INTERREG IVB Programme NorthWest Europe INFO DAYS 1

INTERREG IVB Programme North-West Europe INFO DAYS 1 st call for proposals All you need to know to prepare your application Paris, Conseil régional Ile-de-France 13 Septembre 2007 NWE Secretariat, Lille Interreg IVB North West Europe 1

Content 1. 2. 3. 4. Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe Features of the 1 st call Project selection procedure How to apply – the content of the Application Form § § § 5. 6. Project design Project Partnership Eligibility and Selection Criteria Project Management Structure Eligibility of Project Expenditures Project Implementation Key references Interreg for project development IVB North West Europe 2

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe The added value of transnational cooperation § § § Find transnational solutions to problems that go beyond borders… Find efficient and innovative solutions for common problems using knowledge from other countries and regions… Participation in transnational exchange networks… Reinforce the image, opportunity and European expertise of your region… Build a common culture of cooperation and territorial development… Take advantage of the significant budget for projects covering a large and coherent geographic zone Interreg IVB North West Europe 3

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe NWE eligible area Interreg IVB North West Europe Only difference with IIIB: All of Switzerland is now participating 4

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe Some key figures § 844, 239 square km § 21% of EU 25 area § 179 million people § 39, 5% of EU 25 population § 307 inhabitants/km 2 § EU 25 average 118 inhabitants/km 2 § 75% of population live in urbanised areas § with more than 500 inhabitants/km 2 § 23% of cooperation area is sparsely populated (180, 000 Interreg IVB North West Europe 5 km 2)

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe Aim of the Programme § “The North West Europe Programme aims to capitalise on the cooperation between key actors to address territorial issues across the NWE area. This is in order to contribute to the NWE’s economic competitiveness while equally promoting regionally balanced and sustainable development” § Cross cutting themes § To strengthen the economic competitiveness (Lisbon agenda) § To increase the environmental sustainability (Gothenburg agenda) Interreg IVB North West Europe 6 § To achieve a stronger territorial balance (EU Cohesion

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe Thematic Priorities for IVB NWE Priority 1: Developing the NWE knowledge-based economy by capitalising on our capacity for innovation Priority 2: Sustainable management of natural resources and of natural and technological risks Priority 3: Improving connectivity in NWE by promoting intelligent and sustainable transport and ICT solutions Priority 4: Promoting strong and prosperous communities at transnational level Interreg IVB North West Europe 7

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe NWE Budget § Total ERDF funding available: EUR 355 million § Maximum grant rate: 50% at partner and project level (Priorities 1 -4) § Total budget: EUR 696 million + § ERDF funds are allocated per Priority Interreg IVB North West Europe 8

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe Budget per Priority Interreg IVB North West Europe 9

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe What is new in IVB? § Lisbon and Gothenburg focus (= whole EU regional policy) § NWE projects are expected to be more operational, demonstrate tangible results to the common benefit of all partners, beyond a mere exchange of experience : no study projects! § Demonstration that the partnership clearly capitalises on existing results (earlier EU funded projects etc) : no repetition/ duplication! § New approach on Strategic initiatives Interreg IVB North West Europe 10

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe Higher quality requirements § § § Transnationality! Tangible and innovative results Impact: long-term perspective, laying the ground for further investments Types of projects: action projects, small-scale investments Integrated approach: vertical, horizontal and geographical cooperation Consistent bidding partnership Interreg IVB North West Europe 11

1 Introduction to INTERREG IVB North West Europe How to get started? § § § Check if the priorities of the Programme match your own Network transnationally through the Contact Points, seminars and the Secretariat Register Project Idea on website Arrange meeting with the Secretariat to discuss the project (specific advice given on content, finances and management) Calls for Proposals: Twice a year Interreg IVB North West Europe 12

2 § Features of the 1 st call Interreg IVB North West Europe 13

2 Features of the 1 st Call Expected 1 st callers § § No fixed budget Expected 1 st Callers per priority: Interreg IVB North West Europe 14

2 Features of the 1 st Call Dates § Call opens: 17 th September 2007 § Call closes: 15 th October 2007, 7 pm § 1 st Programme Steering Committee Meeting: 13 -14 December Interreg IVB North West Europe 15

