Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices - Knowledge Alliances 2018 - EAC/A05/2017

Deadline: Feb 28, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

1. INTRODUCTION

This document is intended to help you, as applicant of an Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliance, to find the information you need to complete your application. You are also invited to consult a range of other documents such as the ones mentioned below. Information that is contained in these other documents will not be repeated in these guidelines..

The Erasmus+ Regulation N° 1288/2013

This regulation will provide you with the rationale of the Erasmus+ Programme. It describes the main programme scope and objectives. Applicants who propose applications in relevant areas and with pertinent aims are already in a positive position.

The Call for Proposals 2018 (EAC/A05/2017 )

This is the official notification of the General call for proposals 2018. It is a short document that provides, inter alia, information on the countries that can participate and the submission deadline.

The ‘Erasmus+ Programme Guide’

This is a key document providing information on the call requirements such as the different eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria. This guide also informs about the call participation modalities. This year you can also access a user-friendly online version. This guide is structured as follows:

Introduction
Part A – General information about the Erasmus+ Programme

Part B – Information about the actions covered by this guide (see the specific section on Knowledge Alliances from p.139)

Part C – Information for applicants
Annex I – Specific rules and information relating to mobility activities,

strategic partnerships and capacity building in the field of higher education Annex II – Dissemination and exploitation of results
Annex III – Glossary of key Terms
Annex IV – Useful references and contact details

You should notably refer to the section on Knowledge Alliances. We strongly advise you not to attempt to make an application without referring to the relevant sections of this Programme Guide.

The 'Proposal Submission User Guide'

This guide, also called "User Guide", is a technical guide that you will need to ensure that you register your organisations properly and submit the eForm correctly. This document is published together with the eForm.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Depending on the questions received from applicants, the Agency may publish answers to Frequently Asked Questions. It is important that you refer to these FAQ to make sure that you can benefit from clarifications provided to other applicants. These FAQ will be published on our website, on the eForm page at https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/documents/eforms_en.

 

 

2. ABOUT THE CALL, THE APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

2.1 Specificities introduced by the Erasmus+ Programme

Registration of all organisations in the 'Participant Portal': You should submit an electronic application, also called eForm. However – and with the exception of Associated Partners – please note that all the organisations involved in your application need to first register in the ‘Participant Portal’ to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC) number. Without this PIC code, no application will be possible. Affiliated entities of beneficiaries if any will also need to create their own PIC number1.

•   For further information please consult the E+ Programme Guide (Part C) and the User Guide.

•   Unit costs: the budget rules have been simplified. As a result the budgets of Knowledge Alliances are based on ‘Unit Costs’. The ‘Unit Costs" system is a simplified way of calculating the amount of an EU grant: Instead of determining the EU grant on the basis of the project real costs incurred, it is defined as a single proxy cost to contribute to eligible costs. For further information, please refer to section 4.2 on the ‘Detailed budget tables and Work packages overview’.

2.2 Content of the Application Package

The Application Package documents must be downloaded from the website of the Executive Agency at https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances- 2018_en

The Application Package consists of several compulsory documents, the content of which is summarised below:

•  eForm

•   Detailed Project Description

•   Detailed Budget Tables and Work Packages Overview

•   Declaration on Honour

To be eligible all the parts of this Application Package must be i) completed using the 2017 compulsory templates published on the Agency's website and ii) submitted electronically.

The language used to complete the Application Package must be an official EU language understood by all the members of your consortium. The Application Package must be completed in one language only.

 

eForm

The eForm is available at: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/documents/eforms_en. This document provides mainly administrative and general information on the project as follows:

Part A: Identification of the Applicant and other organisations participating in the project:

List of participating organisations:
A.1 Organisation
A.2 Person responsible for the management of the application (Contact person) A.3 Person authorised to represent the organisation in legally binding agreements (Legal Representative)

Part B: Description of the project

B.1 Summary of the project
B.2 Education area
B.3 Dates
B.4 Grant request (Grant requested and its distribution by organisation)

Part C: Other

C.1 Learning Mobility (optional) C.2 Key Results (outputs/outcomes)

 

Attachment: Detailed Project Description (Word template)

The Detailed Project Description must be completed using the 2018 compulsory template published at https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances-2018_en

(section ‘Annexes’). This document must be attached to the eForm before submission. It is structured as follows:

