Structured Post-Project Continuation
EU-funded interregional projects often struggle to keep their results and commitment alive once the grant period ends. Most continuation plans rely on a single approach, such as applying for future funding, which means that if the next call does not materialise, the networks, partnerships and project pipelines built during the project tend to dissolve.
RISE organised its continuation plan around two pillars: the first dedicated to maintaining relationships with businesses and ecosystem stakeholders beyond the project’s duration, and the second aiming at ensuring continued collaboration among consortium partners.
The first pillar covered four areas: integration into regional clusters and hubs, access to regional and national funding programmes, maintenance of the investment pipeline, and embedding results into regional policy. The second one was built around four shared commitments: strategic priorities, preferred ways of working together, governance of future collaboration, and joint resources.
Each pillar is put into practice through four concrete mechanisms.
Mechanism 1 – The RISE Network and Alliance
Five of the eight consortium partners voluntarily joined a non-binding inter-partner alliance, coordinated by LE2C (Italy) and ICAMCYL (Spain). The alliance operates through quarterly calls, a shared online platform, shared information on funding opportunities, and coordinated participation in future EU calls related to regional innovation, green transition and industrial resilience.
Mechanism 2 – The Living Investment Pipeline
The 15 investment-ready projects produced during RISE are maintained as a living document, jointly managed by N-ABLE (France), LE2C (Italy) and ICAMCYL (Spain). The document is updated as projects progress towards submission and is linked to relevant funding opportunities under I3, Interreg, LIFE and Horizon Europe.
Mechanism 3 – Smart Specialisation Integration
Partners from Severozapaden (Bulgaria), Alentejo (Portugal) and Castile and Leon (Spain) have confirmed plans to embed RISE roadmaps into their regional development plans and innovation policies. This means RISE outputs are carried forward as part of regional policy rather than remaining solely as project deliverables.
Mechanism 4 – The Annual RISE Innovation Forum
Proposed by Cluster Portugal Mineral Resources, this is an annual event designed to showcase progress from the investment pipeline and connect businesses with investors. It provides a regular opportunity to sustain network relationships and generate new matchmaking opportunities.
The four mechanisms work together rather than independently, with each one covering a different aspect of post-project continuation. The RISE Network addresses coordination between partners; the living pipeline keeps individual projects moving forward; the Smart Specialisation integration secures policy-level commitment; and the Innovation Forum maintains relationships across the wider ecosystem.
This design responds directly to a weakness common in EU project continuation plans, which typically rely on a single mechanism that does not hold up if the anticipated next step, such as a follow-on funding call, does not come through. By spreading responsibility across four mechanisms with different governance structures and timeframes, the risk that post-project momentum is lost around a single point of failure is reduced.
The confirmation of Smart Specialisation integration plans in Severozapaden (Bulgaria) and Alentejo (Portugal), both less developed regions, and in Castile and Leon (Spain), a transition region, is a concrete indicator of policy-level commitment.
All eight consortium partners indicated readiness to continue collaborating after the project, with preferred formats including joint proposals under I3, Interreg Europe, Horizon Europe, LIFE CET and EIT, as well as joint innovation services for businesses.
The two-pillar continuation model can be applied to any I3 or Interreg Europe project. Each of the four mechanisms is a distinct design choice that can be adapted to a different topic area or partnership configuration.
A voluntary alliance with named coordination points and defined governance is a lightweight structure that does not require dedicated funding and can be set up with limited administrative effort. A living pipeline managed jointly by several partners distributes ownership, so the asset is less likely to become inactive if one organisation steps back. Smart Specialisation integration requires early engagement with regional authority partners but, where achieved, can lead to lasting policy commitments. An annual forum provides a low-cost, predictable way to sustain relationships and generate new project ideas from the ecosystem built during the project.
The RISE continuation model can also be used as a reference structure by future Strand 2b applicants when drafting the long-term impact and sustainability section of a grant application. Each mechanism corresponds to a concrete and verifiable commitment, giving evaluators evidence of a credible post-project plan. Future consortia can adopt the full model or draw on individual mechanisms according to their own partnership structure and regional context.