Recap of the “Interreg Brick Masters” Event

On December 18, 2025, the Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen program community gathered in Namur for the annual event, this year entitled: “Interreg Brick Masters.” This edition focused on a theme that is taking on an increasingly important role in the programming: capitalization.

Caroline Robbeets (Wallonia Contact Point) and Daphné Van Reet (Joint Secretariat) opened the session, followed by Marie-Aline Deltenre, representative of the European Commission, who took the floor. She reminded the audience that capitalization is a major European challenge. She encouraged the program to continue its work on capitalization in order to maximize the value of the resources invested and strengthen their leverage effect for the regions.

In line with this, Éric Delecosse, representative of the Managing Authority (Wallonie-Bruxelles International), emphasized the strategic importance of the topic. He described capitalization as “a three-stage rocket” that makes it possible to:

• increase the visibility of results,
• identify and structure know-how and best practices,
• enhance the impact of the program by facilitating their dissemination.

The challenges are clear: improving the use of public resources, strengthening the quality of projects, and demonstrating the added value of cross-border cooperation to ensure its sustainability.

The strategy for leveraging the program was then presented by three territorial coordinators from the three regions: Lucie Maurel (Grand Est Contact Point), François Postel (Wallonia Contact Point), and Maïka Denys (Flanders Contact Point). They shared a common vision: “keeping results alive even after projects end” and supporting project partners in producing transferable and usable outcomes.

This dynamic was illustrated by an intervention from the Joint Secretariat team. Romain Guido and Coralie Vandevenne brought the strategy to life with a construction made of building blocks symbolizing the process: guidance, improving the quality of results, and dissemination to new audiences.

They delivered a powerful message: capitalization gives results more weight and supports their reuse by other stakeholders.

During the central competition of the event, five projects or project groups showcased how they capitalize on their results using Lego constructions.

The presentations illustrated the diversity of the program’s themes:

• MEDIACONNECT: a cross-border network of local media that leverages television expertise and paves the way for new applications, particularly in education. The project aims to bring residents closer together and improve knowledge of realities on both sides of the border.
• COMPOVERT: an approach based on biocomposites and their cross-border value chain. The project builds on its achievements by creating a demonstration model, the “click phone,” designed to reach new audiences such as students.
• RAAVI: a set of tools to strengthen the self-determination of people with disabilities and disseminate innovative professional practices. The project has structured more than 300 tools and is preparing their large-scale dissemination.
• ORION: a program aimed at providing a complete picture of the water quality of the Meuse River, based on validated results from the Interreg V DIADÈME project. The project is developing a decision-making tool for watershed managers based on mathematical modeling.
• Synergy (ELAST2SUSTAIN  – CIRCOPLAST – RE-ASSIGN): three initiatives pooling their knowledge to strengthen the circular economy and recycling. Their Lego construction, symbolizing a “mega-factory” and a rocket, reflects their joint approach to capitalization.

The audience then voted to select the winner of the 2025 edition, and the winner is… RAAVI! 🎉

We warmly congratulate SESSAD APF France handicap – Pôle enfance jeunesse de l’Aisne on this wonderful achievement!

In the course of the afternoon, the discussions highlighted that capitalization offers an opportunity for all actors in the program. It enables the sharing of experiences, the strengthening of skills and best practices, the valorization of results, and the building of greater cooperation between the regions.

In short, to capitalize is to invest in the future.

For project partners who were unable to attend the 2025 annual event, a comprehensive guide on the capitalization process is available on the program’s website, in the toolbox. You can also deepen your knowledge by watching our dedicated video on the capitalization approach on YouTube.

➡️ Toolbox - Infofiche capitalization

➡️ Video on the capitalization approach

 Pictures: ©WBI

Article: InterregFWVl