Part 0.Project summary and involvement in previous relevant projects
Part I. Project relevance
Part II. Quality of the project design and implementation
Part III.Quality of the partnership , the team and the cooperation arrangements Part IV. Impact, dissemination, exploitation and sustainability

Part V. Specific arrangements regarding learning mobility (if applicable) Part VI. Additional project information (if applicable)
Part VII. Work plan and work packages

 

Attachment: Detailed Budget Tables and Work Packages Overview (Excel template)

This document must be completed using the 2018 compulsory template published at

https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances-2018_en

(section ‘Annexes’). This document must be attached to the eForm before submission.

This Excel file provides the details of all planned expenditures and the overview and planning of all Work packages. It contains the following tabs:

Sheet 1: I and II. Overview
Sheet 2: III. Project implementation support Sheet 3: IV. Learning mobility activities Sheet 4. V. Work packages overview

 

Attachment: Declaration on Honour (Word template)

This document must be completed using the 2018 compulsory template available at:

https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances-2018_en

(section “Annexes”). It must be signed by the legal representative of the applicant organisation on behalf of all the participating organisations, scanned (PDF, TIFF, JPEG) and attached to the eForm.

 

NB: Please note that if any of the above parts of the application package is not submitted, not complete or not signed where requested, the application shall not be accepted.

2.3 Deadlines and submission of the Application Package

Applications must be submitted according to the enclosed guidelines, the Erasmus+ Programme Guide (see notably Part C), the User Guide and in compliance with the the Call notice (C386/14 on 20/10/2016) by 28 February 2018 at 12.00 (midday,Brussels time).

Once the eForm and attachments have been submitted, an application reference number is automatically generated on the eForm. In addition, a notification message is sent to the e- mail address of the contact person of the applicant organisation (as indicated in the eForm). Please ensure the following:

•   The application should be completed electronically by computer and submitted online (no paper, no handwritten submissions, or submissions completed using a typewriter will be accepted).

•   No information or documents other than the Application Package can be sent. Any further document will not be taken into consideration in the evaluation of the application.

•   No change to the Application Package can be made after the submission deadline has expired. However, the applicant may be contacted by the Agency if there is a need to clarify any administrative aspects.

•   Please note the date and time of the online submission. Applicants are strongly advised to submit their Application Package well in advance of the deadline and to keep proof of the safe arrival of the application in the system.

•   If you experience any technical submission problem, please contact the Agency's Helpdesk immediately EACEA-HELPDESK@EC.EUROPA.EU with a detailed explanation of the problem faced. If you face technical submission problems close to the submission deadline, please also send by email a screenshot of the submission error message and time of occurrence, as well as a copy of the eForm and attachments.

If you have questions about the content of the eForm and Attachments, please contact the operational team at the Agency at EACEA-KNOWLEDGE- ALLIANCES@ec.europa.eu .

 

3. APPLICATION PACKAGE: THE E-FORM

Choose the eForm for the Knowledge Alliances from the eForm homepage at:

https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/documents/eforms_en

Knowledge Alliances Applications Packages must be submitted by the submission deadline using the relevant eForm. For the technical modalities of the eForm completion and submission, please refer to the "User Guide" available on the eForm page of the Agency's website. Once the eForm is ready and includes all the compulsory attachments, it has to be submitted using an internet connection.

Please also note that before completing an eForm - and with the exception of Associated Partners - all the participating organisations need to be registered in the Participant Portal. Without the proper registration of participating organisations, you will not be able to complete the eForm. Once the e-form is created you will need to assign a role for all the other organisations participating in the project proposal. From the dropdown menu you will have the possibility to choose the role of a Partner or Affiliated entity. Please list the affiliated entities after the partner they belong to.

3.1. Cover page of the application form and list of participating organisations

Different fields appear on the cover page of the eForm. The first fields are automatically completed, depending on the action chosen. Applicants should choose a project title that will be meaningful to someone who does not know the project and an acronym. The acronym must not exceed 7 characters. The acronym can contain letters (latin characters only), numbers and common punctuation marks.

The language used to complete the form must be an official EU language.

