Meet the finalists of the Interreg Slam 2026-2027

The 2026-2027 edition has been the largest to date, receiving 71 applications from 25 Interreg programmes. Participants are commended for their effort, creativity, and the inspiring stories they shared.

Now the time has come to reveal the finalists of this edition:

Projects: KARST-SAFE, FIRESAFENET, CROSS ALERT, KARST FIREWALL 5.0 - Interreg Italy - Slovenia

This finalist tells a single story shaped by four projects fighting the same enemy: wildfires. In the cross-border Karst region, the devastating fires of summer 2022 made clear that climate change knows no border. KARST-SAFE builds preventive measures to protect local communities, FIRESAFENET develops a cross-border early-warning system using satellite imaging and AI, CROSS ALERT establishes a network of SOS points and digital recovery tools, and KARST FIREWALL 5.0 applies Industry 5.0 technologies to build long-term forest resilience. Together, these four projects form a single firewall built jointly by Italian and Slovenian firefighters, foresters, and researchers, proving that: Fire does not speak Italian or Slovenian. Neither does our response.

Project Connect'ED - Interreg Meuse - Rhine

In the Meuse-Rhine region, three countries meet within less than an hour's drive - yet linguistic, cultural and structural barriers still make it rare for young people to cross those borders for education or work. Connect'ED changes that by bringing schools, training centres, universities and employers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany together to give young people real cross-border experiences from an early age. Through discovery visits, exchanges and joint activities, the project opens up the Euregional education and labour market to the next generation before national borders become habits they never question. The cross-border future is less than an hour away from home.

Project ECONUT - Interreg South Baltic

Every storm leaves heaps of beach wrack washed up along the South Baltic coastline - usually treated as waste to be cleared away. ECONUT sees it differently. Bringing together universities and research institutes from Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, the project transforms marine biomass - algae, macrophytes and beach wrack - into biofertilisers and natural soil enhancers, recovering nutrients that would otherwise pollute coastal waters and putting them back to work in agriculture. By revitalising nutrient cycling and reducing dependence on synthetic fertilisers, ECONUT strengthens soil fertility, protects dunes, and builds a more resilient, circular bioeconomy across the South Baltic region. It's a project with a simple, powerful idea: From Waste to Wealth.

Project Target Circular - Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic

Sustainability-focused SMEs in the North face a particular challenge: the pressure to go circular is real, but the business support organisations meant to help them often lack the specific tools and knowledge to do so effectively. Target Circular tackles this at the source - upskilling business advisors and clusters across Ireland, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden with evidence-based methods, strategy mapping tools and a circular economy toolkit, so that they can guide SMEs towards smarter, more sustainable decisions. Because the bottleneck is rarely the ambition of the entrepreneur, it is the capacity of those supporting them. Advising the advisors: taking SMEs from overwhelmed to thriving, and circular.

Project REHAB - Interreg Lithuania - Poland

More than one billion people worldwide need rehabilitation services and the Lithuanian-Polish border region is no exception. REHAB brings together a rehabilitation hospital in Lithuania and a public health institution in Poland to improve access to and quality of rehabilitation for both children and adults. Through joint training, shared expertise, upgraded equipment and infrastructure, and the integration of psychotherapy alongside physical rehabilitation, the project aims to serve over 6,500 patients annually across the border region. Step by step, the project contributes to a future where pain no longer decides how people live, move, and grow old.

Project RiverDiv - Interreg Oberrhein - Rhin Supérieur

The Wieslauter river flows between Germany and France, but the threats it faces - pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change, pay no attention to that line on the map. RiverDiv brings together fishing associations, public authorities, water suppliers, researchers and local communities from both sides of the border to protect the river's biodiversity and water quality. Through the cross-border "RiverClub", anglers from Germany and France meet regularly to exchange experience, while scientific monitoring builds a shared understanding of the risks ahead. By the project's end, these stakeholders will share a common catalogue of measures and a lasting cross-border network. Because rivers do not stop at borders. Neither should those who protect them.

What comes next?

The finalists will now work closely with the Interact team to bring their stories to life through professionally produced promotional videos, fully funded by Interact. As part of this next stage, a public voting opportunity will also open up: in November 2026, you will be able to vote for your favourite story via social media. And this year we plan to emerge on new platforms, as well.

The excitement will culminate in the Grand Finale at the Interreg Knowledge Fair in March 2027, where the finalists will take the stage for a live performance in front of policymakers, programme managers, and decision-makers from across Europe. Three prestigious awards await: the Slam Winner, the European Commission's Award, and the Social Media Award.

Thank you once again to all participants, and heartfelt congratulations to our finalists. Get ready to be inspired by their incredible stories of cooperation and solidarity!