[Erik Logar]

Call for Pilot Territories – Interreg Euro-MED Call 08

We are developing a project idea for Interreg Euro-MED Call 08 – Thematic Test Projects and are currently testing the interest of potential pilot territories across the Mediterranean.

Thematic framework:
– Mission: Promoting Green Living Areas (SO 2.7)
– Topic: Urban agriculture and resilient food systems

The project aims to develop and test concrete solutions that strengthen Geographical Indications (GIs) as functional components of sustainable urban and peri-urban food systems.

Who are we looking for?
Ideally, each pilot territory would involve:
– Project Partner (PP): a city/regional development agency, municipality, or another public body/body governed by public law with the operational capacity to implement a pilot activity.
– GI organisation (Associated Partner or PP): an association, cooperative, consortium, or other organisation responsible for managing a registered Geographical Indication.

The GI should have a clear urban or peri-urban dimension: its production, processing, or organisational activities should be functionally connected to an urban or peri-urban area;
purely rural cases without a clear connection to an urban food system are not the focus of this partner search.

We are particularly interested in territories facing concrete challenges such as:
– an ageing or declining producer base;
– weak collective management;
– lack of shared infrastructure;
– fragmented supply and logistics;
– weak integration into urban markets;
– weak integration into local food policies.

Possible types of pilot interventions
– GI REGENERATE – Supporting the entry of a new generation of producers through incubation, mentoring, and access to shared productive facilities and equipment.
– GI PRODUCE – Establishing shared processing, storage or other productive facilities, combined with a collaborative management model for their long-term operation.
– GI CONNECT – Testing a food hub, supply aggregation, shared logistics and/or digital ordering solutions connecting GI producers with urban food markets.
– GI GOVERN – Professionalising collective GI management and establishing an integrated governance model linking the GI organisation, public authorities and other actors in the local food system.

We are not looking for partners primarily interested in research, workshops or promotional activities.

The project will focus on:
– implementing and testing concrete solutions under real-life conditions;
– assessing their results;
– preparing successful solutions for uptake, transfer and replication.

What do we expect from interested territories?
At this initial stage, we would appreciate a short description including:

1. GI and territory;
2. organisation managing the GI;
3. approximate number of producers;
4. main challenge;
5. most relevant pilot intervention;
6. potential Project Partner;
7. available site/infrastructure, where relevant.

Potential Project Partners should have the necessary:
– operational capacity;
– administrative capacity;
– financial capacity;
to implement the pilot and participate in a transnational cooperation project.

Key project information
Project duration: 24 months, expected June 2027–May 2029
Interreg co-financing: 80%
Call deadline: 13 November 2026

This is currently a non-binding expression-of-interest exercise to assess the feasibility of the project concept and identify suitable pilot territories before establishing the final partnership.

If your territory and GI fit this profile, we would prefer to hear from you by email, with a brief description based on the points above.
Expression of interest by: 1. 10. 2026
Email: erik.logar@zrc-sazu.si
Contact: Erik Logar, ZRC SAZU (https://giam.zrc-sazu.si/en/logar)

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