The next page will automatically provide a table listing a number of validation messages and the participating organisations. To be able to use the eForm, applicants shall make sure that all the items contained in this table are marked as "valid". One or more of these items marked as "Not valid" means that all the eligibility rules are not properly respected and will make impossible for you to validate or submit the eForm. In that case please check/amend the relevant information to make sure that all the eligibility rules are followed.

Please note that in line with the E+Programme Guide, "Knowledge Alliances are transnational and must involve minimum six independent organisations from at least three Programme Countries, out of which at least two higher education institutions and at least two enterprises".

NB: Please note that the Knowledge Alliances call is not open to 'individuals'. This means that individuals can not participate as Partner organisations. Only 'organisations' can participate as partner organisations and be considered as eligible.

3.2 Part A. Data on the participating organisations

Applicants must verify this information. In case some of this information is not correct, or is out-of-date, the data cannot be modified directly in the eForm but must be modified in the Participant Portal. In order to incorporate the modifications into the eForm, please follow the steps described in part B of the "User Guide", section "Revise list of participating organisations and update existing application eForm".

3.2.1 Section A.1: Organisations

Most fields in part A1 are completed automatically, based on the information provided through the Participant Portal. So most of the information contained in part A1 is protected and not modifiable (grey highlight).

Only the field "Type of Organisation" needs to be completed by choosing an available option from the drop-down list. For further information on potential applicants and on eligible organisations, please refer to the Knowledge Alliances section of the E+ Programme Guide.

3.2.2 Section A.2 Person responsible for the management of the application (Contact person)

Applicants should complete the title, family name, first name, role in the organisation and e-mail address of the person who is responsible for the management of the application (Contact person) in the organisation. If the Contact person has a different address from the registered address of the organisation, the corresponding box must be checked and the relevant address and telephone number provided.

Please note that the Contact person should be first key staff to be listed under P1 in the annex 'Detailed Project Description'.

3.2.3 Section A.3 Person authorised to represent the organisation in legally binding agreements (Legal representative)

If the Legal Representative has a different address from the registered address, check the corresponding box to access the fields necessary to provide this information.

If the application is successful the Legal Representative will also be required to sign the Grant Agreement and other associated documents. If the application is signed by a different person, or if it is discovered in later stages of the selection or during contracting that the person identified as the Legal Representative does not have the authority to sign, the application may be declared ineligible: an invalid signature could lead therefore to the rejection of the application.

Please note that as from Partner 2 (P2) only section A.1 and A.2 information are required.

3.3. Part B. Description of the project

3.3.1 Section B.1 Summary of the project

Applicants are invited to provide key information on their application. Please indicate the language of the summary choosing one of the language options. For dissemination purposes, the abstract must be provided in English in a second version, if the initial language chosen was different to English.

For successful applications, this section will be reproduced in the form of a published abstract. Applicants should therefore ensure that the text is well written and gives a concrete and correct overview of the work the consortium plans to undertake following the structure proposed in the form.

3.3.2 Section B.2 Education area
Section B.2 relates to the Education area addressed by the proposal. Given the scope of

the Knowledge Alliances 'Higher education' will automatically be displayed.

3.3.3 Section B.3.Dates

It is possible to choose one of the following project start dates: 01/11/2018 or 01/01/2019. In the drop down menu, applicants should select a project duration (24 or 36 months) and the system will automatically display the corresponding end date. The date range indicated here will define the period, during which costs are eligible for funding, in case your proposal is successful.

3.3.4 Section B.4 Grant request

Applicants should complete budgetary figures. The table "Grant request" should be completed only after the duration has been inputted (above) and after the excel budget sheets have been completed and validated: the amounts in the excel tables and in the Grant request must be identical. All budgetary information must be provided in Euro/€. Please note that in line with the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, the maximum EU contribution for a 2 year project is of 700.000 EUR, and for a 3 year project is 1.000.000 EUR.

The next table on the "Distribution of grant by organisation" needs to be completed, listing the amount of the grant requested by participating organisation. The total indicated has to be identical to the total grant requested above, and to the total grant requested in the excel budget sheets.

3.4 Part C.Other

3.4.1 C.1 Learning Mobility (Optional)

Tick 'Yes' or 'No' depending on whether learning activities will be organised in the framework of the project. If te case, you should input the data on mobility activities, if any. Please add rows for each category of mobile person and/or for the different geographical mobilities.

