rights, equality and citizenship...
TRANSCRIPT
Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme
Questions and answers
Action grants to prevent and combat racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance
Topic ref. REC-RRAC-RACI-AG-2017
Version 1.0 23 October 2017
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History of changes
Version Date Change Page
1.0 23.10.2017 Initial version
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Nr Question Answer provided
1 Do the priorities of the call include homophobia and hate against LGBTI people?
Yes, one of the call's priorities refers to homophobia and hate against LGBTI people.
2 Can the projects combine a number of elements from the section 1.2 Description of the activities of the call notice, i.e. across the bullet points, or shall they always focus on just one area of activities, i.e. just activities described in the first or the second or the third bullet point, etc.?
Indeed, a project can address more than one priority and more than one activity presented in the call. In the context of your question, please also review our Guide for applicants, section B.1.6 (pages 21-22) and section 5 (a) Award criteria – Relevance (pages 37-39): http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf
3 Can a new foundation, dully registered in December 2016, apply for funding under the REC Programme? According to the eligibility criteria we may apply. However, it is also required to submit a financial statement of the last available year, but since we started working in 2017, we do not have a prior year.
In case your organisation was established recently as a legal entity and thus you do not have closed accounts yet, you may provide any available document that contains estimated financial data and could help establish the financial capacity (e.g. business plan). NB: Financial documents (e.g. financial statements - balance sheet and profit & loss account, business plan, audit report) must be added to the organisation’s profile in the Beneficiary registry, not in the SEP Submission system which is used for submitting the project application. Beneficiary Register: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/organisations/register.html Financial viability check: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/docs/h2020-funding-guide/grants/applying-for-funding/register-an-organisation/financial-capacity-check_en.htm
4 1. Are there any specific target groups of interest within the call for proposals? Does this include scholars and teachers? And adults?
Are there any specific activities that are given special attention or are excluded from the call, such as educational programmes, exhibitions, dialogue tools, debates, online programmes and tools, training programmes?
2. According to the call notice, both types of projects, national and transnational, are allowed to participate. Our activities have a national focus. How should we relate this to a European added value? Could this for instance be that our approach is scalable to other countries? The
1. As regards the specific target groups and specific activities, the call notice provides complete information to the applicants. Adults can of course be a target group, and teachers are also of interest (especially with a view to further dissemination). The mentioned activities can all be of interest, if they serve the purpose of raising awareness about racism and xenophobia. 2. In case your project is national, you need to ensure that the project methodology and/or deliverables and/or results will be transferable at the European level. In this context, please pay attention to the information provided in the call notice, section 1.1 Priorities: "While proposals do not need to be transnational, the added value
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partnerships we have with international operating organisations will encourage this.
3. Could research be part of the proposal?
of projects involving organisations from more than one participating country is of particular interest." Regarding the European coverage, the projects will be evaluated according to the award criterion c) European added value of the project (Guide for applicants - page 38): (c) European added value of the project (15 points): The European added value of the project shall be assessed in the light of criteria such as its contribution to the consistent and coherent implementation of Union law and policies and to wide public awareness about the rights deriving from it, its potential to develop mutual trust among Member States and to improve cross-border cooperation, its transnational impact, its contribution to the elaboration and dissemination of best practices or its potential to create practical tools and solutions that address cross-border or Union-wide challenges. Where national projects are eligible, projects which have a transnational impact will be more favourable assessed than projects whose scope is purely limited to one Member State. 3. The section 1.2 Description of the activities of the call notice lists activities that will be funded by this call. In principle, the proposal should not be entirely research focused or theoretical, it should provide practical solutions and results. We accept if the research is justified, there is a reason behind it, and it is a minor / partial activity, not the core of the whole project.
5 1. Is there any minimum time for the applicant to be in the register of associations or in the register of corporations?
2. What is the outlook for our organisation to be part of the call for proposals if our experience is not so extensive?
1. Only legally constituted organisations can participate in our calls. If the entity is established and registered with the relevant authorities before the deadline of the call, it is eligible to participate. 2. In order to be considered for funding, the application must meet the admissibility requirements, eligibility and exclusion criteria, and the project's activities must fall within the scope of the priorities of the call.
6 What is the minimum and maximum duration of the projects to be presented under this call?
When shall the projects start (date/s, period)?
Timing of the project:
- Project duration - The duration of the projects should not exceed 24 months (Guide for applicants – Footnote – page 23).
