Month: January 2016

INTERREG VB North Sea Region funding

Funding is available for transnational cooperation projects that tackle joint challenges, pool expertise and build lasting links between businesses and institutions throughout the North Sea Region.

Contributions from the European Regional Development Fund per priority axis are as follows:

  • Priority 1 Thinking growth: Supporting growth in the North Sea Region economies – €46.83 million
  • Priority 2 Eco-innovation: Stimulating the green economy – €45.15 million
  • Priority 3 Sustainable North Sea Region: Protecting against climate change and preserving the environment – €36.79 million
  • Priority 4 Promoting green transport and mobility – €28.43 million

About the programme

The INTERREG North Sea Region Programme is one of a number of INTERREG programmes which are funded through the European Regional Development Fund. All of the programmes are based around eleven funding priorities identified for the European Regional Development Fund that aim to promote smart, sustainable and integrated growth in support of the Europe 2020 strategy.

The overall aim of the programme is to embed greater cooperation in working practices across the North Sea Region (NSR) as a way of tackling joint challenges, pooling expertise and building lasting links between businesses and institutions throughout the region.

The main areas of shared interest among the countries participating in the programme are:

  • Innovation support (knowledge transfer, product development etc)
  • Sustainable growth (energy, environment and climate change)
  • Maritime sector
  • Smart specialisation and clustering

Eligibility criteria

Applications are made by partnerships including two beneficiaries from two different eligible countries.

The following types of organisations can participate in the programme:

  • National, regional and local authorities and their agencies such as regional development agencies, industrial parks and incubators, regional environmental agencies etc
  • National and European interest organisations and institutes
  • Knowledge institutions – universities, colleges, research centres, technology centres, providers of professional training, schools, consultants, cluster managers etc
  • Enterprises – including social enterprises with a particular focus on small and medium sized enterprises
  • Civil society – associations, NGOs, charities, community organisations etc

Eligible countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK.

Size of grant

The programme will fund 50% of the eligible expenditure. All beneficiaries must provide 50% co-financing from their own resources.

How to apply

There is a 2 Step application process:

  • Step 1: Expression of Interest – Project applicants may submit expressions of interest in the second call. It is also possible to re-submit expressions of interest that were rejected in call 1.
  • Step 2: Full Applications – Project applicants with an approved call 1 expression of interest may submit a full application in the second call. It is also possible to re-submit full applications that were rejected in call 1.

Deadline

14 March 2016 at midnight.

For further details and to apply please go to The INTERREG North Sea Region website.

 

EuropeAid: Capacity Building in Support of Border Management and Migration Management in Georgia

The European Commission is seeking proposals from organisations to enhance the capacities of Georgian civil society, particularly via networking, and to contribute to the capacities of the other state led process in the field of migration in line with relevant EU-Georgia Agreements, in particular the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan.

Projects must take place in Georgia and may not exceed 12 months.

Objectives

  • Promote rights of migrants, protect migrants against exploitation and exclusion, and support the fight against trafficking in human beings;
  • Foster the links between migration and development;
  • Promote durable livelihood solutions for returned and potential migrants;
  • Promote right to asylum and standards of international protection of refugees;
  • Increase the capacity of migration management-related Georgian NGOs to participate and constructively contribute in livelihood/migration-related human rights centred policy creation and implementation;
  • Support fighting irregular immigration and support in readmission procedures with complementary human rights centred assistance.

Priorities

Proposals containing these elements will be given a priority:

  • Inclusion of gender mainstreaming in livelihood programmes and other measures related to participatory, balanced socio-economic integration of (potential) migrants;
  • Use creative approaches on how to involve and/or benefit persons from disadvantaged and/or marginalized groups.

Size of grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

  • minimum amount: EUR 300,000
  • maximum amount: EUR 330,000

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:

  • minimum percentage: 50% of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • maximum percentage: 95% of the total eligible costs of the action.

Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

  • be a legal person and
  • be non-profit-making and
  • be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation and
  • be established in a Member State of the European Union or Georgia
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and
  • have at least three years’ experience of working in the field in Georgia or ENI countries at the time of the submission of an application.

The lead applicant must act with co-applicants that participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.

Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant.

If the applicant is established in Georgia, the involvement in the action of at least two co-applicants established in Georgia (including at least one from outside the capital Tbilisi) and one co-applicant registered in European Union Member States is obligatory.

In case the applicant is not established in Georgia, the involvement in the action of at least three co-applicants established in Georgia (including at least one from outside the capital Tbilisi) is obligatory.

How to apply

The application procedure consists of two phases:

  • Concept notes
  • Full proposals

In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application.

For more information, please visit EuropAid and download the guidelines.

Deadline

26 February 2016 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time).

ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures (ENSUF) call for proposals

The Joint Urban Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe invites proposals from the funding agencies for the ERA-NET Co-fund Smart Urban Futures (ENSUF), supported by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme, aiming at creating attractive, sustainable and economically viable urban areas, in which European citizens, communities and their surrounding can thrive.

Programme activities include knowledge sharing, networking, programme seminars, dissemination of results and a central programme website.

Types of projects

Projects that focus on the following topics will be funded:

  • Concepts and strategies for smart urban transformation, growth and shrinkage;
  • New dynamics of public services;
  • Inclusive, vibrant and accessible urban communities.

Projects may be funded for a maximum of 3 years, and must start between December 2016 and March 2017.

Funding

A total amount of public funding of maximum 23.8 M€ will be provided by national and regional funding agencies from 18 European countries, including support from Horizon 2020. There are no fixed minimum or maximum limits for a project size.

Eligibility criteria

Each project proposal must be submitted by a project consortium consisting of at least three eligible applicants from at least three participating countries.

The following categories involved in development of European urban areas can join consortia:

  • Researchers
  • Practitioners
  • Innovators
  • Other stakeholders

Areas (e.g.): science, social sciences and humanities, SMEs or other businesses, NGOs, cities, social entrepreneurs etc.

Each of the applicants must have the interest and competence to undertake research, development or innovation within the specified topics. The different national rules of funding apply.

Partners from countries not officially participating in the call are welcome in a consortium but they need to fund their activities from other sources.

Eligible countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom.

How to apply

The application process has 2 stages:

  1. In the first stage, consortia are invited to submit pre-proposals. After the submission of the pre-proposals, approximately 50 pre-proposals will be selected.
  2. The successful consortia will then be invited to elaborate their ideas to full proposals.

Deadline

The call for pre-proposals is open until 15 March 2016 (12:00 noon CET).

The call for full proposals will close on 20 September 2016 (12:00 noon CET).

For more information, please visit the ENSUF Call.

Horizon 2020: Boost synergies between artists, creative people and technologists

This call aims to accelerate and widen the exchange of skills of artists and creative people with entrepreneurs and technologists, thus creating a common language and understanding. This topic supports the STARTS (S&T&ARTS) initiative, fostering innovation at the nexus of ‘Science, Technology and the Arts’.

Applicants can submit their proposals under one of the two strands:

  1. Innovation Action – establishing a structured dialogue between creative people and technologists.

Proposals should:

  • identify the relevant regional, national and international agencies active in education, research and economic support of the Creative Industries and
  • directly support creative people and technologists to work together and produce unconventional and compelling new products.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of about EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately.

  1. Coordination and Support Actions

Proposals will cover one of the two areas below:

  • Integration of artists in research and innovation projects is encouraged across all ICT objectives in WP2016/2017.
  • Implementation of a ‘STARTS prize’ that will showcase vision and innovation in technology rooted in links with the Arts by giving visibility to the most forward- looking collaborations and the impact on innovation that they have achieved rewarding outstanding contributions to innovation resulting from collaborations of technology with the Arts.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of about EUR 4 million for area 1 and of about EU 1 million for area 2 would allow each area to be addressed appropriately.

Deadline

12 April 2016.

 

Europe for Citizens open calls 2016

The overall aim is to bring the Union closer to citizens. The general objectives of the Programme are the following:

  • To contribute to citizens’ understanding of the Union, its history and diversity;
  • To foster European citizenship and to improve conditions for civic and democratic participation at Union level.

The European Commission is currently accepting applications for the calls below.

