The French National Agency for the Cohesion of Territories (Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires in French), or ANCT aims to enhance the capacity and of local communities and enable the creation, development and implementation of projects and activities in the area of employment, mobility, digital skills, and digital transition and transformation.
The Agency was formed following the merger of the Office of the General Commissioner for Equality of the Territories, Epareca and the former national Digital Agency with the aim of increasing the impact of government and public actions in the field, and enable cooperation between local, regional and national authorities to make territorial projects succeed. The Agency operates as a project factory for the local community and facilitates access to resources needed by citizens, labour force, policymakers, and other societal groups to implement projects with successful results. Resources include technical and financial engineering guidance, training and support, partnerships, grants and funding opportunities amongst others.
Taking into account existing differences on a local and regional level, the French National Agency for the Cohesion of Territories launches targeted actions to enable society’s participation in the digital economy and prepare businesses and individuals for the future challenges brought about by the digital and green transition and demographic changes. In addition, ANCT is active in the development of a variety of innovative support programmes, which encourage cooperation between public officials across departments and elected representatives, and aim to identify potential issues and reinforce territorial cohesion.
