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Project meeting EQUASS in Practice Oslo 12.01.09

Trude EngebretsenJon Roar Strandenes

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Congratulations on your project!

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Agenda

• Leonardo in Norway• The role of the National Agency

• Main contract (between beneficiary and SIU)• Partnership contracts

• Payments• Budget and financial reporting• Budget categories• Changes to contracts• Reports and expected results

• Intellectual property rights - IPR • Valorisation

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Lifelong Learning Programme in Norway

• National Agency: Norwegian Centre for Internationalisation in Higher Education - SIU

• Leonardo da Vinci Programme: transfer of innovation projects partnerships mobility actions

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Tasks of the National Agency

Advise on• Preparation of proposal• Start-up of project• Interim / final report• Other issues: evaluation, dissemination...

• Participates in 1st project meeting• Project visits and monitoring

• Analysis and approval of interim / final reports including final products

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Contracts in TOI projects

National Agency Beneficiary Partner 1

Partner 2

Partner …n

Sub-contracting (possible)

Sub-contracting (possible)

Sub-contracting (possible)

PARTNERSHIP

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The contract for the project EQUASS in Practice

• Contractual period: 01.11.2008 – 31.10.2010 (24 months)

• Interim report by: 31.12.2009 reporting period 01.11.2008 – 31.10.2009

• Final report by: 31.12.2010 reporting period 01.11.2009 – 31.10.2010

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Partnership contracts

• Contract between each partner and the beneficiary

• Contract specifies the role of the partner: rights and obligations

• Model contract from the NA

• Partnership contracts within three months of the start of the project 01.02.2009 signed pdf-copy to NA

• “Silent partners”

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Payments from NA to beneficiary

• 40 % + 40 % + 20 %

• Advances/prepayments until approved final report

• Payments from beneficiary to partner defined in partnership contract

• No payment or refunds allowed to be paid into the private account of an individual

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Financial reporting - principles

• Total costs/expenditure have to be reported both Leonardo grant and own fund

• All costs reported as EURO / EURO account mandatory

• All costs have to be real costs

• All costs must be supported by receipts / invoices

• VAT is eligible only if the applicant can show that he is unable to recover it

• No costs allowed outside reporting or contractual period

• Time sheets

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Audits

• Invoices are checked randomly

• An operational and/or financial audit can be carried out on the spot

• Within 5 years of project termination, the EU Commission may carry out an audit

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Eligible costs – general criteria

• Costs must be identifiable and verifiable

• Must be connected with the project and be provided for in the estimated project budget

• Cost eligibility period 01.11.2008 – 31.10.2010

See Grant Agreement, part B – Financial provisions

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Exchange rates

• First period; (1st year)Use the exchange rate the date of the first pre-payment from NA

• The rest of the project period; (2nd year)Use the exchange rate the date of the second pre-payment from NA

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Budget categories

a. Staff costs

b. Travel and subsistencec. Equipment costsd. Subcontractinge. Other costs

f. Indirect costs

direct

costs

indirect costs

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Staff costs

• Real staff costs are reported, including actual salary plus social security charges and other statutory costs

• Staff costs must be reported to the coordinator in relation to work plan (by timesheet) and in relation to products/results

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Travel costs

• Travel includes 1) travel cost: tickets and taxis/buses2) subsistence: hotels, meals, local travel costs and possible daily allowances.

• Travel costs are calculated on an individual basis

• Reimbursement is based on the existing internal rules of the partner organisation actual costs or daily allowance basis.

• Costs above the daily subsistence rates are not allowed table 5f in the Call for proposals 2008

• Travels not included in the WP has to be approved by the coordinator / NA

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Equipment:

• Equipment costs are written off over 36 months according to usage in project, the date of the purchase is important

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Note:

• Equipment related to the administration of the project is covered by indirect costs

• For equipment over 10 000 € the writing off period is 5 years

• Leasing is a good alternative to purchase

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Subcontracting costs (max 30%)

• Written subcontracting agreements are mandatory

• The subcontractor must bill the project according to the contract

• No additional expenses/fees can be added to the sums mentioned in the contract and bills

• Subcontracting is ALWAYS billed by a company/ organisation outside the partnership

• Invoices should NEVER be paid to an individual

• Copies of agreements and bills/receipts/invoices shall be submitted with the reports

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• Claims worth more than 500 euro must be put out to tender:

500 € – 5 000 € 1 tenderer/offer 5 000 € – 25 000 € 3 tenderers/offers 25 000 € - 60 000 € 5 tenderers/offers Over 60 000 € national rules apply

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Other costs

• For example: participation fees to seminars announcements in newsletters books rental of meeting rooms rental of exhibition space translation

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Indirect costs (max 7%)

• Flat rate funding, 7 % of the total amount of eligible direct costs please see Consolidated budget Annex II

• No changes are possible

• Indirect costs can include for example postage, telephone, mailing, infrastructure costs, office supplies, photocopies, costs for equipment related to project administration

• The costs need not be justified by accounting documents, however evidence on how the costs have been calculated may be requested

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Changes: main contract

• Partnership• Work plan• Products• Budget, distribution to the partners• Income

• Partner: notification to coordinator who assesses the situation and makes necessary amendment applications to the NA

• Beneficiary: Official approval from the NA needed

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Changes: project budget

• For the budget headings, except for indirect costs, changes up to 10 % or maximum 5000 Euros are accepted without a budget amendment. NA should always be informed.

• Changes exceeding 10 % or 5000 Euros to the budget must be requested in writing from the NA managing the project

• Budget changes must always be approved by 1) Coordinator and 2) NA if changes exceeding 10 % or 5000 Euros

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Reporting

• Interim Narrative report Financial report

• Final Description of end products and results Documentation

- minutes of meetings- newspaper articles

Dissemination activities Financial report

• Final payment based on quality of end results

• NA will control the project payments

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Intellectual Property Rights - IPR

• Please discuss this early in the project cyclus!

• Define clear agreements if needed and confirm in writing

• Seek legal guidance!

• NA does not involve itself in IPR issues

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What about the impact? Defining valorisation in Leonardo programme

• ”Dissemination is not a separate phase at the end of a project - it is an integral part of the whole.”

• ”Dissemination is influencing.”

• “ The most essential feature of impact is, simply, that the chosen theme is necessary and important to the target group”

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What does valorisation include?

All partners should be involved:

• Concrete actions writing and publishing newsletters and articles presenting the project in seminars networking on local, regional and national level committing stakeholders, piloting

• Keep track record of activities

• Keep copies of documents, e.g. newspaper articles, local minutes of meetings, brochures, conference papers

• Publish, up-date and advertice the project website

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Reference documents

• Administrative and financial rules:http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/guide/admin_en.html

• The Commission guidelines for dissemination and valorisation:http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/valorisation/index_en.html

• Other NA guides / internet-sites /forms: http://www.siu.no/no/Programoversikt/EU-program/Leonardo-da-Vinci/Videreutviklings-prosjekter/For-deg-som-har-kontrakt

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Good luck!

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