Interreg North West Europe logo

Call for proposals “To increase the capacity of renewable energies in North-West Europe
Deadline: Jul 31, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

 Low-Carbon Economy
 Bioenergy
 Energy Efficiency
 Intelligent Energy
 Eco-Innovation
 Renewable Energy
 Sustainable Development
 Urban Development
 Interregional cooperation
 INTERREG

1. Purpose of this document

This manual on the application procedure for the targeted call is an addendum to the Programme Manual. It explains the application process, including the content of the application form and the selection procedure, specific to the targeted call.

For this targeted call, chapters 2.4 “Getting started” and chapter 3 “Application and assessment step 1” from the Programme Manual do not apply. The content of these chapters is replaced by point 4 “The content of the application” further below. All other chapters in the Programme Manual remain valid as reference for project development, implementation and closure.

Any reference to a “step 2 application form” in the Programme Manual or in other Programme documents, should be understood/read as “full application form”, for the purpose of this call.

 

2. The application process for the targeted call The targeted call for proposals is organised according to a one-step procedure.

Applicants must first ensure that their project idea respects the main features that make a ‘good project’ (section 2.1 of the Programme Manual) as well as the requirements set out in the ‘Terms of References’ of this targeted call. Once applicants start defining their project intervention logic, they should contact their contact point for support with the development of their project idea.

Applications will be assessed against a certain set of eligibility and quality assessment criteria (see section 4 of the Programme Manual and further explanations in this document).

 

3. Submission of applications

Applicants for the targeted call are invited to submit a full application form (the equivalent of the “step- 2 application form”) which includes all the details on the project’s intended change and result, the full partnership, the project work plan and budget.

All applications must be submitted online through the programme’s electronic monitoring system (eMS). Please consult the eMS for the latest version of the application form for your selected call. The eMS application form is the sole official reference document and contains all the latest updates and information.

The eMS can be accessed on the NWE website at www.nweurope.eu

 

 

Accessing and submitting the electronic application form is only possible when the call is open. The online application form remains editable until its final submission within the deadline of the call.

 

4. The content of the application form

To correctly fill in the application form, the following information needs to be taken into account in addition to the sections described in chapter 4.2 (“What’s important in Step 2”) of the Programme Manual.

Summary: A project summary needs to be provided in all 4 programme languages (English, Dutch, French and German). It should explicitly outline the current situation in the field and where the project idea has emerged from. The long-term effects should also be described. Overall, the project summary should awaken the curiosity of the reader, be original and give a brief overview of aim and content, rationale and envisaged results. It should avoid technical language and translations should be of good quality.

Project relevance: In this section, the partnership needs to give a good overview of the context in which the project will be developed, as well as a broad description of the project’s scope, including the main outputs envisaged. The project is specifically asked to describe the societal challenge or issue it is aiming to tackle and how relevant the issue/challenge is to the North West European territory. It also needs to give an overview of the current situation and trends in the sector/field which the project is addressing. This requires describing the existing disparities within the NWE territory in the relevant field/sector.

The partnership should also describe the scope of the project: what it will specifically focus on within the sector/field, how it goes beyond the existing situation and practices, and in what way the approach taken is novel. A broad description of the main outputs is necessary to provide an idea of what the partnership will undertake to reach its objectives. The necessity of transnational cooperation to achieve the projects’ objectives will also need to be explained.

Cooperation intensity: Cooperation should be at the heart of the project and should be visible throughout every stage of the project. The partnership is required to describe their approach to cooperation and explain how intensely they will cooperate to deliver the project and achieve its results.

It should be noted that to be eligible, projects must select and meet at least the 4 criteria ‘joint development’, ‘joint implementation’, ‘joint staffing’ and ‘joint financing’ in the cooperation intensity table of the application form.

The cooperation intensity criteria are the following:
Joint development (eligibility criteria): All partners define their role in the project and how this contributes to maximising the synergy effect. All partners contribute, but also gain from participating in the project. The project’s concept is designed by all the partners; they define how it will operate; they jointly decide on the objectives, results, outputs, and work packages.

