The Regional Development Agency in Ternopil region has signed a grant agreement with the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy of the Republic of Poland under the Interreg NEXT Poland–Ukraine 2021–2027 Programme.

Within the framework of this agreement, the Agency will act as the administrator of the Small Projects Fund (SPF) for communities across several regions: Ternopil, Lviv, Volyn, Rivne, Zakarpattia, and Ivano-Frankivsk.

The overall funding amounts to EUR 5.1 million. The focus is on the environment.

This gives communities a real opportunity to secure funding of up to EUR 90,000 for their own projects, with up to 90 per cent coming from the European Union.

Taras Pastukh, Head of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration, emphasised:

‘Nowadays, communities are living in a completely different reality than a few years ago. The speed of decision-making has become critical – and for this reason, development tools must be effective rather than complex. With the help of the Small Projects Fund, communities can stop waiting and start implementing changes right now, using transparent partnership mechanisms and real financial support. It is important to us that these opportunities do not remain on paper, but are transformed into concrete solutions in communities: in the environment, infrastructure, and quality of life.’

Viacheslav Nehoda, who headed the region from 2024 to 2026, played a key role in the preparations for the signing of the agreement:

‘For me, this is not merely an administrative decision – it is about opportunities for Ternopil region that we simply could not miss. We consciously worked towards this outcome: we negotiated, defended the region’s interests, and demonstrated that we have the capacity to work with such tools responsibly and effectively. I would particularly like to acknowledge the contribution of Deputy Head Pavlo Zhurba, who systematically led this initiative and ensured its continuity. The price of such decisions is years of work and the belief that the region has a chance for more. And today’s signing is about that chance. It is about ensuring that the communities of Ternopil region do not remain on the margins, but are among those who shape development and make the most of opportunities.’

Significant support was provided by the expert guidance of the Swiss-Ukrainian project ‘Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development’ (UCORD).

Maryna Bryl, UCORD Project Manager, remarks:

‘We work with RDA teams to help them grow into robust institutions capable of independently managing complex development tools, rather than simply to implement a single project. The fact that the Agency has become the Fund’s administrator is a sign of this maturity.’

The Regional Development Agency in Ternopil region is now responsible not only for administering funds, but also for selecting and evaluating projects.

Iryna Skuratko, RDA Head, puts it simply:

‘We operate at the intersection of two worlds – the programme’s requirements and the real needs of communities. And our task is to ensure these two worlds seek opportunities to reinforce one another.’

The Fund will operate, in particular, under the ‘Environment’ priority, opening up opportunities for joint Ukrainian-Polish initiatives, ranging from environmental solutions to the development of local infrastructure and partnerships.

The focus is on practical measures that transform the daily life of communities whilst simultaneously strengthening their integration into the European space.

In the near future, the Regional Development Agency in Ternopil region plans to host a public event for potential applicants, where the conditions of participation, project requirements and the opportunities offered by the Small Projects Fund will be explained in detail.