10 new projects were approved after the last scheduled tender for projects, which recently closed. There are now a total of 69 approved projects under the North Sea Programme, 11 which are already completed and 14 which will be finished during 2006.

Facilitating Sustainable Innovation (FSI). The project has been prepared as a tool to stimulate and accelerate the process of sustainable innovations. The main idea behind the project is to create an interregional co-operation on sustainable innovation between relevant stakeholders in order to foster the start-up and development of innovative companies, products and tools.
Lead Partner is the Province of Fryslan.

Waterlines Economies (WE). The project aims to examine the potential of water management practices for socio-economic development along water corridors, which provide link from source to the sea. This is to be achieved by examining the practices of five already approved projects, namely MOPARK, NoLimp, TEN3, PURE and WCI II. In this way it is hoped contribute to the development of future proposals for the new period that would also meet the targets laid down in the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas and a number of EU directives in terms of employment opportunities, investments needed for the implementation of these directives, ICZM and water related issues.
Lead Partner is the Province of Drenthe, NL.

Broadband Access for Innovation and Regional Development (BIRD). The project focuses on narrowing the gap in access to broadband services in rural areas. The project intends to achieve this by undertaking a series of activities, which will result in a set of recommendations identifying broadband strategies for an increased implementation and use at a transnational, regional and local level.
Lead Partner is the Landkreis Osterholz, Germany.

The Role of North Sea Ports and Future Challenges in Maritime Logistics (NSP) - Future. The project builds on the work, which has been undertaken through the Interreg IIIB project REMARCC II. The overall concept of the project is to undertake research to analyse the role of north Sea ports in Maritime logistics and on the future challenges for ports. In order to achieve this the project will look at two services that ports offer for maritime logistics. The first being to challenges and threats deriving from an increase in vessel sizes and the second considers the additional added value services in the logistics sector.
Lead Partner is the Bremen Senator for Economics and Ports.

Development of STORM resistant landscapes through regional co-operation, adapted management and RISK communication (STORMRISK). The coastal regions of the North Sea are frequently haunted by storms that cause wind damage to the forests. Changing practices in forest and landscape management have potentially added to the vulnerability of these regions. According to some predictions, the effects of global warming will further exacerbate those problems. The STORMRISK project has natural landscape conservation and resilience concerns at its core. This will be achieved through implementing measures for improved planning, restoration and management of forested landscapes in wind-exposed areas around the North Sea. Main activities that will contribute to this aim refer to setting management aims and landscape planning in storm stricken areas, gathering and evaluating existing knowledge on wind damage management and restoration, development of general management models for wind risk assessment and the establishment of new, more resilient and sustainable forests and landscapes.
Lead Partner is the The Swedish Forest Agency, Sweden.

Energise Regional Economies (ERE). A number of global trends, e.g. climate change, air pollution, declining oil and gas reserves, combined with increasing oil prices point to the need for a shift towards sustainable energy supply, producing renewable energy and using it in an efficient way. In the ERE project, sustainable energy has been identified as renewable energy and energy efficiency. The main aim of the project is to strengthen (energise) the competitiveness of the NS regions by focusing on sustainable energy and the large potentials presented for innovation, a process where the regions have a strategic role to play.
Lead Partner is the Province of Fryslan.

Creation of Sustainable Tourism Destinations (CREST). The main aim of the project is to initiate a process on defining and developing sustainable tourism destinations and to help regions overcome current social, economic and environmental constraints through the exploration and adoption of relevant policies and good practice. For this purpose the partners will carry out research into interpreting the concept of Sustainable Tourism Destination in their relevant contexts, compile information on issues to face in the process of becoming a sustainable tourism destination, undertake surveys and define good practices that could be applicable on a partner level. Recommendations to various levels of authorities will be devised. The project will be also supported by an ambitious media campaign, which will draw attention to the issues accompanying the process.
Lead Partner is the County Administrative Board of Vdstra Gftaland, Sweden.

Supply chain platform for technological solutions and sustainable lifestyle choices (LifeSTYLE). The project will demonstrate to different sectors how increased sustainability can be incorporated into new residential development. The project will incorporate several topics in order for this to be achieved including; developing a strategy on the increased use and development of micro-renewables and creating conditions for the adoption of sustainable technologies in the construction sector.
Lead Partner is the Cambridgeshire County Council.

Sustainable and cost-effective groundwater quality management (WaterCost). The overarching aim of the project is to provide relevant authorities with a framework for assessing the cost effectiveness and sustainability of measures for the management of groundwater quality in the context of river basin management plans. In this project, which also has direct links to the implementation of Water Framework and Groundwater Directives, groundwater protection measures (identified under the Water4all project) are combined with cost-effectiveness calculations in order to come up with a common assessment methodology.
Lead Partner is theMunicipality of Aalborg.

Chain of Safety. The main aim of the project is to facilitate cooperation, exchange of experience and mutual assistance between NS regions in the event of coastal flooding. For that purpose the partners will look at the whole chain of safety, which includes the following links: proaction-prevention-preparation-response-aftercare. A contingency plan for the NSR will be developed based on a common approach and an inventory will be carried out regarding the equipment, resources and knowledge needed. Within the Dutch-Belgian coastline a pilot will be carried out on how to deal with the developed NSR contingency plan.
Lead Partner is the Province of Zeeland.