Knowledge Alliances 2019 - KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices - EAC/A03/2018

Deadline: Feb 28, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

1. Introduction

This document aims at helping potential applicants find relevant/useful information for the completion of their application for Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliance.  It is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation of any applicable legal sources. The EACEA cannot be held responsible for the use made of this guidance document.  Information that is contained in the below mentioned documents will not be repeated in the present  guidance document. Applicants are therefore invited to consult also:

 

The Erasmus+ Regulation N° 1288/2013 

This Erasmus + Regulation provides the rationale of the Erasmus+ Programme as it describes the main scope and objectives of the programme. 

 

The Call for Proposals 2019 (EAC/A03/2018 )

The Call notice is the official notification of the General call for proposals 2019. The document provides, inter alia, information on the submission deadline and the countries that can participate in the Call.

 

The ‘Erasmus+ Programme Guide’

The Erasmus+ Porgramme Guide is a key document providing information on the call requirements such as eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria. This guide also informs about the call participation modalities. This year applicants 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

Potential applicants should notably make reference to the specific Knowledge Alliances section of the Erasmus+ Porgramme Guide 

 

The 'Proposal Submission User Guide' 

https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/proposal_submission_user_guide_version_1_ka2-ka_2019.pdf

This guide, also called "User Guide", is a technical guide that helps the registration  of the participating organisations and the submission of the eForm. The User Guide is published together with the eForm. 

 

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': Applicants should submit an electronic application via the eForm. With the exception of Associated Partners, all the organisations involved in the application need first to register in the ‘Participant Portal’ to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC) number. This applies also to Affiliated entities,if any. The PIC code is mandatory for the submission of the application and the validation of the PIC code is conditional for signing the Grant Agreement. 

 

• For further information please consult the E+ Programme Guide (Part C) and the User Guide.
• Unit costs: Budget rules have been simplified. The budget for 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 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 2019 compulsory templates published on the Executive 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 the consortium. The Application Package must be completed in one language only.

 

The Application Package documents can be downloaded from the website of the Executive Agency at https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances-2019_en

 

 

eForm 

The eForm is available at: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/documents/eforms_en. This document provides mainly the 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 2019 compulsory template published at https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances-2019_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)

 

Detailed Budget Tables and Work Packages Overview must be completed using the 2019 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)

 

Declaration on Honour must be completed using the 2019 compulsory template available at: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledge-alliances-2019_en (section “Annexes”).  It must be signed by the legal representative of the applicant organisation on behalf of all participating organisations, scanned (PDF, TIFF, JPEG) and attached to the eForm. 

NB: The application shall not be accepted, if any of the above documents part of the application package is not submitted, not complete or not signed where requested. 

2.3 Deadlines and submission of the Application Package

Applications must be submitted in compliance with the enclosed guidelines, the Erasmus+ Programme Guide (see notably Part C), the User Guide and the Call notice (C2018/384/04 on 24/10/2018) by 28 February 2019 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 using a computer and submitted online only (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 for 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 take notice 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 within 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 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'. Individuals can therefore not participate as partner organisations. Only 'organisations' can participate as partner organisations and be considered 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 from Partner 2 (P2) information is required for section A.1 and A.2 only.

 

 

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: 01/11/2019 or 01/01/2020. 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 learning activities will be organised , applicants should input the data on mobility activities, if any. Further rows shall be added for each category of mobile person and/or for the different geographical mobilities. 

 

3.4.2  C.2 Key Results (outputs/outcomes)

Applicants shall select at least one and maximum three main results (outputs/outcomes) of their project from the list. In case relevant items cannot be found in the list, applicants should select the option 'Other' and briefly explain in the text box which result(s) (ouput(s)/outcome(s)) their 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 applicants do not upload all compulsory attachments. 

 

3.6 Application reference(s)

Before submitting applicants 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) 

The Detailed Project Description must be completed in one language only and  correspond to language used in the eForm. The language chosen must be an official EU language and must be a language that is understood by all the members of the consortium. This is in line with the Declaration on Honour stating that all the partners have to agree on the content of the application and confirm 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, copy-paste is possible. 

 

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 insert pictures and diagrams into the text boxes. However, this should be limited 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 shall facilitate the right and quick perception of the proposal and their context.

 

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

 

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

 

0.2 Involvement in previous relevant projects 

If a proposal is based on the results of one or more previous projects/networks, applicants must provide references of these projects in table  0.2. Quote the full reference number of the relevant project (e.g. the EU grant agreement number), dates of implementation, the title of the Programme and other requested references. Further to be provided is 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 (maxi.25 points) 

In this Part, applicants are requested to describe the relevance of their proposal, 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 applicants should explain in depth the relevance of their project. In detail, they are requested to provide:

 

• The purpose and background of the project;
• Explanation on how the project is contributing to the objectives of E+ Knowledge Alliances;
• A sound and solid needs analysis. How the needs analysis was done and refer to relevant sources shall be made;
• Explanation of how the expected results, outputs and outcomes will meet the identified needs;
• Detail which specific aims and objectives have been 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 the 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 (max.25 points)

With basis on the project description, 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

 

Applicants should describe their methodology for achieving the planned objectives. The 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

 

Project management arrangements among the partners shall be described 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 as well as 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. Applicants 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 the development of study courses is planned, applicants should consider the use of EU wide transparency and recognitions tools (e.g. ECTS). In this case,  the arrangements foreseen for recognition and validation of learning outcomes have to be described. 