- Project start date - The time needed for completing
evaluation and validating the results usually varies between
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3 to 6 months from the call closure date. It depends on the number of received proposals, complexity, any linguistic issues (need for translation), etc. The time to sign the grant agreement with successful applicants should be maximum 3 month. Overall, the time limit to check and evaluate proposals, award and contract should be maximum 9 month after the closure of the call.
7 Where can the call notice be downloaded into pdf?
In fact, in the new presentation of our calls on the Participant Portal, there is no separate document with the text of the call as it used to be before. The text is available directly on the following page: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html under the subtitles with +More.
8 Is it possible to know the list of financed projects from the last year under this topic and the success rate?
The results of the 2016 general call on the racism are not yet available to the public. Call update flash info: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/doc/call/rec/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2016/1775101-call_update_flash_info_raci_2016_en.pdf published on the Participant Portal provides general information of the call's results. After the grant agreements are signed, we will also publish beneficiaries' details and summaries of selected proposals. The results of the 2014 and 2015 calls (sub-section Selected projects – Award decision and Summaries) are available at: JUST/2014/RRAC/AG - Projects to prevent and combat racism, xenophobia, homophobia and other forms of intolerance JUST/2015/RRAC/AG - Action grants to support transnational projects to prevent and combat racism, xenophobia, homophobia and other forms of intolerance The success rate of the projects is around 10%.
9 Is our research centre based in Paris and registered in France eligible to apply for this call?
The call specifies that the project can be either national or transnational. The project we have in mind will be conducted in Syria's neighbouring countries. Could you confirm that conducting our project outside of Europe respects eligibility requirements?
Referring to the eligibility criteria under the section Topic conditions and documents of the call notice, your organisation is eligible to apply for a grant. However, the project activities must take place and be delivered in the eligible countries (EU Member States, Iceland and Liechtenstein).
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10 We want to address the issue of radicalisation (in particular with peers) as a consequence of racism and anti–migrant hatred behavior and hate speech. Is it considered eligible under this call for proposals?
The call is meant for projects focusing on preventing and combating racism, hatred and intolerance. This can also include projects approaching the issue from the angle of "living together" and linking these phenomena with the issue of polarisation of society, which may, eventually, lead to risks of radicalisation. However, projects whose main focus is preventing radicalisation as such will not fall within the scope of this call. Other funding opportunities available at EU level may however be of interest, including calls under the Internal Security Fund (Police) but also, when it comes to initiatives focusing on youth and children, in the area of education, in particular under Erasmus+. Erasmus+ General website: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/ Policies of DG Migration and Home affairs Internal Security Fund (Police): http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/isfp/index.html#c,calls=hasForthcomingTopics/t/true/1/1/0/default-group&hasOpenTopics/t/true/1/1/0/default-group&allClosedTopics/t/true/0/1/0/default-group&+PublicationDateLong/asc Functional mailbox of ISF: [email protected] On-going calls for proposals: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/financing/fundings/calls-for-proposals_en Radicalisation: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/crisis-and-terrorism/radicalisation_en
11 After submitting the proposal, when will the applicants be informed on the decision of approval/rejection of their project?
The applicants will be informed about the results within 6 months from the call closure date.
12 1. What is the EU co-financing rate per project? 2. Can the partners be from Turkish Cypriot organisations or can we collaborate with Turkish Cypriot individuals? If so, how does the reimbursement of such organisations /individuals work in practice? What documents will be required for such partnerships?
1. The EU maximum possible rate of co-financing per project is 80% of the eligible costs. Remaining 20% are co-financed by the applicant and the partner(s).
2. Eligible countries for this call are: EU MS, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Under the REC Programme, the project activities must be carried out and delivered in the countries participating in the call.
There is a possibility to invite an expert from outside the EU to participate in your project. You will need to clearly demonstrate an "active role" of the expert (e.g.: speaker / coach / trainer), added value, knowledge and expertise brought to the project. This expert will need to be invited to your meeting / conference / event by one of the official
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3. Where can the details be found on the project (guide) or the budget (e.g. percentage of staff costs, equipment, travel, subcontracting, indirect costs)?
partners (coordinator + partners). If any costs of limited amounts are necessary for the participation in the project activities (e.g.: travel costs, accommodation costs), these costs must be incurred by one of the official partners.
3. Guide for applicants: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf
13 1. Can the project proposal focus on two topics at the same time, namely "anti-Muslim hatred" and "anti-migrant hatred", with the additional aim to explore possible correlation among the two phenomena?
