The ESPON 2020 Programme aims at promoting and fostering a European territorial dimension in development and cooperation by providing evidence, knowledge transfer and policy learning to public authorities and other policy actors at all levels.
ESPON 2020 shall continue the consolidation of a European Territorial Observatory Network and grow the provision and policy use of pan-European, comparable, systematic and reliable territorial evidence.
Target Groups
Primary target groups are:
- European policymakers, in particular in the field of Cohesion Policy as well as other relevant sectoral and thematic policies and programmes, particularly those currently not fully articulating their territorial approach.
- National policymakers and practitioners responsible for territorial cohesion, ETC programmes, macro-regional strategies and Cohesion Policy preparation and implementation at national level, as well as other relevant policy fields.
- Authorities implementing ESI Funding programmes and preparing periodical reporting.
- Regional and local policymakers and practitioners responsible for territorial development and planning and/or involved in cross-border, transnational and macro-regional cooperation.
As secondary target groups, the following actors are important as receivers and users of territorial evidence:
- Organisations promoting different regional/urban interests at EU level.
- University academics, both researchers and students as future decision makers.
- The private sector and wider European audiences.
Specific Objectives
The five specific objectives that will guide the implementation of the ESPON 2020 Programme are:
- Specific Objective 1: Enhanced production of territorial evidence through applied research and analyses.
- Specific Objective 2: Upgraded knowledge transfer and use of analytical user support.
- Specific Objective 3: Improved territorial observation and tools for territorial analyses.
- Specific Objective 4: Wider outreach and uptake of territorial evidence.
- Specific Objective 5: Leaner, and more effective and efficient implementation provisions and more proficient programme assistance.
Budget
48,678,851.00 €; EU contribution: 41,377,019.00 €