ACP-EU Cooperation Programme in Science and

Transcription

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ACP Science and Technologie Programme
Programme Management Unit
ACP-EU Cooperation Programme in
Science and Technology (S&T II) /
Programme de Coopération ACP-UE
pour la Science et la Technologie
EuropeAid/133437/D/ACT/ACPTPS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS /
QUESTIONS FRÉQUEMMENT POSÉES
Period: October – November 2012
As per Section 2.2.4 of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants, in the interest of equal treatment
of Applicants, the Contracting Authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an
applicant, a partner, an Action or specific activities.
Conformément à l’article 2.2.4 des Lignes directrices à l’intention des demandeurs, afin de
garantir un traitement équitable des Demandeurs, l’Administration contractante ne peut pas
donner d’avis préalable sur l’éligibilité d’un demandeur, d’un partenaire, d’une Action ou d'une
activité spécifique.
ACP S&T II – Call for Proposals 2012 – Frequently Asked Questions – October – November 2012
ACP S&T II – Appel à propositions 2012 – Questions fréquemment posées – octobre – novembre 2012
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DISCLAIMER
This document is intended as useful information for applicants.
Given varying call requirements and specificities, the replies included in this document
cannot and do not replace or overrule the information contained in the respective
Guidelines for grant applicants that are published for each call for proposals.
They also do not substitute the provisions in the Practical Guide to Contract
Procedures in External Actions. In case of discrepancy between the FAQ and the
Guidelines for grant applicants, the latter is the only legally binding document.
AVIS
Ce document a pour intention d'apporter des informations utiles aux demandeurs.
Etant donné les conditions requises et les spécificités variables selon les appels, les
réponses incluses dans ce document ne peuvent pas être considérées comme
remplaçant et ne remplacent pas ni ne prévalent sur les informations contenues dans
les lignes directrices à l'intention des demandeurs de subventions publiées
respectivement pour chaque Appel à propositions.
Elles ne remplacent pas non plus en aucun cas les dispositions prévues dans le Guide
Pratique des procédures contractuelles dans le cadre des actions extérieures de l'UE.
En cas de divergence entre les FAQ et les Lignes directrices à l'intention des
demandeurs de subventions, celles-ci constituent le seul document légal
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This version of Frequently Asked Questions contains the following sections:
Cette version des Questions fréquemment posées contiennent les sections suivantes :
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
General / Général
Eligibility of participants / Eligibilité des partenaires
Eligibility of activities / Eligibilité des activités
Costs and Eligibility of costs / Coûts et Eligibilité des coûts
Application procedure / Procédure de demande
Evaluation of the applications / Évaluation des demandes
Implementation of a grant contract / Mise en oeuvre d’un contrat de subvention
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General /
Général
1.
How does an Applicant know which Lot to choose?
Answer:
2.
The two sources of finances under the Programme are different and it is up to the
Applicant to decide which one to choose taking into consideration the eligibility
criteria of each Lot. One should not create artificial partnerships in order to be
eligible for one of the two Lots. Only the best proposals from each Lot will be
considered for awarding a grant.
Could you please confirm that the only difference between Lot 1 – FED and Lot 2 –
ICD is the eligible countries according to Annex K? If so, how can we
define/choose in which Lot to submit our proposal when the participating
countries are eligible in both Lots?
Answer:
We confirm that the only difference in terms of eligibility between the two Lots is
the list of eligible countries as detailed in Annex K. You can therefore choose either one if the
participating countries in your proposal are eligible in both Lots, taking into consideration that
the same proposal cannot be submitted for both lots.
3.
Because of South Africa’s financial contribution to the Call for Proposals’ Lot 2,
could you please tell us if a proposal with organisations from South Africa is very
welcomed? In that case, is it more preferable to submit in Lot 2 due to the fact that
South Africa has contributed to the budget?
Answer:
4.
What was the success rate of applications in the previous ACP S&T Call for
Proposals?
Answer:
5.
The Call for Proposals does not favour proposals that include specific countries.
Each lot will be equally assessed and evaluated on the basis of the selection
criteria explicitly defined by the Guidelines. As explained in Section 2.1.3 of the
Guidelines for Grant Applicants, “During the selection phase, the evaluation
committee reserves itself the right to ensure through the selection of projects for
funding that a balanced geographical coverage at the Programme level is
achieved.”
