The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is the financial instrument through which the European Union supports the economic and social cohesion of the member states, balancing the imbalances between regions.

Through the ERDF, the European Union supports actions oriented towards research, the digital agenda, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and the low-carbon economy.

The investment priorities of the European Regional Development Fund are:
•    strengthening research, technological development and innovation;
•    improving access to information technologies;
•    increasing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises;
•    supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy in all sectors;
•    promoting climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management;
•    preserving and protect the environment and promote the efficient use of resources;
•    promoting sustainable transport systems and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures;
•    boosting sustainable and quality employment and support labour mobility;
•    encouraging social inclusion, combating poverty and all forms of discrimination;
•    investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning, developing the school and training infrastructure;
•    enhancing the institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and an efficient public administration through actions to strengthen the institutional capacity and efficiency of public administrations and public services related to the implementation of the ERDF, complementing actions under the ESF to increase institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administration.

The European Regional Development Fund in the Operational Programme of the Apulia Region 2014-2020 supports the following Actions:

1.1 Support to R&D activities for the development of new sustainable technologies, products and services  
1.2 Measures to support the economic exploitation of innovation and the industrialisation of research results  
1.3 Actions for innovation and technological advancement of enterprises
1.4 Measures to promote new markets for innovation
1.5 Interventions for the creation and consolidation of innovative start-ups
1.6 Measures to strengthen the regional and national innovation system and increase cooperation between businesses and research facilities and their strengthening
1.7 Support for research infrastructures in the regional system

2.1 Measures to reduce digital gaps in territories and spread of ultra-wideband connectivity  
2.2 Actions for the digitisation of administrative processes and dissemination of PA digital services to citizens and businesses
2.3 Measures to boost the ICT demand of citizens and businesses in terms of use of online services, digital inclusion and online participation  

3.1 Measures to relaunch the investment propensity of the production system
3.2 Measures to disseminate and strengthen economic activities with a social content
3.3 Measures to support investment by tourism businesses
3.4 Support for businesses in the cultural, tourist, creative and entertainment sectors  
3.5 Measures to strengthen the level of internationalisation of production systems
3.6 Support for the creation and consolidation of new companies
3.7 Support for ICT solutions in the production processes of SMEs
3.8 Measures to improve access to credit and innovative finance

4.1 Measures to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings
4.2 Measures to improve the energy efficiency of businesses
4.3 Measures for the implementation of intelligent energy distribution systems
4.4 Measures to increase sustainable mobility in urban and suburban areas

5.1 Measures to reduce hydrogeological risk and coastal erosion 
5.2 Measures to reduce fire risk and seismic risk

6.1 Measures to optimise urban waste management  
6.2 Interventions for the reclamation of polluted areas  
6.3 Interventions to improve the integrated water service for civil use and to reduce the losses of the aqueduct network 
6.4 Measures to maintain and improve the quality of water bodies
6.5 Interventions for the protection and enhancement of terrestrial and marine biodiversity
6.6 Interventions for the promotion and fruition of the natural patrimony  
6.7 Interventions for the enhancement and enjoyment of cultural heritage  
6.8 Interventions for the competitive repositioning of tourist destinations

7.1 Interventions to strengthen the railway offer and improve the service  
7.2 Strengthening the connections between the secondary and tertiary nodes of the “inland areas” and those where significant agricultural and agro-industrial production districts are located and the main road and rail axes of the TEN-T network
7.3 Measures to strengthen regional and interregional public transport services  
7.4 Interventions for the competitiveness of the port and inter-port system

9.10 Renovation of social and socio-educational services and infrastructures 
9.11 Funding of public investment plans and specific aid to support investments by private social and non-profit organisations to build new infrastructure and retrain existing infrastructure for the elderly and people with limited autonomy.  
9.12 Measures to reorganise and strengthen publicly-owned territorial social, health and territorial health services  
9.13 Measures to reduce housing problems
9.14 Measures to promote legality  

10.8 Interventions for the redevelopment of school buildings
10.9 Interventions for laboratories and technological infrastructure

12.1 Sustainable urban regeneration  
12.2 Ecological redevelopment of production areas

The public budget allocated to the ERDF for the Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 in Puglia is 5,576,140,094 euros.