Regions and Cities
With the programme already at an advanced stage, the consultancy showcases its portfolio and volume to support regions and cities in other instruments such as EUI, EIE and I3
At a glance: the essentials of this article
Zabala Innovation has mobilised €33.2 million for its clients under Interreg in the current 2021–2027 framework up to 2025, already surpassing the total for the previous period, at a time when the European programme is entering its most advanced phase, with nearly 70% of the budget already committed. Building on this track record, the consultancy is strengthening its position to support regions and cities not only in Interreg, but also in instruments such as the European Urban Initiative (EUI), the I3 Instrument and European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), in an increasingly competitive and impact-driven landscape.
Zabala Innovation has mobilised €33.2 million in Interreg funding over the 2021–2027 period up to 2025, a figure that already exceeds the total for the entire 2014–2020 framework, when it reached €32.5 million. This update comes at a time when Interreg – the European Union programme that finances cooperation projects between regions from different countries to address shared challenges – is approaching its midpoint, with most of its budget committed, around 70% by the end of 2025. This level leaves less room for new allocations and is prompting public authorities, companies and consortia to look towards other European instruments of interest to regions and cities, such as the European Urban Initiative, European Innovation Ecosystems and the I3 Instrument.
“These figures give us a verifiable track record to support public administrations and local stakeholders when seeking funding beyond Interreg, in programmes where the level of competition and technical scrutiny is equally high,” explains Aurora García, Head of Regions and Cities at Zabala Innovation. “The team draws on its accumulated experience in territorial cooperation to transfer preparation, coordination and results-alignment methodologies to calls with different logics, but with a common denominator: they are all European instruments for territorial innovation,” she adds.
The starting point is a programme that has matured rapidly. According to the update published this week, by the end of 2025 Interreg had committed more than €7.5 billion and had selected almost 6,000 projects, 5,979 in total. These figures represent close to 70% of the overall budget and could approach 75% if only the funds strictly available for projects are considered, excluding technical assistance. In practice, the picture is one of a cycle in which the main deployment of resources has already taken place, and where efforts in 2026 and 2027 will focus more on consolidation and closure than on launching major new funding rounds.
The timeline set out in the report supports this view. In 2023, an initial boost saw around €4.5 billion mobilised in early calls; in 2024, this exceeded €5.5 billion, just over half of the total; and in 2025, acceleration brought the figure to around 70%. The document urges caution when comparing with 2014–2020 due to changes in rules, timelines and the number of programmes, but places the 2021–2027 framework in an unusually advanced stage of allocation, a circumstance that tends to concentrate opportunities and increase competition per project.
In this context, the volume mobilised by Zabala Innovation in the current period is supported by several sub-programmes, with a strong focus on cross-border instruments in the Iberian Peninsula. Interreg Poctefa (cooperation between Spain, France and Andorra in the Pyrenean area) accounts for €20.3 million of the 2021–2027 total up to 2025; Interreg Poctep (cross-border cooperation between Spain and Portugal) reaches nearly €5 million; Interreg Atlantic (cooperation between regions of the European Atlantic Arc) contributes around €3.4 million; Interreg Sudoe (transnational cooperation in south-west Europe, mainly Spain, Portugal and southern France) €3.2 million; and Interreg Europe (interregional cooperation across Europe to exchange policies and good practices between public authorities) €1.4 million. The distribution differs from the 2014–2020 framework, when Interreg Atlantic accounted for €19.3 million, followed by Poctefa with €7.4 million, North West Europe with €4 million, and Interreg Europe with €1.7 million.
Beyond Interreg, Zabala Innovation’s Regions and Cities area is showing upward growth across the range of programmes in which it operates. Under the 2021–2027 framework up to 2025, it secured €70 million for its clients, compared with €44 million in the 2014–2020 period.
The Interreg update points to increasing concentration of funds: with more than 70% of the budget already committed and fewer projects selected than in previous periods, competition is intensifying and the landscape favours larger-scale operations and stronger consortia. With most programmes at an advanced stage of allocation, 2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year, with more selective calls and a stronger focus on capitalising results, while debate begins on the post-2027 framework, increasingly oriented towards impact and performance.
In any case, Zabala Innovation is already active in other programmes aimed at cities and regions:
Over time, these instruments “have become benchmarks for those seeking funding linked to innovation, public services, cooperation and territorial deployment,” says García. “The time to prepare proposals is now,” she concludes.
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