2. In case of a submission of a proposal with a national scope, is there any indication with regard to the composition of the consortium (only Italian partners or no limitations)?
3. Are indirect costs eligible for subcontractors?
1. Yes, the project can focus on more than one priority. It would be considered as an added value if the project is of high quality and at the same time covers several objectives of the call. 2. According to the eligibility criteria 2.3 Eligibility of the application published in the call notice of the Participant Portal, the application must involve at least 2 organisations (applicant and partner), either from the same eligible country (national projects) or different eligible countries (transnational projects).
3. The indirect costs apply to the project, not to the service provided by a subcontractor. For more details, please review Annex on eligibility of costs, especially section 1.2 Eligible direct and indirect costs (page 41) and 1.5.3. Direct costs of subcontracting (page 46).
14 I would like to get a template in MS Word format to fill in Part B.
Please download Part B - Project description and implementation directly from the submission form.
15 Our question pertains to the number of applications that an organisation is able to submit: are we allowed to submit only one application (as main applicant, or partner), or multiple (e.g. one application as main applicant, another in which we partner, or two that we submit as main applicants, or two in which we partner...)?
Please see the "Note" in section B – Submission of proposals of the Guide for applicants (page 16): "The applicant may submit more than one application under each topic and may be awarded more than one grant under each topic. An organisation may participate as applicant or partner in several applications." With reference to the section C.4 – Selection criteria of the guide (page 36), in case you are awarded more grants, you need to ensure that your organisation has sufficient financial and operational capacities to carry out multiple projects in parallel. It is also important to underline that the projects cannot be duplicates.
16 In order to participate in the call, what documents are requested from the applicant as well as from the partners?
For details about the submission of a proposal, please review especially section B – Submission of proposals of the Guide for applicants (pages 16 – 33). The applicant is as well requested to upload financial statements (balance
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sheet, profit & loss account) in the Beneficiary register. These documents are necessary in order to check financial capacity of your organisation (Section C.4.1 of the Guide for applicants – page 36). Call notice: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal4/desktop/en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html Guide for applicants: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf
17 Nous venons par le présent e-mail vous soumettre le projet de candidature pour analyse et d'appui financier. Ci-joint en annexe vous pouvez trouver le document du projet ainsi que la Déclaration de notre partenaire.
In fact, with the publications of the calls for proposals under the Participant Portal of DG Research and Innovation, all applications must be submitted via the SEP Submission system. You can start the submission directly from the website of the call notice: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html Please review carefully especially section B of the Guide for applicants (http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf). The guide provides all necessary information for preparation and submission of the application and for better understanding of the selection process. Please also note that it is not possible to pre-assess the content of the proposed project objectives and/or activities, or any ideas in this regard. The projects will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee, in due time after the deadline of the call.
18 There are some entities (associations) that we would like to involve as possible stakeholders in one action of the project (with a public tender to be done in case of the project's selection - without budget, just the commitment to take part in the project activity), but at the same time some of them might be possible subcontractors of another project action. Within the same project, is this dual position possible?
The associate partners (partners associated to the project) cannot act as subcontractors in the same project. The selection of a provider of goods, works or services should be a result of a proper tender procedure, respecting the conditions applicable to subcontractors (competition / best value for money / absence of conflict of interest). You can find more information about subcontracting in the Guide for applicants: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf.
19 In May 2018 we are planning a large exhibition on the topic of "Racism". The project will increase the awareness of the general population on the impact of racism and other
According to the Principle of non-retroactivity (Guide for applicants - section A.2.1 - page 13): No grant may be awarded retrospectively for actions
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forms of intolerance. What is the earliest date the project can start? How long can the project last? I assume it is not allowed that the projects have already begun. Is this correct?
already completed. A grant may be awarded for an action, which has already begun only where the applicant can demonstrate the need to start the action before the grant agreement is signed. In such cases, costs eligible for financing may not have been incurred prior to the date of submission of the grant application. NB: In case the project is not selected for co-funding or the grant agreement is not signed, any costs incurred in relation to the project cannot be reimbursed by the Commission.
20 We are an international NGO, and registered Charity in the UK. The guidelines state that "The Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their overseas departments, Iceland and Liechtenstein" are eligible. Can you confirm that it includes the UK despite the upcoming departure of the UK from the EU in 2019. Further, under 2.2 of the call notice it is stated that applicants and co-applicants must be public entities or private organisations, duly established in one of the countries participating in the Programme, or international organisations. Can you confirm that "countries participating in the Programme" refers to the Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their overseas departments, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and provide me with your definition of "international organisations".
