Atlantic Area - call for proposals announcement_en

ANNOUNCEMENT
FIRST CALL FOR PROPOSALS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Transnational Cooperation Programme Atlantic Area 2007-2013 launches its first call for
projects. Atlantic Area is an Operational Programme financed by the European Regional
Development Fund. It aims to achieve significant and tangible progress in transnational
cooperation geared towards cohesive, sustainable and balanced territorial development of the
Atlantic Area and its maritime heritage.
Objectives of the call for proposals
The first call for proposals covers the following four priorities:
1. Promote transnational entrepreneurial and innovation networks
2. Protect, secure and enhance the marine and coastal environment sustainability
3. Improve accessibility and internal links
4. Promote transnational synergies in sustainable urban and regional development
Financial allocation
An amount of € 26 446 214 of ERDF is available for this call for projects. The intervention rate
for the ERDF will not exceed 65% of eligible project costs. The following table provides a
breakdown by priority of available ERDF:
Priority
1
2
3
4
ERDF (€)
7 395 686
10 194 949
4 984 244
3 871 335
Timetable
This call for proposals will open on March 17th and close on May 12th 2008. Projects filed after
8 pm (Portuguese time) of May 12th 2008 will be automatically considered inadmissible.
Application process
Project applications must be presented using the electronic application form. The application
form, project applicants handbook and other relevant documents are available in the “Call for
Projects” domain of the Programme website (http://www.coop-atlantico.com). The Programme
website uploading tool provided in the domain “Call for Projects” shall be used for the
submission of projects.
Date: 14/3/2008.
Background
The European Commission approved the Atlantic Area Operational Programme (OP) 20072013 on 20th September 2007, granting the assistance of the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF).
The Atlantic Area is a recognised EU transnational cooperation region established to increase
cooperation across member-states on matters of strategic importance. With the exception of the
Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands, this territory brings together the Atlantic regions of
Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom in a Transnational Cooperation
Programme seeking to improve in a sustainable way its economic and social integration and
cohesion and enhance its maritime heritage.
The strategic priorities of the Atlantic Area Programme are:
1. To promote transnational entrepreneurial and innovation networks, aiming to develop
knowledge transfers between companies and research centres, to enhance competitiveness and
innovation capacities in maritime economy niches of excellence and to stimulate economic
conversion and diversification by promoting regional endogenous potentials.
2. To protect, secure and enhance the marine and coastal environment sustainability, aiming
to improve maritime safety, the sustainable management and protection of the resources of
marine spaces, to exploit the renewable energy potential of the marine and coastal environment
and to protect and promote natural spaces, water resources and coastal zones.
3. To improve accessibility and internal links, aiming to promote interoperability and
continuity of existing transport networks, and sea/road/rail/air intermodality and to promote
short sea shipping and cooperation between ports.
4. To promote transnational synergies in sustainable urban and regional development, aiming
to pool resources and skills in the field of sustainable urban and rural development, to make
cities and regions more influential and attractive through networking and to conserve and
promote Atlantic cultural heritage of transnational interest.
The eligible regions
The cooperation area covered by the OP includes the European Atlantic regions listed below.
Project partners should be located within the eligible territory of the Atlantic Area regions.
However, in duly justified cases, as defined in the paragraphs 386 and 387 of the OP,
organisations based outside the cooperation area, may join project partnerships of the
Programme, provided that a benefit for regions in the cooperation area is demonstrated.
ATLANTIC AREA REGIONS
Spain
Galicia; Principado de Asturias; Cantabria; País Vasco; Comunidad Foral de Navarra; Cádiz,
Huelva and Sevilla.
France
Haute-Normandie; Basse-Normandie; Pays de la Loire; Bretagne; Poitou-Charentes; Aquitaine.
Ireland:
The entire country (Border; Midland and Western; Southern and Eastern).
Portugal:
Norte; Centro; Lisboa; Alentejo; Algarve.
United Kingdom:
Cumbria; Cheshire; Greater Manchester; Lancashire; Merseyside; Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and
North Somerset; Dorset and Somerset Cornwall and Isles of Scilly; Devon; West Wales and The
Valleys; East Wales; South Western Scotland; Highlands and Islands; Northern Ireland.
Who can apply?
Wide ranges of legal bodies, under public or private law, are potential beneficiaries of ERDF
funding and may therefore join a project partnership. Eligible bodies cover entities like:
•
National, regional and local authorities including sector departments and related
public agencies, or equivalent agencies;
•
Universities, research and development agencies;
•
Not for profit organisations.
A Lead Partner, (under conditions defined by EC regulations) which assumes full financial and
legal responsibility for the whole project must present all proposals. Any body listed above
may act as Lead Partner, subject to sufficient guarantees of its solvency and management
capacities being provided. The solvency of the public organizations is assumed.
Profit distributing enterprises having an industrial or commercial character are also welcome to
participate as associate partners in an Atlantic Area project, as long as they fund in totality
their participation costs.
Budget scope
An amount of € 26 446 214 of ERDF is available for this call for projects. The intervention
rate for the ERDF will not exceed 65% of eligible project costs. The breakdown, by
Programme priorities, for this call for projects, of available ERDF are set out in the following
table:
Priority
ERDF (€)
1
Promote transnational entrepreneurial and innovation networks
7 395 686
2
Protect, secure and enhance the marine and coastal environment sustainability
3
Improve accessibility and internal links
4 984 244
4
Promote transnational synergies in sustainable urban and regional development
3 871 335
10 194 949
Important dates
The call for proposals will open on 17 March 2008 and close on 12 May 2008. Projects filed
after 8 pm (Portuguese time) of 12 May 2008 will be automatically considered inadmissible. It
is envisaged that decisions will be taken on applications by the end of June 2008.
