Since 2019, the institutes at Hof University of Applied Sciences have increasingly brought INTERREG projects to the region. But what is INTERREG? And what are these projects about? INTERREG is a funding instrument of the European Union. It supports cross-border cooperation between member states at regional level. Individual companies, universities or associations apply for funding to work on common challenges with partners from the EU.
One example: promoting digitalization in rural regions. Or enabling the construction sector to work in a more CO₂-neutral way. At the end of these projects, there is usually a strategy paper. It shows how each region can apply the collected solutions. Depending on the INTERREG program, there are also pilot projects or best practice examples that can be copied.
The DIGITAL REGIONS project ran at Hof University of Applied Sciences. It collected solutions for digitalization and Industry 4.0 in rural areas. The results are available here.
There are currently several INTERREG projects. They enable digital innovation in the construction sector (Circular DigiBUILD) and bring the latest standards in project management to students in Bavaria and the Czech Republic via online courses (SipMo). They are also building a network for green hydrogen in Upper Franconia and the Karlsbad district (HyBaBo).
HUMAN, “Healthcare 5.0 supporting the transformative shift of regions” is the latest project and will start in May 2025. The overarching goal of HUMAN is to provide affordable, accessible and more equitable digital healthcare services. In cooperation with public authorities, the aim is to pave the way for a better patient and user experience through digital applications in healthcare, especially in rural areas.
The HyBaBo project is working on a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure in the Upper Franconian and Karlovy Vary region, and SipMo is developing project management training courses with expertise from Bavaria and the Czech Republic. Circular DigiBuild: supports the circular economy in the construction industry. The ongoing project aims to develop suitable strategies for the whole of Europe to promote the circular economy in construction.
DIGITAL REGIONS is the completed project with ERNACT, which collected successful digitization projects and ecosystems from various regions, including Upper Franconia, and made them accessible to interested business development agencies throughout Europe.