 

 

II.5 Budget and cost-effectiveness

 

The description of the budget allocation between partners, financial management arrangements is crucial. The proposal should clearly 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 (max.30 points)

With basis on the project description, 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 

 

As specified in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, Knowledge Alliance consortia require 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 reference to section 'Eligible countries' in Part A of the E+ Programme Guide shall be made. The involvement of organisations from Partner Countries is optional. For the list of Partner Countries proposals should refer to the same section of the E+ Programme Guide.

 

Applicants are requested 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)

 

Applicants should tick the respective 'type' of organisation for each Partner of the consortium . The listed organisations shall correspond to those inputted in Part. A of the eForm. Applicants should also indicate whether Associate partners are involved and tick the organisation type they belong to. 

 

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

 

The composition of the partnership should be described in the proposal by: Showing the coherence with the project objectives as well as the relevant and complementary expertise and competence. Further it should 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

 

Applicants can add as many sections III.3.n ,and III.3 n..1 to III.3.n.3 as necessary if the 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 the proposal 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 those staff members to ascertain the quality of the consortium overall. The names of all key staff members are be included in the free spaces as well as the summary of their skills/experience relevant for the project domain. A list of any reference to recent publications, when relevant to the project main topics, shall also be included. 

 

NB: The first key staff to be listed under P1 shall be the Project coordinator (also referred to as 'Project manager' and 'Contact person' in section A.2 of the eForm). 

 

The language used for the detailed project descriptions shall be the same as for the rest of the application form (and not, for example, in the languages of the respective partners). No description for Associated partners is required in this section.Information related to Associated partners (if applicable) should be provided in Part VIII. Specific arrangements regarding Associated partners. 

Section III.4. Cooperation arrangements across the partnership

 

The proposal should explain how the cooperation arrangements are conceived. For that,  specific references to the management structure of the partnership, the decision-making process, conflict resolution, methods for reporting, monitoring and communication within the consortium shall be made.

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

 

The participation of organisations from Partner countries in the project is possible. If organisation(s) from Partner countries are involved, the proposal should demonstrate how the project will benefit from the participation of these organisations and what essential added value it (they) will bring to the project. 

 

If no Partner country participants are involved, the section can be either left out or deleted.

Part IV. Impact, dissemination, exploitation, and sustainability (max.20 points)

Proposals have to 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”

Applicants should explain how the consortium intends to reach their target groups during the project lifetime. Further they should 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. 

 

Applicants should also explain how the respective target groups will be reached after the end of the project and what the planned impact at local, regional, national, European and international level is. Relevant qualitative and quantitative indicators shall be listed in the table provided.

 

IV.2 “Sustainability and impact” 

 

The proposal should describe how the activities and the partnership will be sustained beyond the lifetime of the project. To anticipate the sustainability applicants 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. Applicants are also asked to explain how the consortium is planning continue the cooperation within the partnership.

 

Sustainability may not concern all aspects of a 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 EU funding.

 

The envisaged impact has to be decribed in the proposal, i.e. the change that the project intends to make. A list of short term results and long term outcome indicators shall be made in the table provided.

 

IV.3 “Dissemination and exploitation strategy” 

 

The proposal should clearly 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. Also, 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. Proposals should therefore describe how exploitation activities ensure optimal use of the results.For further information can be found in 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, applicants 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. 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)

Applicants may use this part in case they have relevant additions which are not covered by the requested information. Repetition of previous statements and earlier mentioned aspects should be avoided.

 

Part VII. Work Plan and Work packages

The Work plan for the proposed project must be presented in terms of Work packages. Before submitting their proposal, applicants should 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 

 

Experts will use the information provided in the work packages to evaluate the project proposal 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 planned resources.

 

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.

 

Each of the type of Work packages has to be covered at least once. If applicants fail to present the minimum required, their proposal may be considered as incomplete. Certain types of work packages may be used several times according to the proposed activities.

 

Before completing, a number to each work package (WP1 … WP2 …WPn) should be allocated. The same numbers should be used throughout the document and Application Package. After 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. Applicants are requested to list the tasks which should be performed during the implementation of the Work packages.

 

The start date should be introduced as 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. Nevertheless, it is also possible to indicate concrete dates in the definition of the WP duration. 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 will be responsible for the delivery of the work package and also all other partner organisations involved in the work package. The country where the partner is located as well as its short name shall also be indicated. 

 

Applicants have to 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) 

For each result (output or outcome) a number, a title as well as a type have to be allocated. This table can be copied 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, it it relevant to indicate which Work packages are involved. 

Proposals should specify when the result will be finalised under the Delivery date section (month/year).  It should also indicate the languages in which the deliverable/result will be available.

 

Proposals should include 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).

 

Proposals should also include 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

Applicants have to specify the costs associated to each work package. It should be noted 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. Rows can be added/deleted as necessary. Applicants have to 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 (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

All results of the project should be listed in the overview table provided in this section. Applicants should 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, it is therefore important that the proposal clearly demonstrates 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

 

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). 

 

However, the costs of natural persons working under a contract with the Beneficiary other than an employment contract or who are seconded to the Beneficiary by a third party against payment may also be included under such personnel costs, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled: 

(i) the natural person works under the instructions of the Beneficiary and, unless otherwise agreed with the Beneficiary, in the Beneficiary’s premises; 

(ii) the result of the work belongs to the Beneficiary; and 

(iii) the costs are not significantly different from the costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the Beneficiary."

 

 

Costs such as travel and subsistence, consortium meeting, 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 (pages 139-140 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.

 

All supporting documents for all project's related costs from all partners should be kept and made available upon request of the Agency or in case of audit. Despite the fact that your project is based on a unit costs system, the Agency or the auditors may check supporting documents for all costs in order to be sure that the activities referred to in the final report were really implemented.

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