The applications’ success rate in the previous ACP S&T Call for Proposals was
about 16%.
Les domaines définis comme prioritaires sont-ils exclusifs ?
Answer:
Conformément aux priorités du l’Appel à propositions, le Programme donne la
priorité aux Actions dans les domaines de l' « Accès à l'Energie et de l'Efficacité
Energétique » ainsi que de l' « Agriculture et de la Sécurité Alimentaire ».
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Toutefois, d'autres secteurs et/ou approches interdisciplinaires ne sont pas
exclues, à condition que les Actions et Activités prévues soient conformes aux
Objectifs du Programme.
6.
Quel est le montant maximum de la subvention ?
Answer:
7.
Will the Programme let us know when and where information sessions will be
held?
Answer:
8.
Toute demande de subvention dans le cadre du présent Appel à propositions doit
être comprise entre le montant minimum (EUR 300 000) et le montant maximum
(EUR 1 000 000). Exceptionnellement les propositions dans les domaines « Accès
à l’énergie et efficacité énergétique » et « Agriculture et sécurité alimentaire »
peuvent demander un financement de maximum 3 000 000 euros si la demande
est correctement justifiée.
The Programme will regularly announce the information sessions in the ACP
Regions and in the EU on its website http://www.acp-st.eu and .
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/onlineservices/index.cfm?ADSSChck=1349680053453&do=publi.detPUB&searchtype=Q
S&orderby=upd&orderbyad=Desc&nbPubliList=15&page=1&aoref=133437
Are there 'national contact points' to gain information about the
EuropeAid/133437/D/ACT/ACPTPS call?
Answer:
There are no national contact points for the Programme. Any question should be
asked to [email protected].
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Eligibility of participants /
Eligibilité des partenaires
9.
Is South-Africa eligible in both Lots?
Answer:
Participants from the Republic of South Africa can fully participate in either Lot 1 or
Lot 2, either as ‘Applicant’, ‘Partner’ or ‘Associate’ provided they respect the
relevant eligibility criteria.
10. Is Cuba eligible in both Lots?
Answer:
Participants from Cuba can fully participate in either Lot 1 or Lot 2, either as
‘Applicant’, ‘Partner’ or ‘Associate’ provided they respect the relevant eligibility
criteria.
11. Our company is located in a South American country, although we cannot find
this country on the list of eligible countries included in Annex K of the information
package: can we participate?
Answer:
Only legal entities which respect all eligibility criteria and that are established in any
of the country foreseen for each Lot in Annex K to the Guidelines for Applicants
(‘List of eligible countries’) are eligible.
12. Would a university, a private company or a network be eligible organisations?
Answer:
If the eligibility criteria mentioned in Section 2.1.1 of the Guidelines for Grant
Applicants are met, they are eligible organisations. Please note that grants
provided to an Action may not have the purpose or effect of producing a profit for
the Applicant or its partners as explained in Article 17.3 of the General Conditions
to the standard Grant Contract (see Annex G of the ‘Guidelines for Grant
Applicants’),
13. To which categories must the participants belong to (universities, local
authorities, profit organizations, non-profit organizations….)?
Answer:
In the Background section of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants, reference is
made to all sorts of participants that are welcome to participate: “Accordingly, ACP
S&T II favours the creation of partnerships among national and local agencies,
academic institutions, professional associations, the private sector and civil
society”. The eligibility criteria for participants are spelled out in Section 2.1 of the
Guidelines for Grant Applicants
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14. Would a regional organisation, e.g. CARICOM, be regarded as an eligible
organisation?
Answer:
If the eligibility criteria for international organisations as mentioned in Section 2.1.1
and the definition of International Organisations in p. 4 of the Guidelines for Grant
Applicants are met, the organisation is eligible to participate in this Call for
Proposals.
15. How do we know if our organisation, which is a recognised international
organisation, is eligible to participate?
Answer:
International Organisations are eligible if they are: “… international public-sector
organisations set up by intergovernmental agreements, and specialised agencies
set up by such organisations - these organisations may have worldwide or regional
scope. Organisations created under national law are not international organisations
(e.g. national NGO with several regional/country offices” (ref: p.4 of the Guidelines
for Grant Applicants).