As referred to in the call notice, the UK is an eligible country for this call. Yes, "countries participating in the Programme" are eligible countries (EU MS, Iceland and Liechtenstein). International organisations are eligible independently of their place of establishment. The status of the international organisation should be in line with the definition provided by OECD: "International organisations are entities established by formal political agreements between their members that have the status of international treaties; their existence is recognised by law in their member countries; they are not treated as resident institutional units of the countries in which they are located." It refers to the organisations like Council of Europe, or United Nation organisations like UNICEF, Red Cross international. In the summary: 1) Official requirements connected to the status of an "international organisation" are international treaties; 2) As stipulated in the text of the call, applicants and partners must be legally constituted public or private organisations, or international organisations. An international organisation can apply as applicant, but for the purposes of this call, project activities need to be carried out and delivered in the Member States of the European Union, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the project needs to involve at least one partner established in one of the participating countries.
21 Do the beneficiaries' own resources (required 20% co-financing from the participating organisations) need to be cash contributions, or are also in-kind contributions, such as salaries, accepted?
The principle of the grant is that beneficiaries implement the activities and pay for all related costs. The Commission contributes by covering a percentage of the eligible costs. This percentage is fixed in the grant agreement and cannot exceed 80% of the total eligible costs. The remaining part of the costs (minimum 20%) is de facto covered by the so-called "beneficiaries' own contribution" since in order to be considered eligible, all costs, employees' salaries, suppliers'
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invoices, etc., must have been fully paid by beneficiaries before the final report is submitted (they must also fulfil all the other eligibility conditions, of course).
In practical terms, the costs incurred for the project should be reported in the appropriate cost categories A, B, C or E. The beneficiaries should contribute financially by providing an amount (category I) sufficient to balance the budget, taking into account the maximum EU contribution (category J) and the receipts generated by the project (categories H); this means that I = total costs - H - J. The own contributions of beneficiaries are global amounts, not detailed. The staff costs that are not included under category A will not be considered in the calculation of the amount of the grant. That means that they will be fully covered by the beneficiaries. In addition to that, the beneficiaries will also cover at least 20% of all expenses that are mentioned under categories A to F. A beneficiary's own contribution mentioned under heading I may be calculated in such a way that it covers the staff costs of that beneficiary but this calculation does not need to be detailed, a global amount is sufficient. Explanation of the Contributions in kind can be found on page 61 of the Guide for applicants: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf.
22 Is there an Info day foreseen for this call? There is no information session foreseen for the call.
23 My organisation is a Delegation (non-profit) that is settled in Barcelona (Spain) of an organisation that has it's headquarters in Colombia. Could the Delegation of Barcelona apply for a project under this call?
According to the section 2.2 Eligibility of the applicant and of the partners of the call notice, applicants and co-applicants must be public entities or private organisations, duly established in one of the countries participating in the Programme (EU MS, Iceland and Liechtenstein), or international organisations. Only legally constituted organisations can participate. Legal entity means any legal person created and recognised as such under national law or international law, that has legal personality and that may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations.
24 1. Where can the guidelines for the call be found?
1. For the start, the best source of information about the call priorities, activities to be funded, expected results and eligibility criteria is the call notice: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/
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2. Can the application be written in French?
en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html. The Guide for applicants is the main reference document to help you prepare the proposal and submit the application: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf 2. It is possible to submit your project application in French. In that case please include an English version of the abstract under point 1.17. of Part B – Project description and implementation. Please note however the following provision as stated in the Guide for applicants (page 21): "Languages - In principle, project proposals may be submitted in any official language of the European Union. However, for reasons of efficiency, the Commission would strongly advise Applicants to use English."
25 1. What is the indicative amount of the budget for this call for proposals and per individual project. The minimum budget for an individual project is 75.000 EUR but the information on the maximum budget is not provided. 2. Our organisation has an account with Priamos portal. Can we use the same account/login details with the Participant Portal?
