Gateway to EU Funding

Transcription

1 Gateway to EU Funding Foreword by Martina Anderson MEP A cháirde, When I became an MEP in June 2012 having replaced my colleague Bairbre de Brún I made a commitment to the people in the north of Ireland to Bring Europe to You and Bring You to Europe!. Since then I have been visiting areas and meeting local groups all across the six counties and have hosted a large number of delegations from the north - and indeed from across Ireland - to the European Parliament. Chonacthas domh go bhfuil idirchaidreamh do chuid mhór daoine leis an AE bunaithe go mórmhór ar chonas maoiniú a fháil. Is é sin an fáth agus mé ar chuairteanna toghcheantair go mbím ag plé deiseanna maoinithe ón AE dá gcuid oibre le tionscadail agus le heagraíochtaí iomadúla. Chomh maith leis sin, cuirim cuairteoirí ar Pharlaimint na heorpa in aithne d fheidhmeannaigh a bhfuil eolas acu ar na rialacha a bhaineas le maoiniú chun cuidiú le daoine lena n-iarratais. It has become apparent to me that many peoples engagement with the EU is predominantly based on the issue of accessing funding. This is why throughout my constituency visits I have engaged with numerous projects and organisations to discuss the opportunities to access funding from the EU for their work. I have also introduced visitors to the European Parliament to officials who have knowledge of the funding procedures so as to assist constituents in their applications. This is how I am delivering on my commitment. This is how I am bringing Europe to You and You to Europe `. EU funding can be a complex matter and can initially seem confusing or intimidating to new applicants. This booklet is designed to offer an overview of EU funding - to introduce you to the specific programmes and to direct you to relevant contact persons who can assist you in accessing funds available to groups and organisations in the North. I hope that this booklet will provide you with an understanding of how EU funding works, what programmes might be of relevance to you and how you can go about applying for such funding. Is mise, Martina Anderson MEP

2 Overview of EU Funding This booklet aims to assist you find your way to the most appropriate funding stream which may best suit your requirements and aims to demystify EU funding arrangements. Current Funding Period The EU s budget is organised into seven year funding cycles. The current funding period will run from January 2014 until December All EU funding for this period is guided by the goals of the EU 2020 Strategy of Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. A list of investment themes govern funding with the intention of simplifying and maximising the effectiveness of funds available. This guide deals with European structural funds and competitive funds. Structural funds are portioned out at a member state level and are then managed at a regional level. In the north of Ireland, these include programmes funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as well as the Peace, Interreg and Rural Development programmes. An overall budget for each programme is agreed and allocated to the managing authorities at a regional level at the beginning of the funding period, with some additional match funding provided by the relevant government departments. Competitive funding differs from the structural funds in that programmes are often open across the EU. These funding streams are also usually transnational, which means that a project requires a consortium of applicants, usually from a minimum of three member states. Applications to these funding streams are usually made either to a central body in Europe or to an organisation nominated by the relevant Commission department to perform this role in the relevant member state. No member state or region in the EU is guaranteed a minimum level of competitive funds nor are they limited to how much funding organisations in a certain region receive. It is solely based on the power and quality of the application. Competitive funding becomes available in different rounds of calls which are publicised on the websites of individual Commission Departments. Due to the different processes that exist between the allocation and application of structural and competitive funding all information provided in this booklet distinguishes to which category each programme belongs. It is important to realise that not all EU funds are available in every region or member state. Also programmes that may have existed in the past may not necessarily be still available in the present period and some may change slightly taking on new titles etc.

3 Structural Funds available in the North Rural Development Fund ERDF Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme European Maritime and Fisheries Fund ESF Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme PEACE IV Fund for Peace and Reconciliation INTERREG V programmes Rural Development Fund The Rural Development Programme for the north will be worth 227million with additional match funding from the Executive. The programme will be different from the programme in that the axis structure will be removed to improve the flexibility of the programme, a consolidation of the existing measures to form fewer broader measures and an increased focus on knowledge transfer and innovation, cooperation, climate change mitigation and the environment. MANAGING AUTHORITY: DARD (Dept. of Agriculture & Rural Development) Phone DARD at ERDF Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme The European Regional Development Fund aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions. It focuses its funding on specific investment themes from a list of thematic objectives identified by the EU which governs all of it s funding for period. The ERDF Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme, which is specific to the North of Ireland, focuses its investments on three key priorities based on the relevant EU thematic objectives. They are: Strengthening Research, Technological Development and Innovation; Financing grants for R&D Supporting a design centre. Enhancing the Competitiveness of SMEs Financial Engineering Instruments Local Economic Development Supporting a shift toward a low carbon economy It is proposed that a proportion of ERDF funding will provide financial assistance towards the strengthening of the electricity grid, to enable the integration of greater renewable energy generation. EU FUNDING 274m euros (60% of programme total). Match funding requirement :40% (The amount of central government contribution to this is currently under consideration). MANAGING AUTHORITY: DETI - (Dept. of Enterprise, Trade and Investment) European Support Unit- General DETI, Netherleigh, Massey Avenue Belfast BT4 2JP Telephone: eubranch@detini.gov.uk

