The European Regional Development Fund is one of the European Commission's Structural Funds which aims to reduce economic disparities within and between Member States by supporting regeneration and creating and safeguarding jobs. ERDF is used to support three objectives:

• Convergence;
• Regional Competitiveness; and
• European Territorial Cohesion.

In the current programme period, 2007 to 2013, 3.2 billion Euro has been allocated to support local projects across the nine Regional Competitiveness Operational Programmes in England and the Convergence Operational programme in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.

http://www.gov.uk/erdf-national-guidance