The implementation of the two-year Bridge2EastCE project – co-financed by the Interreg Central Europe Programme – began on 1 February 2026. The project is led by the Research Institute for National Strategy and brings together a partnership of 11 organisations from Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine.
In the autumn of 2024, the Research Institute for National Strategy – building on a cooperation spanning five countries – submitted a proposal titled “Bridge2EastCE” under the third call of the Interreg Central Europe Programme. With the Research Institute for National Strategy acting as lead partner, and with the participation of full and associated partners from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine, the initiative successfully passed the evaluation process. As a result, the implementation of the two-year project officially commenced on 1 February 2026.
The objective of the Bridge2EastCE project is to examine the impacts of the Russia–Ukraine war on the peripheral regions of the European Union bordering Ukraine, and to promote cooperation and coordinated development planning among them. The initiative seeks to establish an interregional framework for territorial planning cooperation covering the aforementioned regions of four countries – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania – with the aim of strengthening and leveraging the “bridge” role of these border regions.
The partnership, consisting of 11 members – 8 full partners and 3 associated partners – creates a unique network of cooperation between regional stakeholders and knowledge institutions.
The total budget of the Bridge2EastCE project exceeds EUR 772,000.