4 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) is the new fund for the EU s maritime and fisheries policies for Details are still being finalised but it is expected to have a budget in the range of 6.5 billion and support the implementation of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, in particular the rebuilding of fish stocks, reducing the impact of fisheries on the marine environment, and the progressive elimination of wasteful discarding practices. The new fund will: help fishermen in the transition to sustainable fishing support coastal communities in diversifying their economies finance projects that create new jobs and improve quality of life along European coasts Make it easier to access financing. The total EMFF budget is proposed to be 6.5bn for the EU as a total with the UK allocation totalling approx. 192m plus match funding and private funding. DARD is currently awaiting notification on the amount to be made available to the North of Ireland. MANAGING AUTHORITY: DARD or phone ESF Investing for Growth and Jobs Programme The European Social Fund is Europe s main instrument for supporting jobs, helping people get better jobs and ensuring fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. It works by investing in Europe s human capital its workers, its young people and all those seeking a job. The ESF Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme has three priorities - 1. Promoting employment and supporting labour mobility Access to employment for job-seekers and inactive people, including local employment initiatives and support for labour mobility Sustainable integration of young people not in employment, education or training into the labour market 2. Combatting poverty and promoting social inclusion Active inclusion of People with a Disability or Health Condition Community Family Support 3 Investing in education, skills and lifelong learning Enhancing access to lifelong learning, to upgrade the skills and competiveness of the workforce and increase the labour market relevance of education and training systems. Investment under Priority 3 of the new ESF Programme will support lifelong learning activities with the objective of raising the skills levels of the workforce at all levels, thereby enhancing the adaptability of people and ensuring that the right workforce skills exist to maximise economic opportunities. EU Funding 182m euro. (65% of programme). Match funding requirement :35%. MANAGING AUTHORITY: DEL (Department of Employment and Learning) Adelaide House, Adelaide Street, Belfast BT2 8FD Telephone: (Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm) info@delni.gov.uk

5 PEACE IV The PEACE IV Programme (budget 200m euros) is a distinctive programme to Ireland involving the six northern counties and the six southern border counties. The PEACE Programme was established under the EU s investment theme of Social Inclusion and Combatting Poverty in order to contribute to promoting social and economic stability in the region by actions to promote cohesion between communities. The main aims of the PEACE IV Programme are to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation by assisting operations and projects which help to reconcile communities and contribute towards a shared society for everyone. INTERREG VA The European Union s INTERREG Programme is an important tool for European regional development, promoting cross-border, transnational and inter-regional cooperation of various entities, institutions and companies. The Programme was developed to provide support for economic development in less developed Border Regions. The eligible area for the previous Interreg IVA programme was as for Peace III with the addition of Western Scotland, so if this remains the case, projects will be expected to include bilateral (North/South) or trilateral (North/South/Scotland) partners who will co-operate in the following ways: joint development, joint implementation, joint staffing and joint financing. The INTERREG VA Programme will aim to promote intelligent, sustainable and integrated growth and to connect economic, environmental and social issues and seek to address the problems which result from the existence of borders. EU funding: 219m euros (85% of programme) Match funding requirement : 15% Public consultation on the draft Operational Programmes for both Peace IV and Interreg V is still pending at time of publication of this document (March 2014). The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is responsible for managing the Peace IV and INTERREG V programmes. More information on the Programmes can be obtained by contacting SEUPB on , or visit the website; The SEUPB also manages the north of Ireland s participation in the Interreg VB (transnational) & Interreg VC (interregional) programmes. Competitive Funds Horizon 2020 Rights and Citizenship programme COSME Creative Europe Erasmus + Health for Growth EaSI LIFE Europe for Citizens Further information on these competitive funds can be accessed via the Northern Executive s Office in Brussels, info.brusselsoffice@ofmdfmni.gov.uk phone number , and the team of liaison officers will respond to queries from individual groups or organisations who need basic information on programmes, or with help with finding partners for transnational projects.

