Predefined Project (Component) entitled ‘Support for Towns in the Effective Use of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme’ in the framework of Polish-Swiss Programme for Development of Towns

The main aim of the Polish-Swiss Programme for Development of Towns is the improvement of the quality of life of people living in medium-sized towns in Poland and to to reduce socio-economic disparities between Polish and Swiss cities.

The objective will be met by funding - implementing sustainable development principles - projects that target economic or environmental and social development. The programme provides an opportunity for cities to develop or redefine the ‘flywheel’ of their development. The programme enables the preparation and fosters the emergence of projects which will contain a set of infrastructural investments and soft measures to be implemented by cities together with their partners, e.g. neighbouring municipalities with which the city has functional links. The programme also envisages strengthening the strategic management process in participating cities through staff training, advisory services and, at the project implementation stage, the exchange of good practices with Swiss cities.  

The programme operator is the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy (National Coordination Unit – Programme Operator, NCU-PO)

Total Programme budget: 327.882 million Swiss francs, of which: 278.7 million - Swiss contribution, 49.182 million - national contribution.  

Value of project funding: cities selected for funding will receive project grants of between CHF 10,000,000 and CHF 18,000,000. Each applicant city can submit one application.

Level of co-financing: up to 100% of the eligible costs, and in projects where actions with public aid are planned to be implemented, co-financing in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Beneficiaries: medium-sized cities qualified by the Strategy for Responsible Development to the group of 139 cities with the most difficult socio-economic situation (updated named list of cities prepared by the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of the Polish Academy of Sciences) ready for systemic changes in the development management process. 

The programme will be implemented in three stages. In the first stage, applying cities will develop application proposals (2024) which, after being assessed by the The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy (National Co-ordinating Institution - Programme Operator - NCP-OP), will then be detailed by selected cities short-listed as finalists (2025). The cities whose applications submitted in the first stage were best evaluated will be invited to participate in the second stage, and their number will depend on the use of the available allocation. The third stage (starting in 2026) will start with the signing of a grant agreement and the winning cities will then proceed with the actual implementation of the projects. Programme implementation will end in 2029.

The role of the Association of Polish Cities is to support the The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy (NCU-PO) in the implementation of the Polish-Swiss Programme for Development of Towns.

Throughout the implementation of this Programme, the Association of Polish Cities will organise educational meetings, workshops, provide advisory support and disseminate the objectives of the Programme and the exchange of good practices between cities. The scope and form of support have been tailored to the nature of the various stages of the Programme.

In the preparatory phase of the project, APC advisors have developed a set of products for applicant cities, which will be made available and launched on the day the call for proposals is launched, including 139 predefined reports for cities, thematic and methodological guides, tools supporting the development of a diagnosis of the socio-economic situation (Local Development Monitor and survey forms), a plan of educational activities and a Consultation Centre of the Polish-Swiss Programme for Development of Towns. The Consultation Centre will be launched on the day the call for proposals for the Programme is announced on the website www.wsparciemiast.pl.

The Consultation Centre will provide assistance to applicant cities, not in the form of individual consultations, but solely through a form for cities to ask questions. This solution will ensure the impartiality of the APC in the advisory process. At the same time, the functioning of the Consultation Centre will facilitate communication and speed up the process of clarification of questions and doubts raised by the cities and the immediate publication of the answers developed and authorised by the MDFRP on the website. The applicant cities will be able to address their doubts to the Consultation Centre in matters relating to the rules and requirements set out in the Rules, the grant application form and the guidelines, as well as other documents produced for the purposes of the Programme and made available to the cities by the Association of Polish Cities (i.e. statistical analyses or manuals). A question submitted with an answer authorised by the NCU-PO will be published on the website of the Consultation Centre within 5 working days following the submission of the question.

As part of the educational initiatives supporting the 139 cities participating in the Polish-Swiss Programme for Development of Towns , an extensive programme of information and education meetings is planned, both on-site and online. The APC’s educational activities will begin with a series of one-day informational and educational meetings (the so-called ‘rules training’). The meetings will be held in 8 locations in Poland (Warsaw, Olsztyn, Poznań, Szczecin, Kielce, Lublin, Wrocław, Częstochowa). In addition to issues relating to competition documentation, ZMP advisors will provide cities with extensive knowledge of the thematic areas within which activities should be planned. The prepared training cycle in the form of webinars is a tool to help competition participants organise their knowledge. Dozens of webinars have been grouped into thematic areas, each focusing on challenges and development opportunities specific to that area. A calendar of learning events and all recorded trainings and webinars will be posted on www.wsparciemiast.pl.

In the next phases of the programme, APC advisors will work with cities by contacting them directly and providing advisory services, including specialised sectoral services, necessary for fine-tuning the details of the application and signing grant agreements.

Networking activities between cities will also be carried out to ensure an active exchange of experience. Local Development Forums and educational activities will be organised, in particular on issues for which the beneficiary cities will declare a need.