3.4.2 C.2 Key Results (outputs/outcomes)

Please select at least the one, maximum the three main results (outputs/outcomes) of your project from the list. In case you do not find relevant items in the list, please select the option 'Other' and briefly explain in the text box which result(s) (ouput(s)/outcome(s)) your project is going to achieve.

3.5. Attachments

Once Parts A, B and C have been completed applicants must upload to the eForm the following compulsory Attachments: the 'Detailed Project Description', the 'Detailed Budget tables and Work packages overview', and the 'Declaration on Honour' signed by the Legal Representative of the Applicant organisation (please ensure that the information on similar topics is consistent across these different documents and also with the information provided in the eForm).

An error message will appear if you do not upload all of these compulsory attachments.

3.6 Application reference(s)

Before submitting you should indicate whether this or a similar application has already been submitted under a previous Knowledge Alliances or any other EU action/programme/ call for proposals.

 

4. APPLICATION PACKAGE: THE COMPULSORY ATTACHMENTS

4.1 Detailed Project Description (compulsory Word annex)

Please note that this attachment must be completed in one language only, the same language as used in the eForm part. The language used must be an official EU language and must be a language that is understood by all the members of your consortium. This is also in line with the Declaration on Honour stating that all the partners should have agreed to the content of the application and should have confirmed their intention to carry out the tasks described.

All text fields in all sections are obligatory. For adding information in new columns/rows of the tables, please use the copy-paste function of your computer.

Please note that each comment box should contain a recommended number of characters as indicated above the comment box (e.g. Part 0.2 - Summary of the application where the recommendation is set at 2000 characters). As this is a word document, it is possible to I sert pictures and diagrams into the text boxes. However, please do limit those in order to avoid any potential problem during the submission of the application as the maximum capacity of the Application Package (e-Form + four annexes) is 10 MB.

 

Part 0. Project summary and involvement in previous relevant projects

This overview will facilitate the right and quick perception of your proposal and its context.

0.1 Short summary of the main features and outputs of your project

Please provide a comprehensive summary of the main features, outputs, components and aspects of the project (area, scope, perspective, activities and benefits). Given the limited number of 2000 characters it has to be short, clear and pertinent.

0.2 Involvement in previous relevant projects

If your proposal is based on the results of one or more previous projects/networks, you must provide references of these projects in table 0.2. Quote the full reference number of your project (e.g. the EU grant agreement number), dates of implementation, the title of the Programme and other requested references. Please provide a short description of outcomes with an explanation on how the new project will build on these results, clarifying how intellectual property rights will be dealt with.

 

Part I. Project relevance

In this Part, you are requested to describe the relevance of your proposal and why and how it is in line with the relevant Award Criterion (please refer to the award criteria defined in the Knowledge Alliances section of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide). This description will help external experts to assess the project relevance in the context of the objectives of the action.

Part I. is divided into several sections (I.1 to I.4) where you should explain in depth the relevance of your project. In detail, you are requested to provide:

•   The purpose and background of the project;

•   Explanation on how your project is contributing to the objectives of E+ Knowledge Alliances;

•   A sound and solid needs analysis. Also explain how the needs analysis was done and refer to relevant sources;

•   Explanation of how the expected results, outputs and outcomes will meet the identified needs;

•   Please detail which specific aims and objectives you have identified and how the project intends to achieve them;

•   Motivation/interest of participating organizations in tackling that particular issues;

•   Evidence of the links with existing relevant European policies in the feld of higher level education and training;

•   State of art in the project domain as well as the description of the innovative character of the project;

•   Explanation of how/why the proposed methods, approaches, results and solutions are innovative;

•   Concrete aims and objectives of your proposal and the way the project activities, outputswill solve the problems described in sections I.1 and I.2;

•   Explanation on how higher education institutions and enterprises will contribute to /and benefit from the project in the short and long term;

•   Explanation of the need and value of implementing the project at European level instead of implementing it at national, regional or local levels.

 

Part II. Quality of the project design and implementation

In this part, your description will be the basis on that the external experts will assess the quality of the project design and implementation, in line with the relevant Award Criterion (please refer to the award criteria defined in the Knowledge Alliances section of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide).

II.1. Methodology

Please describe your methodology for achieving the planned objectives. Your description shall include a systematic and structured system for verifying the development and progress of the project activities against milestones and measurable indicators.