3 § Project selection procedure Interreg IVB North West Europe 16

3 Project selection procedure Project Selection Procedure § Two calls for proposals per year § Properly filled-in application form (1 st call: Word and Excel documents) § Official annexes (Partnership Agreement and Letters of Support) § Assessment report prepared by the Secretariat §Principle: project development and assessment in separate hands §Eligibility of projects § Final decision made by the Programme Steering Committee § Selection of projects to be approved § Decision on conditions or major modifications Interreg IVB North West Europe 17

3 Project selection procedure Eligibility Criteria (i) 1 Lead Partner is an organisation within the eligible area. 2 Lead Partner is a public or a public-similar organisation. 3 The project is transnational: projects involve co-operating partners from at least two different countries (one of which from the NWE area). 4 Each partner is contributing to project funding. 5 Each partner will be active in the development and implementation of the joint action plan. 6 The scope of the project renders it ineligible under crossborder programmes as mapped by the European Commission. 7 The project addresses at least one of the objectives within the priorities defined in the Operational Programme. 18 Interreg IVB North West Europe

3 Project selection procedure Eligibility Criteria (ii) 9 The following types of projects will be supported: action projects, small-scale investments, and feasibility or supporting studies where these can be linked to concrete actions. Study projects without concrete actions will not be supported. 10 The project does not receive any other Community grant and there is no double-financing of expenditure with other Community or national schemes and with other programming periods. 11 The solvency of the project Lead Partner is demonstrated or covered by a bank guarantee. The solvency of public bodies is assumed. 12 The Lead Partner confirmed that the mutual financial and legal responsibilities of the project partners have been defined in a Partnership Agreement. 13 All sections of the application form have been properly and accurately filled in, signed and submitted on time. Interreg IVB Northby West 30 Europe 19 14 The project will be completed September 2015.

3 Project selection procedure Eligibility Criteria (iii) 15 The willingness for project partners to engage in the partnership has been fully demonstrated by a complete set of Letters of Support 16 The project does not contravene EU legislation (in particular the rules applying to the eligibility of expenditure of Structural Fund support, to competition policy, to State aid, to environmental impact assessment and to equal opportunities). Interreg IVB North West Europe 20

3 Project selection procedure Selection Criteria (i) I Capacity, quality and intensity of cooperation Sel. 1: the project involves a high level of transnational cooperation II General approach Sel. 2: the project adopts an innovative approach to tackle the territorial challenges of NWE Sel. 3: the project will promote cross-sector integration III Overall quality: competitiveness, sustainability and cohesion Sel. 4: the project strengthens the economic competitiveness of NWE in response to the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs; it capitalises on different regional potentials for development Sel. 5: the project increases the environmental sustainability of NWE in response to the Gothenburg agenda for more sustainable development Sel. 6: The project achieves a stronger territorial balance of NWE by reducing regional disparities reflecting the aim of the EU Cohesion Policy Interreg IVB North West Europe 21

3 Project selection procedure Selection Criteria (ii) IV Durability and leverage effect Sel. 7: The project takes into account earlier EU-funded programmes. It represents a significant added-value compared to already approved projects Sel. 8: The bidding partnership is consistent, i. e. it brings together the relevant partners with the capacity to deliver and make use of project results Sel. 9: The project provides good prospect for long-lasting activity and leverage for extra investment V Management and communication strategy Sel. 10: The project has an effective communication strategy. The results and experience acquired by the project will be transferable and clearly communicated Sel. 11: The project financial and management structure is sound and presents good prospect for a quick start and efficient running VI Value for money Sel. 12: The individual elements of the project budget breakdown are reasonable compared to their market price Sel. 13: The project budget represents good value Interreg IVB North West Europefor money as it is proportionate 22 to the expected outputs and results

4 § How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project design § Project Partnership § Project Management Structure § Eligibility of Project Expenditure § Interreg IVB North West Europe 23

