European cohesion and development policy 2100-PP-M-D3EPSR

https://classroom.google.com/c/MjIyMzA5ODUyMjda?cjc=mxj3stws

Detailed schedule – 15 meetings
1. Organizational activities and subject map
Scope:
• Discussion of the objectives, effects, grading rules, and project work schedule;
• Differences between development policy, regional policy, structural policy, and cohesion policy;
• Introduction to the 2021-2027 perspective and the debate on cohesion policy after 2027.
Preparation/materials:
• European Commission: Cohesion policy 2021–2027 – priorities
• Ministry of Finance and Development / European Funds Portal: European Funds 2021–2027 in Poland
2. Cohesion policy and regional policy – concepts, origins, principles
Scope:
• Cohesion policy as an EU public policy in the shared management system;
• Origins and evolution of structural, regional, and cohesion policies;
• Principles: programming, partnership, thematic concentration, complementarity/additionality, proportionality, multi-level governance; • NUTS, territoriality, and regional disparities – region as an analytical and administrative category, NUTS 2027 classification;
Preparation/materials:
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 – CPR
• 9th European Commission Cohesion Report
• Eurostat: NUTS classification
• Eurostat Regional Statistics, Cohesion Open Data Platform, Kohesio
3. Development Conditions and Contemporary EU Challenges
Scope:
• Geographic, endogenous, and exogenous development factors;
• demography, migration, climate, energy, digital transformation, economic security, resilience, and de-risking;
• The EU's competitive position and the role of the single market in financing development. Preparation/materials:
• Letta, Much More Than a Market (2024)
• Draghi, The future of European competitiveness (2024) – additional material
• ESPAS, Global Trends to 2040 (2024)
• EPRS, Ten issues to watch in 2026
4. EU Strategic Framework: From Europe 2020 to STEP
Scope:
• Europe 2020 and Horizon 2020 as a historical context;
• Horizon Europe as a current research and innovation program;
• RRF/NextGenerationEU and KPO as complementary instruments to cohesion policy;
• STEP as a strategic technology platform: digital technologies/deep tech, clean/resource-efficient tech, biotechnologies. Preparation/materials:
• European Commission: Horizon Europe
• European Commission: RRF
• Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform – STEP portal
• Regulation (EU) 2024/795
5. EU legal acts and funds in the 2021-2027 perspective
Scope:
• CPR and funds: ERDF, Cohesion Fund, ESF+, JTF/Joint Fund, Interreg, EMFF;
• the five cohesion policy objectives 2021-2027 and their translation into programs;
• financial instruments, the EIB, and the differences between grants and repayable instruments;
• updates resulting from STEP and the mid-term review. Preparation/materials:
• European Commission: Regulations and Guidance 2021-2027
• European Commission: A Modernized Cohesion Policy – Mid-Term Review
• EUR-Lex: Regulations 2021/1060, 2021/1058, 2021/1057, 2021/1056, 2021/1059, 2024/795
6. Development Policy in Poland and Strategic Programming
Scope:
• State development management system: Act on the principles of development policy;
• National Development Strategy 2050 as a long-term development vision;
• Draft Polish Development Strategy to 2035 as a medium-term operationalization of the vision;
• SRD as a historical document of the previous strategic cycle;
• Work on the National Development Strategy 2035 and the territorial dimension of development policy. Preparation/materials:
• MFiPR: National Development Concept 2050
• MFiPR: Poland's Development Strategy to 2035 – draft/consultations
• MFiPR: work on the NSRD 2035
• ISAP: Act on the Principles of Development Policy
7. European Funds in Poland 2021–2027
Scope:
• Partnership Agreement 2021-2027;
• national programs: FEnIKS, FENG, FERS, FERC, FEPW, Technical Assistance;
• regional and Interreg programs;
• allocation structure, implementation progress, list of projects;
• exercise: issue (area) and initial project topic/idea [if STEP, narrow it down to: digital technologies / deep tech, biotech, cleantech, or miltech; path A or B]. Preparation/materials:
• MFiPR/EF Portal: European Funds 2021–2027
• List of EF projects 2021–2027
• EU Grant Map
• National and regional EF programs
8. Innovation Policy, R&D&I, and Smart Specializations
Scope:
• Product and process innovation in light of the Oslo Manual;
• Basic research, industrial research, development work, pre-implementation work;
• TRL as a tool for assessing technology maturity and risk;
• National Smart Specializations and project mapping to KIS and STEP priorities;
• Exercise: matching the program to the type of beneficiary and project type + selecting the current call for proposals for the semester paper: preferentially STEP/FENG 05.01 or another call for proposals indicated by the instructor. Preparation/materials:
• OECD Frascati Manual 2015
• OECD Oslo Manual 2018
• Law on Higher Education and Science – text current in ISAP
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: National Smart Specializations
9. Implementation System Institutions and Beneficiaries
Scope:
• Role of the Ministry of Finance and Rural Development, MA, IB, IW, monitoring committees, and

