What is Visegrad+ Grants?

Visegrad+ Grants support projects which contribute to the democratization and transformation processes in selected countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) and the Eastern Partnership regions (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine).

Conditions

• Projects must develop meaningful cooperation and ensure the active involvement of at least three V4 countries and one entity from the Eastern Partnership region (EaP) or the Western Balkans countries (WB6) at minimum (3xV4 + 1xEaP/WB6 format). However, if the applicant is from one of the EaP or WB6 countries, it is enough to involve two V4 countries, if another EaP/WB country is also involved (2xV4 + 2xEaP/WB6 format)
• EXCEPTION from the partnership rules for Ukrainian entities applicable until further notice: Applicants can apply with two partners from a different V4 country each without involving another country from the EaP or WB6 region (1xUA + 2xV4 format)
• Visegrad+ Grants should be implemented in the EaP or WBs region, and/or have a strong impact on local communities in at least one of those countries
• Maximum duration of project implementation is 18 months
• Grants cover up to 100% of project budget with maximum 15% of the requested sum for overheads
• Projects must clearly address one of the objectives of seven focus areas

Please note that simply having a project partner/applicant from the EaP or WB region does not automatically make an application qualify for a Visegrad+ Grant,

Objectives

Culture and Common Identity

• Creating/presenting common audiovisual, literary, and other contemporary art products to new audiences
• Reflecting on common historical and cultural heritage as well as cultural diversity by joint research and knowledge-sharing activities
• Establishing and fostering cooperation among municipalities, regions, and local groups through common cultural activities

Education and Capacity Building

• Strengthening professional networks of educational institutions and supporting mobility of students, researchers, and educators to share best practices
• Improving hard and soft skills for the 21st century through formal and non-formal educational methods

Innovation, R&D, Entrepreneurship

• Aiming to build up new business and cluster networks for SMEs, startups, and research institutions within and outside the V4
• Tackling economic challenges and improving the ecosystem for businesses and social enterprises through joint lobbying, common policy solutions and exchange of best practices
• Dealing with innovation, new technologies and scientific research on regional and cross-sectoral levels

Democratic Values and the Media

• Promoting active participation of citizens in democratic decision-making processes and fostering democratic debate
• Promoting transparency and the fight against corruption by supporting knowledge-exchange and capacity-building of whistleblowers, investigative journalists, and watchdogs
• Improving media and information literacy, and increasing resilience towards biased reporting, disinformation, and propaganda
• Aiming for better media coverage of relevant topics in the V4 region and increased access to information

Public Policy and Institutional Partnership

• Connecting the expert communities to find joint solutions to common policy challenges
• Promoting active lobbying for policy change and good governance and connecting relevant stakeholders with decision-makers 

Regional Development, Environment and Tourism

• Offering new solutions and activities to the fight against climate change and raising awareness of environmental protection within and outside the V4 region
• Aiming at sustainable tourism development on the local and regional levels by combining international expertise and shared know-how
• Aiming at finding and sharing innovative solutions in local and regional infrastructure development, urban planning, land revitalization and agriculture

Social Development

• Promoting an inclusive mindset in society and addressing protection and empowerment of minorities
• Improving intergenerational dialogue and the social care infrastructure to tackle common demographic and public health challenges
• Promoting a healthy and active lifestyle and reduction of addictive substance abuse