Strengthening the absorption capacity of subsidies
The thematic initiative Absorptionsfähigkeit von Fördermitteln in strukturschwachen Räumen stärken within the Region gestalten program of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development seeks to establish viable funding management structures in various regions. At the same time, model projects will be supported in the preparation and submission of concrete funding applications. REM Consult acts as part of the initiative’s research assistance.
Despite significant funding from the EU, the federal and national government, many rural peripheral regions in Germany continue to lag behind in demographic and economic development. Although the broad funding framework covers many issues, there is often a discrepancy between program goals and actual needs of municipalities. Often within destinations there is a lack of awareness about available funding and missing practical experience to bridge the gap between program goals and regional needs. Considering this, the main objective of the initiative is to enable model regions to effectively utilize the existing funding system. This effort aims to enable them to strategically allocate resources towards fostering sustainable regional development goals.
REM Consult is part of the research assistance, which is composed of the Institut Raum & Energie, as well as Prof. Dr. Peter Dehne and Prof. Dr. Jens Hoffmann (Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Kooperative Regionalentwicklung) and Prof. Dr. Christian Diller (Justus Liebig University of Giessen). The aid is supporting the model regions with content expertise for funding advice, concrete joint project applications in the sense of strategically oriented regional development and the creation of training modules.
The research assistance also ensures networking and the exchange of experiences between the regions. The aid develops pathways to better support the regions in utilizing funding programs and consolidate these in a guideline for structurally weak areas in Germany. Furthermore, the research assistance represents federal interests and prepares relevant information to achieve transferable results for research questions.
With the programme Region gestalten, the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs (BMI), in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) support projects specifically in rural areas. Region gestalten is funded by the Federal Rural Development and Regional Value Creation Programme (BULEplus).