Course coordinators

Term 2025Z:

Tomasz Łukaszuk

Term 2026Z:

Piotr Zawadzki

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

1. Course Objectives and Aims The seminar aims to familiarize students with the issues of European Union development policy, regional policy, structural policy, and cohesion policy, including its principles, actors, tools, and implementation in Poland. The course combines theoretical and institutional dimensions with practical workshops on project and funding application preparation, with particular emphasis on programs co-financed by the EU in the 2021-2027 perspective and the current debate on cohesion policy after 2027. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the mechanism of strategic development programming, reading program and competition documentation, selecting a program for a beneficiary, and preparing a project within the R&D&I framework. During the workshop, students will prepare a team-based funding application based on current application documentation, preferably related to the STEP / FENG 05.01 platform or another current call for proposals announced at the beginning of the semester. Specific Objectives • To clarify the concepts of development policy, regional policy, structural policy, and economic, social, and territorial cohesion policy; • Understanding the principles of cohesion policy, including programming, partnership, thematic concentration, additionality/complementarity, proportionality, and multi-level governance; • Understanding the most important EU funds and instruments in the 2021-2027 perspective and their relationship to Horizon Europe, the Regional Development Fund (RRF)/National Programme for the Development of Cohesion Policy (KPO), and the STEP platform; • Analysis of the Polish development programming system: KRK 2050, the SRP 2035 project, the Partnership Agreement 2021-2027, and national and regional EF programs; • Acquiring practical skills in working with call documentation, evaluation criteria, expenditure eligibility, TRL, KIS, intervention logic, milestones, and project budget; • Preparation and defense of a team-based funding application.

Learning outcomes

The outcomes were presented more operationally in terms of working with EU documents and project preparation:
• K_W08: Knows and understands the role of the European Union and other international organizations in defining the principles of social security and the provision of social services, as well as in creating social development strategies.
• K_U01: Can critically analyze the process of creating and implementing social policy at the local, national, and international levels. • K_U05: Is able to present the results of their own and existing research and analyses in the area of social policy orally and in writing, placing them in a broader methodological and theoretical context and taking into account a diverse audience.
• K_U08: Is able to collaborate with others within a task force, assuming various roles, including team management skills.
• K_K02: Is ready to inspire, initiate, and participate in the process of creating and evaluating social policy at various scales and fields, including designing, presenting, and implementing their own solutions.
In particular:
Knowledge
• The student knows and understands the role of the European Union and national institutions in programming and financing development policy, regional policy, and cohesion policy.
• The student knows the basic concepts, principles, funds, and instruments of cohesion policy and is able to distinguish cohesion funds from Horizon Europe, RRF/KPO, STEP, and financial instruments. • The student is familiar with the basic EF 2021-2027 programs in Poland, the system of managing, intermediary, and implementing institutions, and the key strategic documents: KRK 2050, SRP 2035 project, Partnership Agreement 2021-2027, and KIS.
Skills
• The student is able to critically analyze the process of creating and implementing development policy at the EU, national, and regional levels.
• The student is able to select a potential source of financing for the beneficiary and project type and justify this choice based on program and call documentation.
• The student is able to prepare an outline of an R&D&I project: problem, objective, intervention logic, tasks, stages, TRL, milestones, risks, team, and budget.
• The student is able to present the project orally and in writing, responding to questions from an expert panel.
Social Competencies
• The student is ready to work collaboratively on a project, assuming analytical, organizational, and presentational roles. • The student is able to select current and reliable information about funds, programs, and applications and explain it to potential beneficiaries. • The student understands the importance of quality documentation, data reliability, horizontal principles, responsibility for public funds, and application ethics.

Assessment criteria

Assessment Element Weighting Criteria
Attendance, preparation, and participation in classes 25% participation in discussions, familiarity with assigned materials, timely completion of short tasks, working with documents and data
Team Project: Funding Application/Mock-up Application 75% compliance with the program and application documentation, quality of diagnosis, intervention logic, adequacy of R&D, TRL, and milestones, budget, risks, horizontal principles, quality of presentation, and responses to panel questions
Passing Requirements
• The basis for passing the project is the team's preparation and defense of the funding application. The project should be prepared using a current form or a mock-up corresponding to the structure of the application documentation specified by the instructor.
• The work is educational in nature. Students are not permitted to submit test or random applications for the official evaluation process. If a generator is used, the work is completed at the validation, export/backup, or PDF mock-up stages, as instructed by the instructor. • Project phase dates are set at the beginning of the semester – daily dates may change throughout the semester to avoid program outdation. If students are unprepared for the course, the instructor may introduce short tests on documentation, literature, or concepts.