Furthermore, if your institution can be considered an International Organisation as
described in Section 2.1.1 of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants, then the country
eligibility criterion would not be applicable anymore.
16. With respect to the partnership requirements, there is a minimum of 3 partners, 2
of which must be from ACP countries. Must the partners be from 3 different
organizations OR can the partners be from the same organization but missions in
different countries?
Answer:
It must be three different organisations, i.e. three different legal persons, and two of
which from ACP countries.
17. If a partnership involves only three partners, of which one is from an ACP country,
one from an EU country, and the third is an international organisation, would this
be regarded as an eligible partnership?
Answer:
As spelled out in Section 2.1.2 of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants the
partnership must involve partners from at least 2 different ACP states as defined in
Annex K. Since International Organisations do not fulfill this criterion, the above
partnership cannot be considered eligible.
18. What is the difference between an associate and a partner?
Answer:
A ‘Partner’ is the institution – other than the Applicant – that is a member of the
partnership, that participates in designing and implementing the action and that can
claim for all sorts of project costs. An ‘Associate’ is an organisation that has a real
role in the Action, but cannot receive funding from the ACP-EU Co-operation
Programme in Science and Technology, with the exception of per diems and travel
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costs. Associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in Section
2.1.1 of the ‘Guidelines for Grant Applicants’.
19. For a good number of parties interested in participating it is difficult to find other
partners interested in building a partnership. Does the Programme envisage
having any kind of partner search facility?
Answer:
The Programme has a partner search facility on its website which can be used by
interested parties. The Programme Management Unit will only moderate this
website and will not act as a broker.
See http://www.acp-st.eu/content/partner-search
20. Est-ce le nombre de pays (Nord ou ACP) qui comptent ou le nombre d'institutions
partenaires ?
Answer:
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Les demandeurs doivent agir avec des organisations partenaires conformément
aux prescriptions ci-après : le partenariat doit associer au moins 3 partenaires, y
compris le demandeur : le partenariat doit associer des partenaires d’au moins 2
pays ACP tels que définis à l’annexe K ; et le nombre de partenaires ACP devra
toujours être supérieur à celui de partenaires de pays non-ACP (voir : l’article 2.1.2
des Lignes directrices à l’intention des demandeurs).
Is it necessary to have a local partner in all the countries where the project will
implement its activities?
Answer:
No, this is not necessary. However, it is advisable to work with a local partner in all
the countries where the project will implement its activities, taking into
consideration the capacity building component of the ACP countries which is an
objective of the ACP S&T Programme.
22. In Section 2.1.1 of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants, what does “to be
established in” mean?
Answer:
This means that the organisation statutes shall demonstrate that it has been
established by an instrument governed by the national law of the country
concerned. In this respect any legal entity whose statutes have been established in
another country not included in annex K cannot be considered an eligible local
organisation, even if the statutes are registered locally or a Memorandum of
Understandings has been concluded.
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Eligibility of activities /
Eligibilité des activités
23. Can research activities be financed under ACP S&T II?
Answer:
No. ACP S&T is a capacity building programme and is not designed to directly
support research. This is clearly stated in Section 2.1.3 for which "Actions that
consists of or contain to any significant extent pure Research and/or Research and
Development activities are not eligible".
However, other EU-ACP programmes are financing research activities, such as the
ACP Caribbean & Pacific Research Programme for Sustainable Development or
the African Union Research Grant Programme (http://www.au.int/en/dp/hrst/rgp).
24. Le Programme ne financera pas d'activités de recherche. C’est à dire que ce
programme est essentiellement un programme de capacity building ?
Answer:
Le Programme ACP S&T ne finance pas d'activités de recherche et est
essentiellement un programme de renforcement des capacités. Il est
complémentaire à d'autres initiatives de collaboration financées par l'Union
européenne (tels que le FP7) ou par le groupe ACP avec l'UE.
25. Can a project include a pilot project of an existing technology?
Answer:
The project should fit with the objectives of the Call for Proposals. If a pilot project
is one of the envisaged activities, it should be in line with the ‘Types of Action and
activities’ and ‘ineligible actions’ in Section 2.1.3 of the Guidelines for Grant
Applicants.