6 Horizon 2020 Horizon 2020 is a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe s global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with an 80 billion budget, the EU s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe. Horizon 2020 will tackle societal challenges by helping to bridge the gap between research and the market by, for example, helping innovative enterprise to develop their technological breakthroughs into viable products with real commercial potential. This market-driven approach will include creating partnerships with the private sector and Member States to bring together the resources needed. A network of contact points has been established for Horizon 2020 in the North of Ireland. The network is a resource available to all potential local applicants who are interested in engaging with Horizon Amongst other activities, this support will take the form of organising relevant events/workshops, assistance with identifying areas of relevance within the calls, help in identifying collaborative partners for applications, engaging with other National Contact Points and also practical advice and support with the process itself. The local Contact Points are - Ciaran Prunty - Engineering - c.prunty@qub.ac.uk Dominic McLarnon - Energy - D.Mclarnon@ulster.ac.uk Dr Shirley Davey - Connected Health - s.davey@ulster.ac.uk Dr Manuel Morillas - Health - m.morillas-diaz@qub.ac.uk Dr Inmaculada Higueras - Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) - i.higueras@qub.ac.uk Dr Dajana Dzanovic ICT - d.dzanovic@qub.ac.uk Dr David McCleery - Agri-Food - David.McCleery@afbini.gov.uk Dr Joanne Coyle UK National Contact Point (NCP) for SMEs and NICP for SMEs - joanne.coyle@investni.com Dr Robert Bunn - SMEs - robert.bunn@investni.com Paul Matthews SMEs - paul.matthews@investni.com Carrie Small - EU Programmes Manager at InterTradeIreland - carrie.small@intertradeireland.com Information on the programme is available at and Musicians from Derry Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann playing with the Chieftains in Brussels on a visit hosted by Martina Anderson MEP.

7 Rights and Citizenship Programme The Programme will have a budget of 439,473 million euros aimed at financing actions to promote the rights of European citizens, the principles of non-discrimination and equality between women and men, the right to protection of personal data, the rights of the child and consumers rights. It will include the prevention and fight against racism, xenophobia and homophobia, the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as the protection of victims of violence. Among others also civil society and NGOs will have access to funding. The programme will finance actions with European added value, including national and small-scale projects. Actions that can be supported include awareness-raising campaigns, training activities (such as workshops and seminars), and collection of data, surveys and cross-border cooperation. Further information: COSME (Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises). The new Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) will run from 2014 to 2020, with an estimated budget of 2.3bn. COSME is a funding instrument, which will largely continue the activities under the current Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), with the key objectives of the new programme shown below: facilitating access to finance for small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) creating an environment favourable to business creation and growth encouraging an entrepreneurial culture in Europe increasing the sustainable competitiveness of EU companies helping small businesses operate outside their home countries and improving their access to markets Info at or

8 Creative Europe Creative Europe is the new EU programme for dedicated to the cultural and creative sectors. The aim of the programme is to further strengthen cross border cooperation between the creative sectors within the EU and beyond. Creative Europe will seek to safeguard and promote cultural and linguistic diversity and strengthen the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors. There will be funding opportunities for organisations and projects in the arts, cultural, heritage and creative sectors. Thousands of people working in cinema, TV, culture, music, performing arts, heritage and related areas could benefit from increased EU support under the new programme. The programme has a total budget of more than 1.4 billion for the period RELEVANT TO: SMEs in the cultural and creative sector, Festival organisers, Artists and cultural Professionals. The local contact is the Arts Council ( More information or contact Visiting Arts at info@culturefund.eu Erasmus + Erasmus + is the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport proposed by the European Commission with a proposed budget of 14.7 billion. The programme will support learning opportunities for individuals, both within the EU and beyond, including: study and training, traineeships, teaching and professional development. Also supported will be institutional cooperation between educational institutions, youth organisations, businesses, local and regional authorities and NGOs, to encourage the development and implementation of innovative practices in education, training and youth activities, and to promote employability, creativity and entrepreneurship. Of particular interest is the strand for funding for sports projects this is the first time, since sport became an EU competency, that such a dedicated funding strand has existed for grassroots sports projects. The programme will also support the creation of 400 knowledge alliances and sector skills alliances. (Knowledge alliances are large-scale partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses to promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship by offering new learning opportunities and qualifications. Sector skills alliances are partnerships between education and training providers and businesses to promote employability by forming new sector-specific curricula and innovative forms of vocational teaching and training). The British Council is the contact point for Erasmus + ( Further information:

9 Health for Growth The Health for Growth Programme (budget 449m euros) aims to build on the achievements of the Health Programme and better enable health to contribute to economic growth and the Europe 2020 objectives. It has four main objectives: Objective 1: Developing innovative and sustainable health systems; Objective 2: Increasing access to better and safer healthcare for citizens; Objective 3: Promoting health and preventing disease; and Objective 4: Protecting citizens from cross-border health threats. Website - ec.europa.eu/health/programme/policy/ /state_of_play_en.htm For over a year, Sinn Féin has been working with a range of public and private sector organisations to build the Northwest Health Innovation Corridor (NWHIC). NWHIC is a cross-border initiative that boasts over 25 partners from across the geographical area of Coleraine, Derry, Letterkenny and Sligo. The goal is to develop and grow the health innovation sector in the Northwest in order to bring about improvements and innovations in health and social well-being that will address health inequalities by using the most advanced technology on offer. This in turn will stimulate the economy and create jobs and businesses, and will target economic inequalities by creating job opportunities for the most disadvantaged in our communities. The Health Corridor was initiated after MEP Martina Anderson secured the Shadow Rapporteur for the EU e-health Action Plan. Once fully operational, there would be potential opportunities for the NWHIC to draw down EU Funding.

