Ister-Granum EGTC was set up on 6 May 2008 in Esztergom. Luc van Den Brande, president of the European Committee of the Regions, was present at the opening. The establishment process was legally completed on 13 November 2008. The grouping currently has 82 members (42 Hungarian and 40 Slovakian municipalities), and its territory covers the 40-45 km-wide area around Esztergom and Párkány. Hungarian members include municipalities from the Esztergom, Dorog and Szob micro-regions, while the Slovakian members are situated in the Lower-Garam micro-region.

Ister-Granum EGTC was the very first EGTC formed in Hungary and has grown steadily. Since 2012, the main project of the grouping has been the development of a local produce network. Today, more than ten partners (municipalities, businesses, and NGOs) are involved in implementing its action plan to help grow this network.

The Ister-Granum Euroregion was established with the rebuilding of the Mária Valéria Bridge in 2001. Over the past decade, the Euroregion has been working on improving accessibility of the Esztergom and Párkány regions. Connecting the townships of Dunaradvány and Neszmély with a ferry service was intended to further boost this project. Through its role of managing these activities, Ister-Granum EGTC has been the first grouping to make a major investment as a legal entity of the European Union, while addressing obstacles and initiating the necessary legislative changes.

The grouping also plans to establish a logistics zone; the first phase of this project, the freight ferry service between Párkány and Esztergom, is already in service.

In addition, the grouping is involved in tourist activities such as the development of bike paths in the region. About a million tourists visit Esztergom and Párkány during the summer each year, and the grouping intended from the outset to showcase the whole region, and not just its main cities, for visitors. 

​