II.2 Overall project management

Please describe the project management arrangements among the partners with particular reference to timelines, work distribution and division of tasks and responsibilities. Resources allocation for each activity shall be explained and justified.

II.3 Quality assurance, evaluation and monitoring

This section is devoted to the description of the quality assurance mechanisms and ways of continuous monitoring and also specific evaluation of the project and its deliverables.

Quality assurance should prevent problems in implementation and ensure the quality of the processes and results. Quality assurance is about the procedures helping to guarantee that the quality of the processes is closely monitored. You have to foresee quality assurance measures and indicators.

Evaluation is a specific activity addressed to assess if the quality of outputs and/or results. It can be internal and external.

II.4 Recognition and validation (only when appropriate)

If you plan to develop study courses you should consider the use of EU wide transparency and recognitions tools (e.g. ECTS). In this case, please describe the arrangements foreseen for recognition and validation of learning outcomes.

 

II.5 Budget and cost-effectiveness

Please focus on the description of the budget allocation between partners, financial management arrangements. Explain how, in relation to the activities described in the WP, the project will achieve value for money.

Part III. Quality of the partnership and of the team, and cooperation arrangements

In this part, your description will be the basis on that the external experts will assess the quality of the partnership, the cooperation arrangements and the quality of the key staff involved, in line with the relevant Award Criterion (please refer to the award criteria defined in the Knowledge Alliances section of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide).

III.1 Knowledge Alliance: Composition of the consortium

We remind you that a Knowledge Alliance consortium requires the participation of:

'...minimum six independent organisations from at least three Programme Countries, out of which at least two higher education institutions and at least two enterprises'.

For the list of Programme Countries refer to section 'Eligible countries' in Part A of the E+ Programme Guide. The involvement of organisations from Partner Countries is optional only. For the list of Partner Countries refer to the same section of the E+ Programme Guide.

We invite you to verify that all the institutions located in Programme Countries have a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus- plus/funding/erasmus-charter-for-higher-education-2014-2020_en)

Please tick for each Partner organisation the type they belong to. The listed organisations shall correspond to those you have inputted in Part. A of the eForm. Please also indicate whether Associate partners are involved and tick the organisation type they belong.

III.2. Rationale for the setting-up of the partnership

Please explain the composition of the partnership: Show the coherence with the project objectives as well as the relevant and complementary expertise and competence. Include the profiles of the competent decision-makers and the bodies of governance.

III.3 Description of the partners

The allocated number (P1, P2, ...Pn) should be used where required respecting the same number used in the eForm part A.

Each organisation of the consortium has to individually complete the following sub- sections:

•   III.3.1 Organisation name

•   III.3.1.1 Aims and activities of the organization

•   III.3.1.2 Role of the partner organisation in the project

•   III.3.1.3 Operational and technical capacity

Please add as many sections III.3.n ,and III.3 n..1 to III.3.n.3 as necessary if your consortium includes more than 6 organsiations.

   

The description in the sections III.n.1 and III.n.2 should provide a brief presentation of the organisation, its role in the project and in the operational/financial management of the project. In section III.n.3 you should describe the 'Operational and Technical capacity: skills and expertise of key staff involved in the project'. It will be used (instead of full CVs) for these staff to ascertain the quality of the consortium overall. In the spaces provided you will need to input the names of all key staff members and then summarise their skills/experience that are relevant for the project domain. Please list any reference to recent publicationswhen relevant to the project main topics.

NB: Please note that the first key staff to be listed under P1 should be the Project coordinator (also called 'Project manager' and 'Contact person' in section A.2 of the eForm).

Every description has to be completed in the same language as the rest of the application form (and not, for example, in the languages of the respective partners). Please note that Associated partners should not complete this description.

Section III.4. Cooperation arrangements across the partnership

Please explain how the cooperation arrangements are conceived. Please make specific references to the management structure of the partnership, the decision-making process, conflict resolution, methods for reporting, monitoring and communication within the consortium.

Section III.5. Partner country participation (where applicable)

The participation of organisations from Partner countries in the project is possible. In case the application involves organisation(s) from Partner countries, please explain how the project will benefit from the participation of these organisations and what essential added value it (they) will bring to the project. Please note that if this essential value is not demonstrated, the project will not be considered for selection.