1. According to the section 2.3 Eligibility of the application, "the EU grant applied for cannot be lower than EUR 75 000." There is no imposed ceiling for the maximum grant amount. The project's budget is determined by the applicant as it depends on different variables, such as planned activities, outputs and results, size of the consortium, etc. The total budget envisaged for the call is 4.000.000 EUR. 2. Since this year, DG Justice and Consumers publishes and manages calls for proposals via Participant Portal. It is a completely different system than Priamos. The Guide for applicants will provide you with details of how to prepare and submit the proposal via Participant Portal. Link to the call for proposals: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html Guide for applicants: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf
26 The priorities section of the call notice mentions different kind of projects that can be financed. We would like to know what does this last point encompasses "Projects focusing on preventing and combating other forms of intolerance, such as homophobia and transphobia, anti-gypsyism, Afrophobia, hate crimes against persons with disabilities" and especially the signification of "persons with disabilities". Does it include
The European Commission applies the definition used in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: "Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others."
Therefore, persons with mental disabilities can also be
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persons with mental disorders, mental problems?
included in the scope of the project.
27 Is this topic available in German language?
The call notice and other relevant documents (Guide for applicants, templates, etc.) are published in English.
28 The project we want to apply for cannot wait until a decision on its possible grant is taken (as it could take a year until then), so can we begin with it before the decision is taken so that the grant awarded is dedicated to the same project but to the costs that will occur after the granting decision?
Principle of non-retroactivity: According to the principle of non-retroactivity mentioned in the Guide for applicants, section A.2.1 (page 13), no grant may be awarded retrospectively for actions already completed. A grant may be awarded for an action, which has already begun only where the applicant can demonstrate the need to start the action before the grant agreement is signed. In such cases, costs eligible for financing may not have been incurred prior to the date of submission of the grant application. NB: In case the project is not selected for co-funding or the grant agreement is not signed, any costs incurred in relation to the project cannot be reimbursed by the Commission.
29 Referring to the selection criteria, is it necessary that the lead applicant has the last financial statements (or the last two) close to balance or in surplus? Or is it possible to be the lead applicant with a financial budget in deficit for the last year?
For information regarding the financial capacity check, please review section C.4.1 – Financial capacity of the Guide for applicants (page 36): http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/other_eu_prog/common/just-rec-guide-applicants-17_en.pdf.
30 The calls REC-RRAC-RACI-AG-2017 and REC-RRAC-HATE-AG-2017 are very similar in terms of the topic and due date. Are these in fact two separate calls, with the former being unrestricted and the latter being restricted?
General call - REC-RRAC-RACI-AG-2017 - Prevent and combat racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance Restricted call - REC-RRAC-HATE-AG-2017 - Restricted call for proposals for public authorities on preventing and combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance, and in particular hate crime and hate speech – According to the Eligibility and admissibility conditions under the Topic conditions and documents of the call notice: (a) lead applicants must be a public authorities of one of the countries participating in the Programme; co-applicants must be public entities or private organisations, duly established in one of the countries participating in the Programme, or international organisations
31 1. At page 49 of the Guide for applicants it states: "An excel staff costs calculation template is available and can be provided upon request." Would you please send me a copy of the template?
1. Staff cost calculation template:
Fin_reporting_staff_cost_calculation_sheet_ag_2015_en.xls
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2. Is it possible to include the costs of a possible financial guarantee in the project budget, as for example in Erasmus+ Programme? 3. As regards the costs for subsistence, is Annex 2a (Additional information on the estimated budget - units, cost per unit) applicable and where is it available?
2. The costs of a financial guarantee are eligible, but the financial guarantee is a risk mitigating measure that the Commission considers if the financial capacity of the applicant is not satisfactory. For project's implementation DG Justice and Consumers uses the option of a joint and several liability of the leading applicant and the project partners. 3. Concerning the unit costs, we do not use unit costs for the time being (this option has not been made available for DG Justice and Consumer projects). For more details on the subsistence costs, please refer to our Guide for applicants (pages 53 – 54): Costs for subsistence (cost of accommodation, meals, local travel within the place of mission and sundry expenses) are eligible, provided that they are reasonable. The maximum amounts per country published under http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/about-calls-tender/procedures-and-practical-guide-prag/diems_en give an indication of what will be considered as reasonable.
32 We would very much appreciate your clarification regarding our researchers' eligibility in the call Prevent and combat racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance. Our institution is a public non-profit institution of higher education and is located in Israel, which is an Associated Country.
Israel is not an eligible country for the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme. For further details, please see the text of the call notice:
List of eligible countries: The Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their overseas departments, Iceland and Liechtenstein
33 (Follow-up of the previous question) May our researchers submit a proposal with an institution from an eligible country?
