Informest’s support to the Municipality of Udine within the Fit4Co project – a cross-border tandem between the cities of Udine and Villach – is approaching completion. The initiative is funded by the Interreg Italy–Austria Programme and aims to create the conditions for developing shared projects between the two administrations.

The project involved officials from both local authorities, strengthening competencies on key European agenda topics and on access to and management of EU funding, with the goal of fostering jointly developed project proposals.

Between January and April 2026, Informest organised a comprehensive capacity-building programme for municipal officials, including seven thematic modules focused on major European priorities (such as urban regeneration, culture and tourism, social inclusion, digital transition, sustainable mobility, energy and energy efficiency, environment and climate adaptation) and three modules on the fundamentals of project management and EU project development.

The training programme was complemented by two operational workshops held in February and March, which brought together officials from Udine and Villach to define potential joint project proposals to be submitted to European calls.

Within the Fit4Co training activities, the programme represented not only an important opportunity to strengthen participants’ technical and project skills, but also a space for strategic discussion focused on the future. In particular, attention was given to the need to start a shared reflection on the perspectives and opportunities that may arise from the post-2027 European programming period, with the aim of preparing the territory and its organisations to face future challenges in local development and cross-border cooperation more proactively and consciously.

The initiative benefited from the active contribution of the European Projects Office of the Municipality of Udine, the project promoter, in a joint action that both enhanced cross-border dialogue and laid the foundations for future strategic cooperation between the two cities, while also strengthening collaboration between Informest and the city of Udine.