Call for Travel Support Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”

Deadline: Aug 1, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

The objective of the Travel Support is to facilitate establishment of bilateral partnerships between eligible entities in the Donor State Norway and the Beneficiary States with the intent to prepare joint project applications for funding under the Programme.

Introduction

The programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work” (hereafter referred to as “the Programme”) shall contribute to the general objectives of the Norway Grants 2014‐2021, respectively to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to strengthening bilateral relations between Norway and the Beneficiary States.

The objective of the Programme is strengthened tripartite cooperation between employer organisations, trade unions and public authorities and the promotion of decent work. It will support social dialogue, contribute to ensure that Beneficiary States are better equipped to deal with the challenges following high unemployment and to establish decent work practices, and improve the enforcement of legislation and policies on decent work and social dialogue.

The Programme will also seek to stimulate and develop long‐term cooperation between Norway and Beneficiary States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia).

A call for project proposals will be published in each Beneficiary State1, stating the expected outcomes of the programme, suggested project outputs, the amount available for funding and the modalities for support. The programme is structured according to the following outcomes:

• Improved social dialogue and cooperation ‐ the focus is to strengthen the capacity of social partners to participate in both tripartite and bipartite social dialogue through transfer of best practices and training. Capacity‐building projects can range from very direct measures, e.g. set up structures for social dialogue and support the conclusion of collective agreements, to more indirect measures like creating a social dialogue‐friendly environment, e.g. for discussing undeclared work and social dumping. Projects can also focus on increasing the capacity of national social partners to take part in EU level social dialogue, and to familiarise the players with EU legislation and the impact it has on their work.
• 1 Depending on the date of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Norway and the Beneficiary State.

• Enhanced implementation of the decent work agenda (fair and decent working conditions) ‐ the focus is to finance projects at national and sector level with the objective to use bipartite and tripartite dialogue in the implementation of the decent work agenda and raise awareness of the benefits of decent work, e.g. work‐life balance, gender equality and non‐discrimination, attitudes on health and safety, knowledge about rights and obligations and the fight against undeclared work and social dumping (work‐related crime). The programme will support awareness‐raising activities and training on decent work topics addressing e.g. social partner staff, company health and safety officers, and labour inspectors. In addition, cooperation between public authorities in the Beneficiary States and Norway, particularly between labour inspection authorities, will be supported.

• Facilitated access to employment ‐ the target is to improve the cooperation between the social partners and public authorities on labour market challenges by supporting activities facilitating access to employment, including for young people and disadvantaged groups like women, elderly support from the bilateral budget and disabled people. These activities can take the form of active labour market policy measures, life‐long learning and activities related to labour market challenges (experience‐sharing and awareness‐raising). This focus area is limited to the following countries which expressed needs and challenges related to access to employment: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Innovation Norway is the Fund Operator for the programme on behalf of the Financial Mechanisms Office (FMO). All applications or queries on the Programme should be addressed to the following official programme email address: 

What is offered?

The of the Programme is a travel grant awarded as a lump sum (meaning one standard rate) per entity of EUR 1.000 for travel between Norway/Beneficiary State and Beneficiary State/Norway for preparatory project meetings. The total budget for this call is EUR 100.000.

When to apply?

Applications for Travel Support can be submitted on a continuous basis, until the available budget is exhausted.

How to apply?

Applications for Travel Support shall be submitted electronically on a specific application form, in English. Please follow this weblink for accessing the application form: www.innovationnorway.no/DecentWorkTS

It is important to fill in all the sections of the online application with clear details as follows:

• ‐  entity name, contact person, telephone, e‐mail and website;

• ‐  entity registration number;

• ‐  name and contact details for the contact person on behalf of the applicant;

• ‐  main purpose of the travel and meetings;

• ‐  programme outcomes targeted by the partnership;

• ‐  the expected outcome of the visit to the Beneficiary State/Norway;

• ‐  information about the entity/entities that the applicant has confirmed meeting(s) with, respectively list of the entities, location(s), contact details and person(s) that the applicant will meet;

• ‐  meeting agenda

Before travelling, you need to obtain written confirmation from the fund operator that the application has been approved. A confirmation will be sent to you by email from the official programme email address: decentwork@innovationnorway.no

Who can apply?

Please note that all entities travelling to the same meeting need to submit a separate application.

The following entities, constituted as legal entities in the Beneficiary States or in Norway, are considered eligible project applicants and partners and consequently eligible for financial support under this call for Travel Support:

• ‐  social partners (employers organisations and trade unions);

• ‐  public authorities and institutions that have statutory roles related to decent work or tripartite cooperation; and

• ‐  organisations of public authorities that have within their mandate the promotion of decent work or tripartite dialogue.

The following entities, only eligible as project partners, can also apply for Travel Support under this call:

• ‐  business associations and organisations representing member companies on issues relevant for the decent work agenda;

• ‐  companies which are involved in the implementation of the decent work agenda and/or social dialogue through their membership in sectoral or cross‐sectoral employers’ organisations;

• ‐  non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), defined as a non‐profit voluntary organisation established as a legal entity, having a non‐commercial purpose, independent of local, regional and central government, public entities, political parties and commercial organisations, which are involved in the implementation of the decent work agenda. Religious institutions and political parties are not considered NGOs; and

• ‐  education and research institutions that can provide training on social dialogue and/or decent work issues.

Eligible activities and expenditures

Travel costs in connection to/or associated with the search for partners for partnership projects and the development of such partnerships;

• ‐  A partnership project must constitute of at least one entity from a Beneficiary State and one entity from Norway;

• ‐  Travel Support is awarded per entity and not per person.

The applicant has to present that they have an eligible project idea, and that they intend to be involved either as a promotor or as a partner performing substantial tasks in the project. The travel has to be performed by the entity which has been awarded the travel grant.

Disbursement of funds and reporting

The Travel Support follows the reimbursement principle (the relevant entity covers the expenditures from own funds and asks for reimbursement from the fund operator after the travel).

The reimbursement request shall be composed of the following documents (available for download at www.innovationnorway.no/DecentWorkTS ):

(a) Request for reimbursement of Travel Support, together with:

 Annex 1 – Travel report
 Annex 2 – Financial Identification Form

(b) Proof of travel, i.e. confirmation of completed travel from travel agent/airline company, ticket/boarding pass or similar. The requirements mentioned above need to be followed by:

The documents mentioned at letters (a)‐(b) should be sent, stamped and signed, scanned, at the Programme’s official e‐mail address ‐ decentwork@innovationnorway.no, within maximum one month after the travel took place.

PLEASE NOTE:

• ‐  The costs are reimbursed to the entity that has incurred the expenses and not to a natural person.

• ‐  The costs are reimbursed only in EUR, and only in the bank accounts of the legal entities that

applied for Travel Support.

Selection criteria

Travel Support will be awarded if all the following criteria are fulfilled:

• ‐  all sections of the online application are filled in correctly, in English;

• ‐  the planned activities are within the objective of this Travel Support;

• ‐  the applicant and partner(s) are eligible;

• ‐  the purpose of the travel and the meetings are directly linked to one or more of the outcomes listed in the call for proposals;

• ‐  all planned activities/costs are eligible.

Applications for Travel Support are assessed and awarded by the fund operator on a continuous basis, until the available budget is exhausted.