26. Are experiments allowed?
Answer:
This Call for Proposals is not about Research & Development activities as can be
read in the paragraph ‘ineligible actions’ in Section 2.1.3 of the Guidelines for Grant
Applicants. Only a limited part of R&D activities are allowed and only if really
needed and if it is an important - though minor - part of the proposed project
27. Is the organisation of a Masters course allowed?
Answer:
No. ACP S&T is a capacity building programme that supports initiatives that
strengthen the recognition of the importance of Science and Technology (S&T) for
development, that produce innovation, that promote a scientific culture, that identify
S&T goals and priorities, and that bolster national and regional capacities to
formulate, manage, monitor, evaluate and disseminate S&T activities within and
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across ACP countries. It is not designed to support the organisation of a Master
course. However, other EU-ACP programmes are financing cooperation activities
in the field of higher education, such as the ACP–EU Programme EDULINK
(http://www.acp-edulink.eu).
28. Can a project be developed that influence policy makers?
Answer:
This is certainly possible as long as the project fits with the objectives of the ACP
S&T Call for Proposals.
29. Can the awareness raising of traditional knowledge be regarded as an eligible
component of a project?
Answer:
S&T Call for Proposals.
30. Is it favourable to have a project that is multi-country focused in comparison with
a project that will only be implemented in one country?
Answer:
This is not a selection criterion in the ACP S&T II Guidelines for Call for Proposals
and therefore it will not be considered during the evaluation process.
31. Annex K LOT 2 column includes several South American countries. Can we apply
with a proposal to be implemented exclusively in South America under LOT 2
funding?
Answer:
No, Actions must take place in one or more ACP Member States as listed in Annex
K of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants. A limited number of activities may be
carried out in non-ACP counties, in particular if one or more of the partners are
from outside the ACP region, as long as the location is justified and they clearly
benefit ACP countries (see Section 2.1.3 of the Guidelines for Grant Applicants).
32. Is it possible to roll out capacities obtained from, for instance, FP7 projects onto
the proposed project?
Answer:
The use of previously acquired results in a project proposal is certainly valuable as
long as the project fits with the objectives of the ACP S&T Call for Proposals.
33. Many students in school lack capacities in mathematics and science. Is it possible
that a project that tackles this issue can submit a proposal?
Answer:
S&T Call for Proposals. An example of an eligible activity directed towards
teachers and education material is mentioned on p.10 of the Guidelines for Grant
Applicants.
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Costs and Eligibility of costs /
Coûts et Eligibilité des coûts
34. Are there specific indications or limits to the amounts to be requested in the
different budget headings?
Answer:
The budget must be drafted using the template in Annex B to the Guidelines for
Grant Applicants. There are no indications on maximum amounts to be allocated to
the different headings, except for the Provision for contingency reserve and the
Administrative costs where a maximum percentage is established. However, each
budget item must be justified by demonstrating the necessity of the costs and how
they relate to the Action (e.g. through references to the activities in the Description
of the Action). See also in 2.1.4 recommendations on provisions for
administrative/accounting staff and for participation in stakeholder meeting.
35. Can the project erect a building which will serve as a training facility?
Answer:
The objective of the ACP S&T II programme is not the establishment of a building
but rather capacity building. According to Section 2.1.4 "purchases of land or
buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the action" are
ineligible costs. Therefore the erection of a building could be an eligible cost as
long as the financing is absolutely necessary for the implementation of the Action
and that such costs are limited to the minimum necessary.
36. Are overheads the same as contingencies?
Answer:
No. ‘Overheads’ or ‘Administrative costs’ are indirect costs, that is to say, the costs
which are not directly attributable to the project, but are incurred in relation to the
direct eligible costs of the project. The ACP-EU Co-operation Programme in
Science and Technology applies a maximum of 7% ‘Administrative costs’ of the
total eligible direct costs of the project. No supporting documents need to be
provided for them. ‘Contingencies’ are a provision for a possible event or
circumstance which may appear necessary in order to assure the achievement of
the objectives of the Action. A contingency reserve not exceeding 5 % of the direct
eligible costs may be included in the Budget for the Action; it can only be used with
the prior written authorisation of the Contracting Authority, and does need to be
supported by accounting documents.
