Managing a Project

The Interreg III B Northern Periphery Programme is based on the Lead Partner principle. This means that each project has to appoint a Lead Partner, who will be the partner in charge of the project. The Lead Partner bears the overall financial and legal responsibility for the project and co-ordinates the various partners and activities in the project.

The Lead Partner has to be a public body or similar and should come from within the programme area of Finland, Scotland, Sweden, Norway or Iceland.

Lead Partners must have proficient administrative and financial capacity to be able to manage a transnational project, as they will carry the overall responsibility towards the European Commission and the programme administration. The demands on a Lead Partner are therefore higher than on other project partners.

The Lead Partner is responsible for the day-to-day management of the project and acts as the contact point for the NP Secretariat. It is also the lead partner that receives the Northern Periphery funding and pays it to the other partners. However, it is recommended that a Steering Committee reflecting the project partnership be established at the beginning of a project, in order to ensure a sound project structure and decision-making process.

Further information on the role and responsibilities of the Lead Partner can be found in the Practical Guide to Project Management.

European Union

Cross Programme Initiatives