Practical placement

not applicable

Bibliography

Recommendation: Official sources and legal acts should be verified each time before the actual classes, especially recruitment documentation, guidelines, and consolidated texts of laws. A. Mandatory sources – EU framework and cohesion policy
• European Commission, Cohesion policy 2021–2027 – regulations and guidance: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/legislation-and-guidance/regulations_en
• European Commission, Cohesion policy priorities 2021–2027: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/how/priorities_en
• European Commission, Ninth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion, 2024: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/cohesion-report_en
• European Commission, A modernized Cohesion policy: The mid-term review, 2025: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/publications/communications/2025/a-modernised-cohesion-policy-the-mid-term-review_en
• European Commission, Results of the Mid-Term Review of cohesion policy, 2026: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/newsroom/25-03-2026-results-of-the-mid-term-review-of-cohesion-policy_en
• European Commission, Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP): https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/strategic-technologies-europe-platform_en
• STEP Portal: https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/index_en
B. Mandatory sources – Poland, European Strategies and Funds
• Funds Portal European Funds 2021–2027: https://www.funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl/strony/o-funduszach/fundusze-2021-2027/
• Ministry of Funds and PR, National Development Concept 2050: https://www.gov.pl/web/fundusze-regiony/koncepcja-rozwoju-kraju-2051
• Ministry of Funds and PR, National Development Concept 2050: https://www.gov.pl/web/fundusze-regiony/biblioteka-krk-2050
• Ministry of Funds and PR, Poland's Development Strategy until 2035 – project/consultations: https://www.gov.pl/web/fundusze-regiony/strategia-rozwoju-polski-do-2035-r-
• Ministry of Funds and PR, Work on the new regional policy and the National Development Strategy 2035: https://www.gov.pl/web/fundusze-regiony/prace-nad-nowa-polityka-regionalna-i-krajowa-strategia-rozwoju-regionalnego-do-2035-r
• MFiPR / FE Portal, List of projects implemented with European Funds 2021–2027: https://www.gov.pl/web/fundusze-regiony/lista-projektow-realizowanych-z-funduszy-europejskich-2021-2027
• EU Grants Map: https://mapadotacji.gov.pl/
C. Data and Tools for Exercises
• Eurostat, NUTS classification: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/nuts
• Eurostat Regional Statistics: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/regions
• Cohesion Open Data Platform: https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/
• Kohesio: https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en
• Central Statistical Office, regional statistics and NUTS classification in Poland: https://stat.gov.pl/
D. R&D&I, innovation, KIS, and project documentation
• European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG): https://nowoczesnagospodarka.gov.pl/
• National Centre for Research and Development – current information and applications: https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr
• National Centre for Research and Development – competition platform: https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/platforma-konkursowa
• Polish Agency for Enterprise Development – current applications and documentation: https://www.parp.gov.pl/
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Smart Specializations: https://www.gov.pl/web/rozwoj-technologia/krajowe-inteligentne-specjalizacje
• Expenditure Eligibility Guidelines 2021–2027: https://funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl/dokumenty/wytyczne-dotyczace-kredytowalnosci-wydatkow-2021-2027/
• OECD, Frascati Manual 2015: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/frascati-manual-2015_9789264239012-en.html
• OECD/Eurostat, Oslo Manual 2018: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oslo-manual-2018_9789264304604-en.html
E. Legal Acts – indicate via EUR-Lex / ISAP, with updates check
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council – CPR: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1060/oj/pol
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council – ERDF and Cohesion Fund: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1058/oj/pol
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council – ESF+: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1057/oj/pol
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council – Just Transition Fund: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1056/oj/pol
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council – Interreg: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1059/oj/pol
• Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council – STEP: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/795/oj/pol
• Act of 28 April 2022 on the principles of the implementation of tasks financed from European funds in the 2021–2027 financial perspective – ISAP: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20220001079
• Act of 6 December 2006 on the principles of development policy – ISAP: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20062271658
• Act of July 20, 2018. Law on Higher Education and Science – ISAP: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20180001668
F. Strategic Materials and Foresight – Current Context
• Letta

Notes

Term 2026Z:

not applicable