There is a possibility to invite an expert to participate in the project. The coordinator will need to clearly demonstrate an "active role" of the expert (e.g.: speaker / coach / trainer), added value, knowledge and expertise brought to the project. This expert will need to be invited to project's meeting / conference / event by one of the official partners (coordinator + partners). If any costs of limited amounts are necessary for the participation in the project activities (e.g.: travel costs, accommodation costs), these costs must be incurred by one of the official partners. Please also note that under the REC Programme, the activities must be carried out and delivered in the countries participating in the call (EU MS, Iceland and Liechtenstein).
34 In parallel to this call for proposals, there is another EC call for proposals with very similar description of potential activities. Is it possible to apply with the same project proposal or
According to the Guide for applicants (pages 16 – 17): "The applicant may submit more than one application under each topic and may be awarded more than one grant
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slightly modified one for two different calls for proposals in order to maximize chances of success?
under each topic. An organisation may participate as applicant or partner in several applications. However only one application will be accepted and evaluated for any given project. In case there are several applications for the same project, the applicant will be asked to clarify which application shall be evaluated. An action may receive only one grant from the EU budget." Also, each call for proposals addresses specific call priorities. Since there are important differences between the calls, your proposal should comply with the priorities of a particular call.
35 What documents need to be submitted as part of the application package?
We recommend reading in detail our Guide for applicants. Section B – Submission of proposals / part 2 – Application for a project (pages 23 – 33) describes all mandatory annexes:
Part A – Administrative forms
Part B – Project description and implementation (NB: pdf version of Part A and B is called Standard proposal template in the call notice)
Annex 1 – CVs of key project staff (EUROPASS CV format is recommended)
Annex 2 – Annual activity report for the last available year – it should be a description of annual activities carried out by the coordinator, not the financial statements or audit reports (there is no EC template)
Annex 3 – Indicators (called Legal basis indicators in the call notice)
Annex 4 – Child projection policy - it is necessary only if the project activities include children below 18 (there is no EC template)
Annex 5 – Letter of support – it is not required for this call (there is no EC template)
Standard proposal template (Part A + B) and Legal basis indicators (Annex 3) – pdf versions can be found on the website. The working documents (MS Word, Excel) will be
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available to you once you start the submission of the proposal. Part A – Administrative forms also includes consolidated budget. The excel sheet with the detailed budget is not a mandatory annex, it is a tool to help you create the project's summarized (consolidated) budget. Guide for applicants (page 25): While the budget table (Part A) does not require a detailed description of the costs, the amounts indicated here should reflect a detailed and accurate estimation based on the relevant rules of cost eligibility contained in the present guide and/or the grant agreement. These detailed estimations should be kept on file and may be requested by the Commission at any time before, during or after the project implementation.
36 In regards the SEP system, can I save the document as I go along and e-mail it to a partner for review of the draft?
You will be able to save the documents externally and send them via e-mail outside of the SEP Submission system.
37 Is there a list of eligible costs for this call?
Please review our Guide for applicants, especially the section – Annex on eligibility of costs (starting on page 40) and the model of the Grant agreement, mainly Article 6 of Chapter 3. Both documents can be found on the website of the call's notice: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html
38 Could you please clarify EC - DG Justice's position on UK-registered applicants (as co-applicants) for this proposal REC-RRAC-RACI-AG-2017? Would there potentially be an issue if Brexit goes through prior to the completion of the grant?
According to the Topic conditions and documents of the call notice, the UK is an eligible country for this call. However, please note the following related to the Brexit: For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project on the basis of the relevant grant agreement provisions.
39 1. At page 32 of the Guide for applicants:
“[…] 3.3 you should indicate the total number of eligible countries from which the participants come from. The eligible countries are identified
1. The reference should be the main base of operation (i.e. place of work).
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in the relevant call.”
My question is: "come from" refers to the nationalities of each participant or it refers to their countries of residence? E.g. If a participant with Nigerian nationality is involved in activities with an Italian partner should the participant be considered as Nigerian (and therefore he is not eligible) or Italian?
2. II. Deliverable(s) of this Workpackage
“[…] Indicate the language(s) in which your activity is organized and nationalities of the participants. Be specific as to the scope and level of ambition and use a quantitative description where applicable, e.g.: X regional seminars; X participants.”
How should a foreign participant be considered?