In case the proposed partnership does not have any Partner country participants, this section can be either left out or deleted.

Part IV. Impact, dissemination, exploitation, and sustainability

Please demonstrate the impact and the sustainability potential of the project as well as the dissemination and exploitation activities, according to the relevant Award Criterion (please refer to the award criteria defined in the Knowledge Alliances section of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide).

IV.1"Target groups”

You should explain how the consortium intends to reach these target groups during the project lifetime. Please explain how the outputs will be used by the partners and other stakeholders and will lead to the expected outcomes. Appropriate measures should be in place for evaluating the outcomes of the project.

Please also explain how the target groups will be reached after the end of the project and what is the planned impact at local, regional, national, European and international level. Please list relevant qualitative and quantitative indicators in the table provided.

IV.2 “Sustainability and impact”

Please describe how the activities and the partnership will be sustained beyond the lifetime of the project. To anticipate the sustainability you are expected to outline the project’s activities or results which are supposed to last and/or be disseminated after the end of the EU co-funding. You are also asked to explain how the consortium is planning continue the cooperation within the partnership.

Sustainability may not concern all the aspects of a project. In each project some activities or outputs may be maintained, while others may not be so necessary to maintain. A project can therefore be considered as sustainable if relevant activities are pursued and outputs are maintained or developed after the end of the EU funding.

Please describe the impact envisaged, i.e. describe the change that the project intends to make. Please list short term results and long term outcome indicators in the table provided.

IV.3 “Dissemination and exploitation strategy”

Please describe how dissemination will be organised in order to ensure that positive results will be made available both within and outside the partner institutions during the life of the project. Describe what kind of dissemination actions the partnership envisages in order to make the outcomes available to groups not directly involved in the project. This could include information sessions, training exercises or the involvement of policy-makers not belonging to the partnership.

Although dissemination and exploitation of results are closely related, they are distinct processes. While the mechanisms for dissemination and exploitation often overlap, dissemination (information provision and awareness raising) can take place from the beginning of a project and intensify as results become available. Full exploitation however (mainstreaming and multiplication of results) can happen only when it becomes possible to transfer what has been learnt into new policies and improved practices. Please describe how exploitation activities ensure optimal use of the results.For further information you can refer to the Annex II of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide).

Applicants are requested to avoid stand-alone results/deliverables which cannot be seriously maintained after project lifetime. Instead they are invited to explore to which existing initiatives (national, EU wide, international) they could link after the project such as existing wider education/training offers, existing online platforms, MOOC providers, associations, networks, research projects, regional, sectorial or employment strategies or policy measures etc.and other types of multiplier activities.

IV.4 "Open Access to educational resources"

The ERASMUS+ Programme promotes the open access to educational materials, documents and media produced in the scope of Erasmus+ funded projects. Projects should make their results available to the public, in digital form, freely accessible through the internet under open licences. Beneficiaries are nonetheless allowed to define the most approriate level of open access, including limitations (e.g. interdiction of commercial exploitation by third parties) if appropriate in relation to the nature of the project and type of material. The open access is without prejudice of intellectual property rights of the grant beneficiaries. Therefore, if appropriate in relation to the nature of the project and the type of material produced, you should describe how the materials, documents and media produced will be made available to the wider public.

 

Part V. Specific arrangements regarding learning mobility (if applicable)

Applicants are requested to describe how the learning mobility will be organised (selection of participants, preparation and other arrangements), and how participants' learning outcomes will be recognised and validated using European transparency and recognition tools, i.e ECTS and Diploma Supplement.

 

NB: If learning mobility activities are planned, they should be embedded in the project activities. Please also note that the budget for learning mobility cannot be used to finance costs for travels & subsistence of staff that are not directly related to the learning mobility activities (e.g. attendance costs to events, costs linked to partnership meetings, etc). Only learning mobility costs can be put in the sheet 'Learning mobility' of the budget annex.The information must correspond with the data provided in Section C.1 of the eForm.

 

Part VI. Additional project information (if applicable)

You may use this part in case you have relevant additions which are not covered by the requested information. Please refrain from any repetition of previous statements and earlier mentioned aspects.

 

Part VII. Work Plan and Work packages

The Work plan for the proposed project must be presented in terms of Work packages. Before submitting your application, please ensure that the information provided in this section is coherent with all other relevant parts of the Application Package.