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Design § Good content of a project proposal ü a in-depth project description (very detailed for work packages + investments) describe the objectives and particular relevance to NWE contextualise the existing problem and show will help address it all partners involved in the whole project throughout all stages identify and describe participants and their role describe project activities in concrete terms (clear, wellstructured work packages) describe the expected concrete results and the deliverables foreseen, with quantified impacts and outputs limit investments – ‘pilots’ are essentially to test transnational strategy Interreg IVB North West Europe 24 ü ü ü ü

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form The Application Form 1 IN SHORT – Basic information on your project 2 THE BIGGER PICTURE – In what way are you contributing to the Programmes’ Objectives? 3 WHY, WHAT and HOW? WHAT you would like to achieve and HOW are you going to achieve it? 4 WHO? WHO is going to contribute to your project? 5 WHICH BUDGET? The finances of your project 6 WHO needs to know WHAT? How you are going to promote your project to your audiences? 7 FORMALITIES – Confirmation, certification and signature Interreg IVB North West Europe 25

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form The Application Form o The Keep it Short and Simple principle. Remember that not everybody has an expertise in the field you are dealing with. Explain your project as simply and precisely as possible. o The Application Form has to be filled in in English. Only the project summary (section 1. 6 -1. 8) needs to be translated into each of the partners’ languages. Interreg IVB North West Europe 26

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form The Application Form 1 IN SHORT – Basic information on your project This section should provide basic information on your project. Once a project is approved, this section will be published in our online project database. 2 THE BIGGER PICTURE – In what way you are contributing to the Programmes’ Objectives? Within INTERREG IVB NWE, a project’s approval will not only depend on the merits of its own application; it will also need to prove that it complies with the Programme’s aims and, more specifically with the Priority Objective(s) as outlined in the Operational Programme. This section is devoted to exploring your project’s possible contribution to the “Bigger Picture”. Interreg IVB North West Europe 27

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form The Application Form 3 o o WHY, WHAT and HOW? WHAT you would like to achieve and HOW are you going to achieve it? This section deals with the “core” of your project. You are asked to describe: WHY there is a need for your project (section 3. 1) WHAT you would like to achieve with your project (section 3. 2), i. e. which are your aims and objectives HOW (section 3. 3) you are going to reach your objectives, and By WHICH MEANS you are going to reach your objectives (section 3. 4). Please cluster all your activities within work packages (max. 6). WP should cluster different actions and related outputs, according to a common objective. Interreg IVB North West Europe 28

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form The Application Form 4 WHO? WHO is going to contribute to your project? In this section, you are asked to describe your project partnership in detail. In order to reflect a fully functioning partnership, please ensure that a Partnership Agreement is negotiated between project partners and tailored to the project’s needs. At least a draft copy of the Partnership Agreement must be submitted with this application form as annex 1 (see CHECKLIST). The final Partnership Agreement will have to be signed and sent to the JTS before the first payment claim. Please find further information on project partnerships in Guidance Note 3. Interreg IVB North West Europe 29

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form The Application Form 5 WHICH BUDGET? The finances of your project In this section you are asked to describe your project budget in detail. To ease the handling with financial figures, an Excel file is provided. 6 WHO needs to know WHAT? How are you going to promote your project to your audiences? The Communication Strategy must be prepared and budgeted for well before the Project is approved. Target audiences are the people who care or should care about the project’s outcomes, they need to be contacted and engaged progressively all along the Project lifecycle to ensure that they are not overwhelmed with information when the Project delivers tangible results, and can contribute to the success of the project either directly or indirectly. All the project partners must agree on who to engage (target audiences), why to engage them (objectives) and how to engage their support (messages + actions). 7 FORMALITIES – Confirmation, certification and Interreg IVB North West Europe signature 30

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Structure PROGRAMME PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES Project mangement and communication PROJECT AIM Strategy and methodology Project objective 1 Project objective 2 Project objective X Work package 1 Work package 2 Work package X • Action 1. 1 • Action 2. 1 • Action X. 1 • Action 1. 2 • . . . • Output 1. 1 • Output 2. 1 • Output X. 1 • Output 1. 2 • . . . Interreg IVB North West Europe 31