2. For non-EU participants, please indicate the place of operation in the EU or type "Other nationality".
40 From the guidelines it is not clear whether Annex 5 – Letter of support is applicable for this specific call and whether there is a template for such a letter.
The Guide for applicants only mentions a possibility to include Annex 5 – Letter from the public authority supporting the application (if applicable). The text of the call notice does not include such condition therefore this annex is not required for the call.
41 Are the following costs eligible and to which budget category do they belong to:
- Travel and subsistence for stakeholders in order to take part in exchange of best practices
The costs for travel and subsistence are considered eligible if they are linked to the activities of the project and relate to the persons directly involved in these activities. Travel and subsistence costs of participants should be included under category B of the consolidated budget. Section 2.2 Direct travel & subsistence costs (category B) of the Guide for applicants (page 52) provides further details on the travel and subsistence costs.
42 What are the legal obligations for an organisation submitting a project? Is there any legal obligation linked to the act of submitting even if the project is not selected for a grant?
If the project is not selected for a grant, there are no legal obligations on the side of the applicant. If the proposal is selected and recommended for award, the applicant can withdraw an offer for a grant, without any legal obligations. The Commission can also withdraw its proposal to sign grant agreement if during its preparation it concludes that the applicant did not comply with the formal requirements, for example if the applicant and/or the project partner(s) do not comply with the declarations of honour confirmed by the applicant in Part A – Administrative forms (Section 1 – General information), especially in regard to the exclusion criteria (Guide for
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applicants - page 35). By signing the Agreement or the Accession Form, the beneficiaries (main applicant + partners) accept the grant and agree to implement the action under their own responsibility and in accordance with the Agreement, with all the obligations and conditions it sets out (Model of the mono / multi-beneficiary grant agreement published on the Participant Portal: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/rec/topics/rec-rrac-raci-ag-2017.html).
43 We are a new organisation established this year (2017), but with well-known scholars that have longstanding experience and expertise. Do we need to send also the Annual Activity Report that describes the activities carried out by the applicant during 2016, if our activities took place only in 2017?
Only legally constituted organisations can participate in our calls. If the entity is established and registered with relevant authorities before the deadline of the call, it is eligible to participate. The documents required for the financial viability check are detailed in the H2020 Guide on beneficiary registration, validation and financial viability check: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/lev/h2020-guide-lev_en.pdf. Newly established entities that have not yet closed accounts may provide estimated financial data (i.e. a business plan or a similar document on planned activities).
44 Where can we find the Proposal number that is required on page 1 of Part B – Project description and implementation.
The Proposal number should be indicated on page 1 of Part A – Administrative forms. It needs to be inserted manually on page 1 of Part B.
45 The guide states that if the organisation is selected to receive EU funding, the "self – registrant" will be replaced by LEAR. We don’t have LEAR at the moment. Is it acceptable to appoint LEAR at later stage, when we know the results of the evaluation, or is it necessary to have the LEAR already now?
During the submission phase, each participant (applicant and partners) need to have a contact person (including e-mail addresses) indicated in Part A of the application. Yes, the LEAR can be appointed after the organisation is selected for funding.
46 According to the Guide for applicants (page 40), the Commission may organize a kick-off meeting in Brussels and those costs are considered eligible. Do we need to enter a specific budget line for these costs, under subsistence and travel costs?
It is not required to provide a detailed budget in your application, but the estimated costs should be considered in your planning under the category B - Direct travel & subsistence costs.
47 Some potential co-beneficiaries usually use service contracts to employ their project managers. Do they qualify as appointing acts equivalent to a working contract in this case or do the co-beneficiaries have to use regular work contracts for the project's tasks?
Chapter 3 / Article 6.2 of the Grant agreement (model template is published in the call notice) describes "Specific conditions for costs to be eligible". There, you will find conditions for the two options:
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- A.1 - Personnel costs - A.2 - The costs for natural persons working under a direct contract with the beneficiary other than an employment contract The "coordinating tasks" cannot be subcontracted, as per Chapter 4 / Article 10.1 of the Grant agreement - Rules for subcontracting action tasks and as per section 1.5 Award of contracts of our Guide for applicants (pages 45 to 47) which states the following: The Beneficiary/Coordinator may not subcontract the management and general administration of the project and the Co-beneficiaries may not subcontract all or most of the activities for which they are responsible. For employment contracts (or equivalent appointing acts), you also have to comply with the provisions of the national law in the respective Member State.