The projects are to be formed following 4 thematic priorities:

1. “Innovative and socially responsible Danube region” tackles research, technological development and innovation through “promotion of business investment in R&I, developing links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centres and the higher education sector, in particular promotion of investment in product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation, eco-innovation, public service applications, demand stimulation, networking, clusters and open innovation through smart specialisation, and supporting technological and applied research, pilot lines, early product validation actions, advanced manufacturing capabilities and first production, in particular in key enabling technologies and diffusion of general purpose technologies”
2. “Environment and culture responsible Danube region” tackles preservation and protection of the environment and promotion of resource efficiency and strengthens joint and integrated approaches to preserve and manage the diversity of natural and cultural assets in the Danube region as a basis for sustainable development and growth strategies
3. “Better connected and energy responsible Danube region” tackles common challenges related to environmentally-friendly (including low-noise), low-carbon and safe transport systems including inland waterways & ports and multimodal links in order to contribute to sustainable regional and local mobility, modal integration and intelligent transport.
4. “Well governed Danube region” tackles the institutional cooperation and capacity building leading to improving legal and policy frameworks, developing strategies and action plans, development of joint capacities and coordinated delivery of services.

In principle the following types of action are supported under the cooperation programme:

• Development of common orientations, frameworks and strategies in fields of transnational relevance where early policy development is needed (i.e. in fields which until now have not been touched by significant projects in the previous programming periods);
• Development and practical implementation of transnational tools and services (e.g. analytical tools, management tools, technical tools, software tools, monitoring tools);
• Preparation of transnational investments (infrastructure, equipment) to be subsequently financed through other sources;
• Pilot activities including small-scale fixed investments (of testing or demonstration nature);
• Development and practical implementation of training and capacity building (e.g. training seminars and courses, study visits, peer reviews);
• Accompanying information, dissemination, capitalisation and publicity measures to inform stakeholders and/or the general public about project activities and outcomes.

85% (up to 100% depending on the country and type of organisations of the beneficiary).

Projects will be selected through open calls for proposals. For more information regarding the individual calls/measures, please consult the Managing authority and the programme website: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/. Potential applicants can check the Applicants Manual of each call for proposals to get more information about the project beneficiaries and other details concerning the DTP projects.

Given its overall budget size, the European Territorial Cooperation programmes (such as DTP) cannot target large-scale investment interventions and consequently major economic impact.