  1. Network of towns

Municipalities and associations working together may wish to develop networks of towns to make their cooperation more sustainable. Twinning is a strong link that binds municipalities, so the networks created by a series of town twinning links should be used for developing thematic and long-lasting cooperation between towns.

Priority is given to networks targeting annual priority themes.

Networks of Towns are expected to:

  • Integrate a range of activities around the subject(s) of common interest to be addressed in the context of the Programme’s objectives or annual priorities
  • Have defined target groups for which the selected themes are particularly relevant and involve community members active in the subject area (i.e. experts, local associations, citizens and citizens’ groups directly affected by the theme, etc.)
  • Serve as a basis for future initiatives and actions between the towns involved, on the issues addressed or possibly on further issues of common interest.

Eligible applicants:

  • Towns/municipalities or their twinning committees or networks;
  • Other levels of local/regional authorities;
  • Federations/associations of local authorities.
  • Non-profit organisations representing local authorities.

Deadline: 1 March 2016 – 12pm (CET/CEST, midday Brussels time).

Maximum eligible grant for a project: 150,000 EUR.

For further information please click here.

  1. Town twinning

This measure aims to support projects bringing together a wide range of citizens from twinned towns around topics in line with the objectives of the Programme. Priority is given to projects targeting the priorities annually defined for this measure.

By mobilizing citizens at local and EU level to debate on concrete issues from the European political agenda, this measure will seek to promote civic participation in the Union policy making process and develop opportunities for societal engagement and volunteering at EU level.

Twinning must be understood to refer to the municipalities which signed or plan to sign twinning agreements, as well as those that have other forms of partnership that fostering cooperation and cultural links.

Eligible applicants:

  • Towns/municipalities or their twinning committees or other non-profit organisations representing local authorities.

Deadline: 1 March 2016 – 12pm (CET/CEST, midday Brussels time).

Maximum eligible grant for a project: 25 000 EUR.

For further information please click here.

  1. Civil society projects 2016

This measure aims to support projects that are promoted by transnational partnerships and organised via networks that directly involve citizens. Projects gather citizens from different horizons on activities directly linked to Union policies, with a view to giving them an opportunity to participate in the policy-making process of the EU.  Participation in the process needs to be within areas related to the objectives of the Europe for Citizens Programme. 

Projects can be centred around agenda-setting activities; advocating during the preparation phase and negotiation of EU policy; and providing feedback on relevant initiatives that are being implemented. Projects will invite citizens to act together or debate on the annual priority themes of the Programme at local and European level.

A Civil Society Project must include two of the following three types of activities:

  • Promotion of Societal Engagement and Solidarity: activities that promote debate on the themes of common interest in the larger framework of the rights and responsibilities of EU citizens and make the link to the European political agenda and policy-making process
  • Gathering of Opinions: Activities aiming to gather the opinions of citizens on the specific topic (to be defined yearly), favouring a bottom-up approach and media literacy
  • Volunteering: Activities promoting solidarity among EU citizens and beyond.

Eligible applicants:

  • NGOs including civil society organisations, educational, cultural or research institutions.
  • A project must involve organisations from at least 3 countries. Partners can be local authorities, NGOs, educational, cultural or research institutions, town-twinning committees and networks.

Deadline: 1 March 2016 – 12pm (CET/CEST, midday Brussels time).

Maximum eligible grant for a project: 150 000 EUR.

For further information please click here.

  1. European Remembrance 2016

Actions funded under this strand will invite reflection on European cultural diversity and on common values e.g. reflecting on the causes of totalitarian regimes in Europe’s modern history and to commemorate the victims of their crimes. This strand also encompasses activities concerning other defining moments in recent European history. 

Preference will be given to projects which encourage tolerance, mutual understanding, intercultural dialogue and reconciliation. 

Eligible applicants:

  • Local and regional authorities
  • NGOs including civil society organisations, survivors’ associations, educational, cultural, youth, educational or research associations.
  • A project must involve organisations from at least 1 Member State. Preference is given to transnational projects.

Deadline: 1 March 2016 – 12pm (CET/CEST, midday Brussels time).

Maximum eligible grant for a project: 100 000 EUR.

For further information please click here.