VII.0 Workplan and workpackages (WPs) list

VII.1 to n Work package

Please note in particular that experts will use the information provided in the work packages to evaluate your project in terms of the quality of the project design and implementation. Additionally they will compare the content of the work packages with the information provided in the budget tables to assess the coherence of the work programme with the plannedresources.

There are 6 types of Work packages:

•   Preparation (PREP): this workpackage type is expected to include activities such as a detailed needs analysis (surveys; comprehensive reports of the problem areas; etc.), an analysis of the state of art in the field, data on best practices etc.

•   Management (MGNT): including activities such as planning, finances, coordination and communication between partners, organisation of project meetings, etc.

•   Implementation (IMP) substantial activities including the development and testing of the intellectual outputs/tangible results of the project (such as curricula, pedagogical materials, studies, open educational resources, etc.).

•   Quality Assurance (QA) i.e. internal quality monitoring measures that aim to guarantee that the quality of the project processes and results will meet the predetermined plans.

•   Evaluation (EV): a specific activity addressed to assess if the quality of outputs and results. It can be internal and external.

•   Dissemination and Exploitation of results (DISS&EXP): including activities relating to information spreading and awareness raising and mainstreaming and multiplication of results.

Please note that each type of these Work packages has to be covered at least once. If you fail to present this minimum, your proposal may be considered as incomplete. Certain types of work packages may be used several times according to the proposed activities.

Before completing, please allocate a number to each work package (WP1 ... WP2 ...WPn). The same numbers should be used throughout the document and Application Package. After 15

 

having defined the Work package number, type and title, the Work package should be described in more detail.

WP n description

Each Work package must include a detailed description. This should provide, inter alia,

•   the aims and objectives of the work package;

•   how the partners involved will organise their work;

•   milestones and overall approaches;

•   an overview of the monitoring and evaluation of the work undertaken within the

  Work packages;

•   performance indicators;

•   the relationship/linkages with other work packages and with the overall

coordination of the project.

This description can also make reference to any bodies outside the formal partnership that will be involved, in particular the contribution of the Associated partners. Please also list tasks which should be performed during the implementation of the Work packages.

Provide a start date in terms of a number. For a project starting in November a Work package beginning in February should be defined as "4" or M4. One ending in June should be defined as "8" or M8. This means that the Work packages remain relevant even if the planned starting date of the project changes for some reason. However, if you prefer to indicate concrete dates in the definition of the WP duration, you can do it as well. The duration of a Work package cannot exceed the duration of your project.

Each Work package should identify a Lead partner (P1 – Pn, see section III.2) who is responsible for the delivery of the work package and also all other partner organisations involved in the work package. Indicate the country where the partner is located as well as its short name.

Please make sure that these Work packages, their start-end dates and duration are properly reported in the excel file "Detailed budget and Work packages overview" attached to the eForm.

WP n Results (outputs and outcomes)

Please allocate to each result (output or outcome) a number, a title as well as a type. Copy this table as many times as necessary.

The field “Expected result (output or outcome)" needs to contain a short but concrete description of the of result (e.g. course/training material, study, conference, seminar, discussion document, report, dissemination strategy, DVD, audio-clips etc).

The sub-section “Description” should provide a detailed description of the result that will be developed or adapted during the particular work package. In case the result will be developed in several Work packages, the result should be allocated to the work package in which it will be finished, however, you should indicate which Work packages are involved.

Specify when the result will be finalised under the Delivery date section (month/year). Indicate languages in which the deliverable/result will be available.

Please indicate the media type of the result using one of the following headings:

•   Paper publication;

•   Electronic version published in media (CD, DVD, memory stick, etc.);

•   Electronic version published on-line;

•  Other (please specify).

Please indicate the dissemination level using one of the following definitions:

•   Public,

•   Restricted to other programme participants (including Agency and Commission services and project reviewers),

•   Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including Agency and Commission services and project reviewers).

It is possible that a single Work package will produce more than one result (for example a specification, web-pages, a manual and training materials that are all related but destined for different users). In this case the different elements should be clearly described in this section..

If the project foresees learning mobility activities, they should also be listed as a result.

