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A new regional investment window
Sweden opened a new EU funding call on August 13 for projects aimed at improving access to water and strengthening sustainable water management in four regions: Gotland, Jönköping, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The call is administered through Tillväxtverket, Sweden’s national agency for economic and regional growth, under the EU’s regional development framework.
The application period runs until September 29, 2026. Eligible applicants include municipalities, regions, public authorities, universities and other higher-education institutions. Publicly owned water and wastewater companies, as well as business-support organisations, may also take part.
The opportunity is designed for development projects and preliminary studies rather than routine operations. Applicants are expected to show how their work can improve cooperation, knowledge-sharing or the testing of new approaches to water supply and water governance. Projects may run for up to 40 months, while preliminary studies are recommended to last no longer than nine months.
From water planning to practical solutions
The funding call gives local and regional bodies space to address water management as a shared planning issue. That can include cooperation between municipalities, utilities, researchers and companies; improved monitoring and data use; more efficient water consumption; or the development of methods that reduce pressure on local water resources.
Tillväxtverket says projects should contribute to better access to water and help prevent climate-related risks connected with water. The agency does not prescribe one technical model. Instead, it invites applicants to develop locally relevant solutions and to build capacity for continued learning between public bodies, academia and industry.
EU support can cover up to 50 percent of eligible project costs. The remaining share must come from other public or private sources. Tillväxtverket expects funding decisions to be made in December 2026, and successful projects may begin once an application has been submitted and the relevant conditions are met.
Why the issue matters to growing communities
Water infrastructure is often discussed as a utility question, but it also shapes housing, industry, agriculture, tourism and urban development. A municipality planning new homes or business areas must understand the capacity and quality of its water supply, wastewater treatment and drainage systems. Better coordination can therefore influence whether development proceeds efficiently and whether investment is directed to the places where it has the greatest public value.
The European Union’s water framework treats water protection and sustainable use as long-term public policy responsibilities. Its principles cover drinking-water resources, surface water, groundwater and wastewater management. For Swedish regions, the new call creates a route to turn those broad objectives into smaller, practical projects that can be tested locally and shared across neighbouring authorities.
A related Tillväxtverket call focused specifically on sustainable water use in cities is scheduled to open on August 20, with a preliminary total of SEK 41 million available under the national regional fund programme. That later opportunity is aimed at actors implementing selected sustainable urban development strategies, while the August 13 call covers a broader group of regional applicants in Småland and the Islands.
Regional cooperation at the centre
The four regions covered by the new call have identified common development challenges and are being encouraged to work across administrative boundaries. That approach is particularly relevant for water, since catchments, aquifers and supply systems do not follow municipal borders.
For residents, the immediate result will not be a single new facility or service. The value of the programme will depend on whether funded projects improve the quality of local decisions, make water use more efficient and help communities prepare infrastructure for changing conditions. The application window now gives public institutions and research partners in the four regions a defined period to turn those aims into concrete proposals.
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