistics solutions and providing access to clean, efficient and multimodal transport corridors; establishing cooperation among logistic centres and developing multimodal mobility strategies.
  • New products and services: Projects about innovative products/services or their substantial improvement, regardless of the sector (i.e. 3d printing, biotechnology, sewage collection, bioplastics, textiles, medical devices, renewable energy, etc.); new service models in areas such as health, government, SMEs, etc. and technological and market innovation.
  • Regional planning and development: Projects about improving the implementation of regional development policies/instruments and programmes, sustainable land use management plans, integrated regional action plans, spatial planning, and marine protected area management.
  • Renewable energy: Projects focussing on wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal and other renewable energy, increasing the production of sustainable renewable energy and improving research capacities in biomass. Also projects focussing on storage and management of renewable energy, new technologies, sustainable regional bioenergy policies and financial Instruments for investments on renewable energy.
  • Rural and peripheral development: This deals with any topic referring to remote, sparsely populated areas, rural community development, and rural economics, in particular access to remote areas and policies for rural areas.
  • Safety: Projects about (organised) crime, efficient and secure borders, such as enhancing the effectiveness of the police in the prevention of drug crimes, the development of safety services, or tackling security and organised crime issues.
  • Scientific cooperation: This concerns mainly research activities and scientific development, for example improving the scientific excellence in any research field, expanding research capacity, improving scientific and technological capabilities, or research networks.
  • SME and entrepreneurship: Projects strengthening SME capacities, boosting entrepreneurial activities in different sectors and for different groups, supporting social entrepreneurship, creating business support/advisory systems for start-ups/spin-offs/incubators, improving the competitiveness of SMEs, and promoting new business processes and financial engineering.
  • Social inclusion and equal opportunities: Social projects concerning people with disabilities and excluded groups; enhancement of the capacity of children, young people, women and elderly; creation of infrastructure to improve access for disabled people, integration of socially vulnerable people; innovate in the care of victims of gender violence, social inclusion of women, etc.
  • Soil and air quality: Projects that deal with any topic against soil and air pollution, except water pollution, for example, reduction of soil and air contamination, pollution-management systems, but also prevention and eradication of soil erosion, new ways of improving air quality (also indoors) and soil/air knowledge in general.
  • Sustainable management of natural resources: Projects focussing on the protection, promotion and valorization, and sustainable management and conservation of natural areas (habitats, geo parks, protected areas, etc.). Also projects focussing on preserving and enhancing cultural and natural heritage and landscape, as well as protecting the marine environment.
  • Tourism: Projects dealing with the promotion of natural assets, and the protection and development of natural heritage, as well as increasing the touristic attractiveness through the better use of natural, cultural and historical heritage. Also projects about improved tourist services/products, development of ecotourism models, tourism development strategies.
  • Traditional energy: Projects working on natural gas (liquefied natural gas), electricity, oil, coal and nuclear, for instance reducing gas or coal dependency, implementing local energy strategies, testing new smart grid electricity network, management of energy storages, LNG infrastructure.
  • Transport and mobility: This concerns all sorts of transport, including planning, mobility (safe mobility, sustainable mobility, mobility plans, e-mobility) and urban transport (low carbon, commuting, etc.).
  • Urban development: All topics related to urban development, such as planning and design of cities and urban areas, urban renewal, urban-rural links (climate, sustainable mobility, water efficiency, participation, sustainable land use, smart cities, public urban areas, regeneration).
  • Waste and pollution: Projects on waste management (innovative services and strategies), ecological waste treatment, treatment techniques/systems; waste disposal and recycling (improvement of recycling, innovative recycling technologies, recovery of organic waste, repair & re-use centres and networks); also prevention of pollution and pollution control (ecological and circular economy, marine littering, etc.).
  • Water management: Projects about management and distribution of drinking water, integrated sustainable water management, monitoring systems for water supply and improving drinking water quality; also water treatment (wastewater), in particular, innovative technologies to improve wastewater, treatments in the purification of industrial and domestic wastewater and water reuse policies.
  • Waterways, lakes and rivers: This deals with any topics on waterways, lakes and rivers, from improving water quality, protecting and developing of ecosystems or sustainable wetland management.