WP n Explanation of Work package expenditures

Please specify the costs which will be associated to each work package. Please note that the total number of staff days is the basis for calculating the EU grant (Implementation Support) for the project (please see section 4.2 for detailed information).
The total number of days indicated in this section should correspond with the information provided in:

•   Section VII.7 "Overview of consortium partners involved and resources required"

•   Attachment "Detailed budget tables" (Excel)

Section VII.7. Overview of consortium partners involved and resources required

The number of days invested by each partner organisation should correspond with the information provided in the detailed budget table and in the WP sections on ''Explanation of work package expenditures'' . Those numbers of days will be checked by experts to ensure the coherence between the work plan and the provisional budget. Add/delete rows as necessary. Ensure that the table is completed with the totals requested. There are daily rates defined for the different staff categories and by group of country (please see the section ''what are the funding rules'' for Alliances in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide):

•   category 1: manager,

•   category 2: teacher/trainer/researcher,

•   category 3: technician,

•   category 4: administrative staff.

The allocation of tasks should be consistent with the information provided on each partner organisation in the Application Package. Experts will be looking at the task allocation to find evidence of effective partnership working and particularly an appropriate balance of work across the partner organisations and across the countries represented in the consortium.

VII.8. Overview of expected results

Please list all results of your project in the overview table provided in this section.Verify that the content of the table is consistent to the content of WP sections on ''Results (outputs and outcomes).

 

Part VIII. Specific arrangements regarding Associated partners (if applicable)

In addition to full partners, Knowledge Alliances can also involve Associated partners who contribute to the implementation of specific project tasks/activities or support the dissemination and sustainability of the Alliance. From a contractual point of view, they are not considered as project partners and do not receive funding, however it is important to make clear in the application how they will contribute to the project.

4.2 The 'Detailed budget tables and Work packages overview'

4.2.1 The unit costs funding system

Knowledge Alliances are funded using the unit costs system. Instead of determining the EU grant on the basis of real costs incurred, it is based on a a single proxy cost to contribute to eligible costs.

The "unit costs" system is a simplified form of calculating the amount of an EU grant. By its nature, such simplified forms of grants are contributions to the main costs of a project which are not an exact reimbursement of the real costs linked to specific activities in the project.

In the case of the Knowledge Alliances, the unit costs established are applied to the staff component of a project. A grid of four staff categories and four country groups establishes the unit cost to be applied to a working day of a person in the respective category.

The single unit cost system will calculate the global EU contribution to the project, thus covering any kind of activity directly linked to the implementation of the project including: project management, project meetings, intellectual outputs (such as curricula, pedagogical materials, open educational resources (OER), IT tools, analyses, studies, etc.), dissemination, participation in events, conferences, travel etc.

NB: The unit cost calculation for any activity and output is solely based on the staff input.

The staff eligible for the calculation is only based on "Number of days" related to permanent, temporary, and interim staff employed by partner organisations and listed in the Detailed project description (Permanent staff with an employment contract with one of the partner organisations, Temporary staff with an employment contract with one of the partner organisations, Interim staff, recruited through a specialised external Agency, Personnel working on the basis of a contract assimilated to employment by national legislation). Working days of learners, trainees and volunteers are not accepted for the calculation of the grant.

Costs such as travel and subsistence, sub-contracting, etc. are automatically included in the calculation of the Unit cost contribution per working day and should not be calculated nor added separately.

In exceptional cases, when the Knowledge Alliances foresee learning mobility activities, an additional component shall be added to the grant, an embedded mobility support, which covers the travel costs and subsistence costs of these learning mobility activities only.

4.2.2 Practical information for the completion of the Detailed budget tables

For every Work package and the activities related to it, you have to estimate the number of staff days needed per category and country group of the partners. The number of staff days will be multiplied by the corresponding unit cost indicated in the tables (page 146 and next in the English version of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide). The sum of these together with the costs of embedded mobility (if applicable) will constitute the total grant you will receive for the project.

Again, this amount will cover all kinds of activities of the Work package, be it meetings, translations, travel, intellectual work etc. The unit cost is not to be considered as a reimbursement of staff costs but as means of determining the grant amount. However, the staff input estimated should be realistic and will have to be proven at final report stage to confirm the grant amount calculated.

The rules for administration and financial management, such as the justifying documents proving the implementation and quality of the planned activities, which will be necessary for the payment of the grant, are in development and will be communicated to the successful projects.                    

 

 

   

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