Timetable
17 March
12 May (Portuguese 8 pm)
End of June
Start up of the first call for projects
Deadline for project proposals submission
Decision on applications
Application process
Applications shall be presented using the Atlantic Area opening call Application Form. The
application form, application handbook, as well as any additional information about the
Programme and conditions for the submission of project proposals, can be obtained from the
“Call for Projects” section of the Programme website (http://www.coop-atlantico.com).
The application form may be completed in any Programme language (English, Spanish, French
or Portuguese). However, if possible, the completed application form should be sent in the
languages of all the partners involved in the project.
Submission of the completed application form shall be through the use of the appropriate
upload tool available in the “Call for Projects” section of the Programme website. A
notification will automatically be generated confirming receipt of the application.
Once proposals have been presented, they will undergo an admissibility check as well as an
analysis under the appropriate selection criteria (as referred to in the Operational Programme
and as detailed in the Project Applicants Handbook). The Monitoring Committee will take a
decision on the selection of project applications according to the admissibility and selection
reports produced by the Joint Technical Secretariat in collaboration with the National
Correspondents in each Member State.
Preparation of a project application
Projects must respect the general basic principles of the Atlantic Area Programme as set out in
the Operational Programme and in the Project Applicants Handbook. Two sets of admissibility
criteria shall be accomplished, concerning application and project conformity.
Criteria concerning the conformity of the formal application:
• The application was submitted before the closing date.
• Application form is complete (all relevant sections are completed) and signed.
• The application contains a declaration stating that the project has not received any other
Community grant and there is no double-financing of expenditure with other
Community or national schemes and with other programming periods.
• The solvency of the lead partner is demonstrated.1
• The willingness of project partners to cooperate has been fully demonstrated by a
complete set of Letters of Intent.
• The application encloses partners co-financing declarations.
• The application contains a commitment declaration that the project does not contravene
the provisions of Article 16 of the ERDF regulation 1083/2006 i.e. promoting equality
between men and women, the integration of the gender perspective and nondiscrimination.
• The application contains a commitment declaration that the project does not contravene
the provisions of Article 17 of the ERDF regulation 1083/2006: sustainable development
and promotion of the goal of protecting and improving the environment.
Criteria concerning the conformity of the project:
• The lead partner is an organisation within the eligible area.
• Partners fall under the typology specified in paragraphs 383 and/or 384 of the OP.
• The project is transnational (involves cooperating partners from at least two different
countries and complies with the trans-national co-operation criteria set out in Article 19
of EC Regulation 1080/2006: joint development, joint implementation, joint staffing and
joint financing).
• The project has not been completed before the date of submission of the application.
• Each partner has a role in the development and implementation of the joint action plan
• The project addresses at least one of the specific objectives within the priorities defined
in the OP and covered by the specific call under which it has been submitted.
• The project complies with community and national rules.
• Quantifiable outputs are defined in accordance with the objectives set in the OP
1
The solvency of Public organizations is assumed
There is no pre-established limit to project budgets. However, as an indicative figure about the
reference scale for projects budgets, it can be used information of the past period 2000-2006.
The average budget presented by projects from the Atlantic Area 2000-2006 Programme was
approximately of € 2.000.000. In this period, the great majority of projects presented budgets
varying from € 500.000 to € 3.000.000. The average programmed time duration of projects
was of 2 years.
In general, expenditure is considered eligible if it observes community and national rules, is
directly related to the project and complies with the principles of economic efficiency and
cost-effectiveness. The eligible expenses shall be incurred in the eligibility period, beginning
in the first January 2007.
Notes for applicants
Applicants should also take account of the following aspects in the preparation of projects:
• The Partnership should be geographically representative of the Atlantic Area as a whole.
According to the Operational Programme, the project must include partners from at least
two countries. Nevertheless, given the transnational character of the Programme, it is
desirable that the project covers as many Atlantic Area Member States as possible,
ensuring a broad territorial impact.
•
As a cooperation Programme, value should be attached to the contribution of the project
in maximizing cooperation throughout the Atlantic Area. Projects shall include actions
tackling transnational issues, followed by actions addressed to pooling of a critical mass
of means responding to common national issues of transnational relevance and by
actions addressing the transfer of knowledge and exchange of experiences. The
Programme will not assist projects that only address the exchange of experiences.
•
Projects should clearly demonstrate added value to Atlantic Area cooperation, through
its innovative character and the tangibility and sustainability of its results. Firstly,
projects should demonstrate its innovative aspects, addressing new issues, contributing
to develop knowledge or improving actions in specific fields. Secondly, projects should
demonstrate tangibility indicating how projects will achieve concrete and real results.
Finally, projects should demonstrate sustainability informing about its exit strategy
leading to the capitalisation of results.
•
Particular attention should be paid to methodological and organizational aspects. Project
methodologies should be clear and coherent, demonstrating, step-by-step, how overall
project goals will be reached. Expected results and related planned actions should be
clearly and objectively defined. The contribution to the achievement of Programme
objectives should be described. A system of objective-based indicators should be
established which can be monitored and evaluated. Organization is a crucial matter to
successful projects. The quality of project organization depends on the consistency of
partnerships, which should be coherent and incorporate a clear co-ordination structure..
The quality of project organization depends also on the consistency of the project
management and communication systems and on a sound financial budget.
For additional information
Please use the help tools of the Programme website or contact directly the Joint Technical
Secretariat or your National Correspondent. Contacts addresses are available in the Programme
website (http://www.coop-atlantico.com).