10 EaSI EaSI is the EU programme for Employment and Social Innovation with a proposed budget of 920 million for the period EaSI integrates and extends the coverage of three existing programmes: Progress (Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity) EURES (European Employment Services) The European Progress Microfinance Facility The total proposed budget for the microfinance and social entrepreneurship axis is around million for the period Access to microfinance would receive million, which could result in 400 to 450 million of microloans. Institutional capacity building would receive almost 8 million and 85 million would be dedicated to support social entrepreneurs. For further information... Website LIFE The LIFE programme (previously LIFE+) will contribute to sustainable development and to the achievement of the objectives and targets of the Europe 2020 strategy, the 7th Union Environmental Action programme and other relevant EU environment and climate strategies and plans, with a working budget of 3.2 billion euros. The Environment strand of the new programme covers three priority areas: environment and resource efficiency; nature and biodiversity: and environmental governance and information. The Climate Action strand covers climate change mitigation: climate change adaption, and climate governance and information. For Further Information at Europe for Citizens The Europe for Citizens programme (budget 186 million euro) is open to not-for-profit organisations having a legal status in one of the participating countries. The selection is based on award criteria which have more to do with the activities foreseen in the proposed project, than with the profile of the organisation. These activities must contribute to the objectives of the programme, which are: 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. You will find more information on the specific objectives and criteria on our website: or

11 How competitive programmes work. Calls for proposals Funding calls are published on-line and contain all of the necessary details about eligibility, match funding, number of required transnational partners and objectives. Usually they are accompanied by background information including FAQs, underpinning legislation and policies and a contact address for any other relevant queries. Applications are evaluated by a combination of commission officials and external evaluators. Finding Partners Finding the required number of transnational partners for a funding project can be a challenging aspects of the application process for those new to European funding. Being lead partner on a transnational project involves a significant amount of work and responsibility and should not be considered lightly. For organisations that are ready for this, the partners you choose to work with are absolutely key to delivering a successful project and it is very important to find partners you are confident you can trust and who you will be comfortable working with. For organisations embarking on transnational EU funding for the first time, one of the best ways to get involved is to become a junior partner in a project being led by another European group. In practice, being junior partner requires a small amount of work, gives an opportunity to meet potential partners for future projects and provides a gentle introduction to the overall funding process. A number of local organisations that are now regularly very successful in obtaining EU funding began the process in this way.

12 Where To Go?? The outline of the programmes in this document includes contact details where you can source more detail on each programme. But there are also several points of contact who can give you general information especially if you are considering applying for the first time. The Northern Executive s Office in Brussels The team of liaison officers based in the office will respond to queries from individual groups or organisations who need basic information on programmes, or help with finding partners for transnational projects. The liaison officers role is to highlight relevant opportunities and developments in Europe, facilitate access to and engagement with the EU institutions and support increased drawdown from the competitive EU funding streams. Northern Ireland Executive Office 180 Chaussée d Etterbeek Brussels Tel: info.brusselsoffice@ofmdfmni.gov.uk The European Commission Office in Belfast The Commission office can provide information on financial assistance available from the EU, although it has no direct function in the handling of applications. The Head of the Commission is Colette Fitzgerald who will help you with further inquiries. Contact Details for the Office are: Dublin Road, Belfast. Tel: Fax: Information officer: karen.morrison@ec.europa.eu Enterprise Europe Network NI For businesses, Enterprise Europe NI is hosted by Invest NI. It works with the key local business support organizations, to ensure that any member of the business community here can quickly find information on events, seminars, possible partners etc. It also works with Enterprise Europe Network Ireland and IntertradeIreland to encourage partnerships between companies North and South to exploit the opportunities in their nearest export markets and to exchange best practice and knowledge. NI European Regional Forum The NI European Regional Forum, led by the European Unit of Belfast City Council and OFMdFM, provides a strategic platform for collaboration on EU policy and funding. Forum members come from the private, public and voluntary sectors. The Brussels liaison officers and other members of the forum regularly send funding calls and other relevant information through this resource. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Forum contact: nierf@belfastcitycouncil.gov.uk or see website Constituency Office: European Parliament Office: Unit 2 Spencer House Spencer Road Derry BT47 6QA Office 07F247, Bât. Altiero Spinelli European Parliament 60, Rue Wiertz, B-1047 Brussels Site: martina.anderson@europarl.europa.eu