ERDF Beneficiaries Dataset 2014-2020: An Overview for Policy-Makers
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in Europe by correcting imbalances between its regions. Both the governance of the ERDF as well as its widespread territorial coverage require a significant effort in gathering complete statistical information from many different national sources on its beneficiaries. In order to support analytical and impact assessment activities, the research collaboration between JRC and WIFO led to the construction of a unique dataset with around 600,000 ERDF projects in the EU 27 plus UK during the programming period 2014-2020. The dataset includes financial information standardised and comparable across member states based on existing taxonomies. Data include a brief description of the projects, their location at regional level, and name of beneficiaries, among other relevant information. Projects are classified by Key Enabling Technologies, Societal Grand Challenges, energy areas and by objectives of the EU Mission Ocean. Data on funded projects are particularly relevant for policy evaluation and monitoring since they allow complementing macro-statistical information and provide additional insights into regional specialisation and funding patterns/impacts.