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Partnership (i) § What is a IVB NWE Project partner? § Active in implementation § Contributes to match funding § Partners can be public and / or private bodies § National, regional and local authorities § Transnational bodies and partnerships § Universities, research & development agencies § Non-profit organisations § Private organisations if they act as "non-profit" in the context of the project Interreg IVB North West Europe 32

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Partnership (ii) § Lead Partner or Partner § Partnership Agreement – liabilities and obligations § Sub-partners: official list of sub-partners to be provided with application form § Partners outside the NWE area § Average IIIB partnership § 9 partners § Timeframe: 3 – 4 years § Total Eligible costs: EUR 6 million (EUR 3 million ERDF) Interreg IVB North West Europe 33

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Partnership (iii) § Partners from outside the eligible area and within the EU territory § possible according to the new EU regulations § must be crucial to the Programme and must have a positive effect on the NWE area § the Member State of this partner will need to sign an agreement with the Programme Managing Authority § Partners from outside the EU: § no problem for Swiss partners (part of the eligible area); however they are not entitled to receive ERDF; but Swiss federal funding is. Interreg available IVB North West Europe 34

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Management Structure (i) § Sound financial and management structure § A great project idea with a bad structure = bad project § Poor coordination between partners = delayed or partial implementation of the Action Plan § Difficulties to collect invoices = delayed ERDF payment § Weak audit trail = danger of recouping ERDF Interreg IVB North West Europe 35

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Project Management Structure (ii) Basis: Partnership agreement (signed. Partner by all project partners) Lead Principle Overall responsibility for project implementation Responsibility for Project Management Signing of Subsidy Contract; Transfer of received ERDF grant to other project partners; Contact with JTS Submission of Activity Reports, Payment Claims, Control Reports, project modifications Supervise the First Level Control of the entire project expenditure Interreg IVB North West Europe 36

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Eligibility of Expenditure (i) § Reference Documents § Commission Regulation (EC) 1080/2006: ERDF Regulation § Project Handbook) § Project Audit Guidelines (not yet available) Expenditure actually paid out is the basis for assessing eligibility under the INTERREG IVB NWE Programme. This means expenditure directly linked to the approved budget and supported by receipted invoices or documents of equivalent probative value. Interreg IVB North West Europe 37

4 How to apply – the content of the Application Form Eligibility of Expenditure (ii) Eligible costs § one year prior to the closure of the call for proposals starting from 01/01/2007 § ultimate end date: 30 September 2015 § same budget lines as for IIIB + Audit + Revenue – Preparation cost (TEC € 100, 000) Interreg IVB North West Europe 38

5 § Project implementation Interreg IVB North West Europe 39

5 Project Implementation Reporting § Activity Report and Payment Claim submitted to the Secretariat § Implementation of the approved Action Plan by the partners § Twice a year § Required documents for each claim: § Completed Audited Payment Claim and Activity Report § Completed expenditure verification sheets § Supporting Documents for Activity Report Interreg IVB North West Europe 40

5 Project Implementation Cash Flow Payment Claim Flow JTS Paying Authority Programme Bank Account Assesses the Activity Report and the Payment Claim received Money Flow Prepares the payment request to the Paying Authority Payment Claim Project Lead Partner Submits an Activity Report and a Payment Claim every 6 months Project Partner Reimburses the other project partners according to their expenditure Interreg IVB North West Europe Project Partner 41

5 Project Implementation Controls § First level control (audit of payment claim) will be stricter than in the current IIIB Programme and will apply at partner level: § requirements of the new Regulation (Article 16 of reg. No 1080/2006) § system to be defined at Member State level § more information in the coming months (audit guidelines…) § Possible complementary audits: § Member State controls at the Secretariat’s request (check of 1 st level control) § Member State sample checks (Second Level Control) § European Commission checks Interreg IVB North West Europe 42

6 Further Reading Key references for project development § § Operational Programme INTERREG IVB NWE Project Handbook Secretariat + Contact Points Structural Funds Regulations § Council Regulation 1083/2006: General Regulation § Council and Parliament Regulation 1080/2006: ERDF Regulation § Commission Regulation 1828/2006: Implementing Regulation § www. nweurope. org Interreg IVB North West Europe 43

GOOD LUCK & Fingers crossed! Interreg IVB North West Europe 44