 

Joint implementation (eligibility criteria): All partners have defined tasks in the project and take responsibility for implementing them. The lead partner coordinates the process and bears the overall responsibility for project implementation.
Joint staffing (eligibility criteria): All partners allocate staff and define their roles in the project. Staff members coordinate their activities and exchange information regularly. Partners do not duplicate functions in different partner organisations. The project will appoint a joint project manager who coordinates the activities of all the partners and their staff.

Joint financing (eligibility criteria): The project has one single budget and all the partners have funding allocated to them from this budget according to the activities they perform in the project. The lead partner is responsible for administering and distributing these funds and for reporting on their use.

Joint communication: The project has a single communication strategy. The project will appoint a communication manager in charge of setting up the communication strategy in close cooperation with the project manager and with partners. The communication manager coordinates the implementation and evaluation of all communication activities. All communication activities need to contribute to the objectives laid down in the single communication strategy.

Joint decision-making: All project partners are involved in the decision-making process and are informed about project-related decisions. A decision-making body (e.g. steering committee) is established.
Joint enabling of long-term effects: All partners are committed to and will tangibly contribute to the project’s long-term economic, environmental, or social effects (effects that will materialise 5 years and 10 years after the project end-date, extending the project’s impact in time). A roll-out strategy is put in place (uptake of results by other organisations etc).

Exchange of knowledge/experience: Project partners share their knowledge/experience with others and learn from other partners. Partners use modern technology (web-based communication tools, e-learning tools, and social media) to learn and inform about the project results. The knowledge gained is widely available to potential target groups, project stakeholders and the general public.

Project objective and expected results:
Defining project objectives and results in a precise and concise way is the main challenge. Before defining the project objective, applicants should carefully read chapter 5.9 of the Programme Manual.

  • The project objective defines what the project aims to achieve (what and who will benefit, where in the NWE Programme area?) and should not be limited to a mere description of activities. The project objective must correspond to ONE of the programme’s specific objectives. This means projects should define their objective in relation to the selected specific objective. For full details on all the programme’s specific objectives, see the Cooperation Programme.

  • Project result: Each project is required to first quantify its baseline (what would happen if we did not act?) and then quantify the estimated change expected as value or volume. To adequately describe the expected benefits of the project, applicants should indicate the project result expected for three distinct points in the future: the project’s end date; 5 years after the project; and 10 years after the project.

 

5. Project selection

All project proposals are assessed against eligibility and quality assessment criteria (see the full lists under chapter 4.3 “Project Assessment in Step 2” of the Programme Manual).

Please note:

  • Eligibility criteria no. 3 and no. 8 are not applicable to this call as they refer to the content of step 1 applications. All other eligibility criteria as outlined under chapter 4.3 remain valid for this call.

  • Additionally, eligibility criterion no. 10 from step 1 (“The lead partner confirms that partners will cooperate in project development, implementation, staffing and financing. ”) will be applicable for this call as well.

  • All quality assessment criteria as outlined under chapter 4.3 in the Programme Manual remain valid for this call.

The decision on project applications will be taken by the Interreg NWE Monitoring Committee (MC), which is made up of representatives from both national and regional authorities within the NWE Member States.

The Monitoring Committee will meet on 25 October 2018.

 

6. Opening and closure of the call

The targeted call will open on Wednesday 24 January 2018.
Applications can be submitted through the eMS at the latest by Tuesday, 31 July 2018, 12.00

pm (noon) CET.

 

7. How to get assistance

During project development, assistance will be provided by the Interreg NWE contact points with the support of the Joint Secretariat. All contact details can be found on the website www.nweurope.eu.

 

The application package for this call can be downloaded in the “Application resources” section of the website www.nweurope.eu. It consists of:

  • Cooperation Programme

  • Terms of References of the targeted call

  • Manual on the application procedure for the targeted call

  • Programme Manual

  • Full application form (for reference)

Technical questions regarding the electronic Monitoring System should be asked through: eMS@nweurope.eu.



Public link:   Only for registered users


Up2Europe Ads