37. Are contributions in kind eligible costs?
Answer:
No. ‘Contributions in kind’ are not eligible costs. These consist of a contribution – in
the form of material, equipment or services – provided by a member of the
partnership or a third party to the project; even if it has a monetary value, it does
not represent actual expenditure and it cannot be charged to the project.
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38. We are accustomed to charging a fixed tariff for a unit of time spent by an
individual employee, but there is some difficulty translating our rates into the
format required for EuropeAID grants. How do we have to complete the worksheet
‘Budget for the Action’?
Answer:
Whatever the internal regulations of your organisation are, the proposal has to fit
the set-up of the donor and this should not conflict your internal procedures.
The salaries refer to the actual salaries paid by the Beneficiary and its partners to
their staff members assigned to the project, including the social security
contributions. If staff is not working full time for the Action, the percentage of
involvement should be indicated in the first column under the heading ‘Human
Resources’ and reflected in the number of units’ column.
39. The Programme can fund up to 85 % of the total eligible project costs. Does the
project proposal have to prove where the other 15 % is coming from?
Answer:
No. At this stage it is enough if the estimated costs and the expected sources of
funding are mentioned in the third worksheet of the Budget for the Action. The cofinancing part should come from non-EC sources. The beneficiary shall supply
evidence of the amount of the co-financing brought either with its own resources or
in the form of financial transfers from third parties.
40. The grant request must be limited to 85% of the estimated total eligible costs of
the project. Which characteristics should have the remaining 15% to be financed
from the applicant? It is possible to cover our share of co-financing with internal
human resources?
Answer:
It is possible to cover your co-financing part with internal human resources, as long
as financial expenses (i.e.: salary payments) can be proven. This can also apply
for other cost items which are necessary to implement the project.
The co-financing part can come from any source (the ‘Applicant’, the partners or
third parties) as long as it is from a non-EU source.
41. Are the EUR 10,000 to be obligatory reserved for stakeholder events which will be
organised by the ACP Secretariat to be included on an annual basis?
Answer:
No. The EUR 10,000 for the ACP stakeholder events will cover the costs for these
events throughout the implementation period of the project.
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Application procedures /
Procédure de demande
42. Is it obligatory to register in PADOR?
Answer:
For this ACP S&T Call for Proposals it is not necessary to register in PADOR. Full
information on the Applicant must, therefore, be provided in Section B.3 of the
Grant Applicant Form.
43. Can you please clarify the deadline for the Call for Proposal as on the Grant
Application Form it is stated ‘7 February 2012’?
Answer:
As explained on the cover page and on p. 13 of the Guidelines for Applicants, the
deadline for the submission of applications is 7 February 2013. In the Grant
Application Form it is also stated 7 February 2013.
However, for reasons of administrative efficiency, the Contracting Authority may
reject any Concept Note received after the effective date of approval of the first
evaluation step (i.e. concept note) (see indicative calendar under section 2.5.2).
Evaluation of the applications /
Évaluation des demandes
44. How can you check if a proposal has complied with the submission deadline?
Answer:
The postmark on the envelope or the date of receipt by the express services which
are indicated on the outer envelope will serve as a proof of the submission date. In
the case of hand-deliveries, the deadline for receipt is at 16:00 local time as
evidenced by the signed and dated receipt. Any application submitted after the
deadline will automatically be rejected.
45. Will the applicant be informed after each stage of the evaluation?
Answer:
The Applicant, i.e. the name of the contact person mentioned in the Grant
Application Form, will be informed on the outcome of each step in the evaluation
process following the tentative timetable provided in Section 2.5.2.
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Implementation of a grant contract /
Mise en oeuvre d’un contrat de subvention
46. How do we have to manage cash payments in case project participants have no
bank account?
Answer:
In case the project participant has no bank account, the project co-ordination
needs to seek other legal ways of transferring the payments. This can be done by
cash payments, but please note that all transactions should be registered and
proofs of payments shown to the auditor.
47. How is the transfer of funding from the beneficiary to the partners to be
managed? Is there a maximum amount which each partner can expect?
Answer:
Once the proposal is awarded a grant and a contract is signed, funds are
transferred to the Beneficiary, who is responsible for managing the financial
resources among the various partners. There is no maximum or minimum amount
foreseen for the partners. It is up to the Beneficiary and its partners how to manage
the fund transfers.
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ACP-EU Cooperation Programme in Science and

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