The Second Call for Applications for Project Platforms Priorities 1-3

Deadline: Jan 31, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

1. Introduction

Interreg Baltic Sea Region is launching the second call for applications for project platforms in its priorities 1-3.

A project platform is a framework for cooperation of partners of projects funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region and other funding programmes in a certain thematic field. It involves cooperation with other stakeholders in that thematic field beyond project partnerships, for example coordinators of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The main aim of project platforms is to increase the impact of Interreg Baltic Sea Region and other EU-funded projects in the area.

A project platform will be implemented as a project within the framework of Interreg Baltic Sea Region. Platform partners will have to provide their own contribution in order to receive Programme co-financing. The Programme is designed under the territorial cooperation goal of the European Union. In practice, the Programme combines financing from the European Union provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) as well as the financial contribution of the Kingdom of Norway and the Russian Federation.

2. Main aims

Project platforms reflect Interreg Baltic Sea Region’s ambition to contribute to institutional capacity building in selected thematic fields in the region. Project platforms enable capitalisation of projects’ results. Therefore, project platforms are expected to:

•  Ensure more intensive use, better durability and transferability of projects’ outcomes;

•   Support communication of projects in their core thematic fields;

•   Create a platform for exchange to streamline activities of different projects and to avoid duplication of efforts; and

•  Deepen knowledge about projects’ outcomes in the selected field.

3. Topics of project platforms

The first call for project platform applications resulted in six platforms, selected for funding in June 2018. These six platforms contribute to five Programme specific objectives in priorities 2 and 3. They aim to enhance the implementation of solutions for clearer waters, advance blue bio-economy, accelerate more coherent planning of transport corridors, increase maritime emergency preparedness and support environmentally friendlier shipping. The platforms will facilitate long term policy development, advance the regions’ capacity to develop more holistic approaches and practices in the fields addressed as well as trigger stronger involvement and commitment of the main target groups (public authorities and private sector).

Taking stock of all the themes not yet covered by the first call, the Programme is opening this call for project platform applications in further topics as detailed below. This means that each project platform has to focus on one of these topics and contribute to one of the selected Programme results as set out in the Cooperation Programme. More than one project platform may apply and be selected within each topic described below.

 Research and innovation infrastructures

The Programme aims to contribute to market uptake of innovation based on improved capacity of research and innovation infrastructures and their users. It aims to improve links between research resources located within the Baltic Sea Region as well as in other countries and organise more efficiently communication between research infrastructures and private sector.

Platform proposals should contribute to the Programme result within specific objective 1.1 Research and innovation infrastructures as set out in the Cooperation Programme.

 Smart specialisation

The Programme supports capacity building of authorities, innovation intermediaries, research institutions and enterprises to apply the smart specialisation approach. It aims to support advancing implementation of smart specialisation strategies in the countries and regions of the Baltic Sea region.

Platform proposals should contribute to the Programme result within specific objective 1.2 Smart specialisation as set out in the Cooperation Programme.

 Marine litter management

The Programme supports capacity building of public authorities and practitioners to prevent or decrease release of hazardous substances at sea or in inland waters. This includes solutions in handling marine litter.

Platform proposals should contribute to the Programme result within specific objective 2.1 Clear waters as set out in the Cooperation Programme.

 Management of marine space

The Programme supports capacity building of public authorities and practitioners for more integrated and safe management of marine space. It aims to strengthen maritime spatial planning across the borders.

Platform proposals should contribute to the Programme result within specific objective 2.4 Blue growth as set out in the Cooperation Programme.

 Climate change adaptation and mitigation

The Programme supports building capacity of public and private actors in implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. It aims to support uptake of new measures and advance action on production of renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in different sectors (e.g. heating, housing, urban transport, shipping, agriculture) as well as supporting introduction of the low-carbon circular economy in the Baltic Sea Region.

Platform proposals may take a holistic approach to this topic or address selected aspects of climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Platform proposals should select the Programme result, as set out in the Cooperation Programme, within the specific objective that fits the platform focus the best.

Applicants preparing proposals for the second call are asked to get acquainted with the current project platform portfolio of the Programme to avoid overlaps. Summaries of all platforms are available on the Programme website: www.interreg-baltic.eu.

4. Main outcomes and examples of possible platform activities

Project platforms should concentrate on selected activities that bring the largest benefit in the specific thematic field. Project platforms could deliver outputs such as:

 Policy papers or studies on the state of play and needs in the specific thematic field of the platform;

•   Agreements on joint standards in the specific thematic field;

•   Collection of best approaches to reaching end users of the project outcomes and their pilot implementation;

 Joint analysis of further potential financing sources that could be used for the implementation of project outcomes;

 Political statements endorsed as a result of strategic processes with participation of high level officials;

 Models demonstrating practical approaches to the alignment of funding (e.g. in cooperation with ERDF, ESF, EAFRD or EMFF managing authority networks);

•   Task-oriented networks established to address particular challenges; and

•   Models for sustainable and long-term exchange among platform partners.

Platform partnerships are free to choose their own working methods and include in their work plans any activities contributing to the aims and delivering the planned outcomes of the project platform. For example:

 Continuous mapping of the situation, resources and needs in the field addressed by the platform (special attention will be paid to the outcomes of other relevant cross-border and transnational projects as well as activities of the coordinators of the EUSBSR);

 Synthesising project outcomes and their further promotion towards end-users and decision-makers;

 Complementing the Programme’s effort in collecting information about projects’ achievements and benchmarking their good practice (e.g. concerning innovative approaches applied by the projects; supporting private partner involvement);

 Exchanging approaches in communication/stakeholder involvement among the projects in the platform and implementing them (e.g. piloting a matchmaking approach to link specific target groups in a structured way);

 Exchanging information and data to produce models and scenarios for future development;

 Establishing task-oriented networks of stakeholders to solve particular challenges defined in the platform field;

 Piloting mechanisms for coordination of funding and initiation of new collaboration;

 Organising own events targeted at external audiences (e.g. thematic conferences/workshops presenting achievements of Interreg and other EU funding programmes within the thematic scope of a project platform); and

 Providing input to Programme events and other communication, e.g. online or print publications.

5. EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

As the main aim of project platforms is to increase the impacts of EU-funded projects in the area, it is important to ensure cooperation and coordination of the planned activities with the coordinators of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR).

The applicants are encouraged to establish cooperation with the relevant coordinators of the policy areas and horizontal actions of the EUSBSR (PACs/HACs) and discuss ways of linking platform activities and outcomes to policy processes in the region in the framework of the Strategy. The PACs/HACs are also encouraged to join project platform applications as partners to get the full benefits of this initiative.

For more information on the Strategy please visit: http://www.balticsea-region- strategy.eu/.

6. Partnership of the project platforms

The project platform consortia should be based on the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme’s projects, involving partners who demonstrate good knowledge of outputs of their regular projects. It should involve partners from other EU funding Programmes, e.g. Interreg South Baltic, Central Baltic, North Sea Region, Central Europe, Northern Periphery and Arctic as well as Bonus Programme. Furthermore, platform proposals should involve EUSBSR PACs/HACs as partners or associated organisations.

Platforms have to follow the same principles of composition of the partnership as regular projects. They have to involve at least three project partners from three different countries of the Programme area: a lead partner and at least two project partners. Lead partners must be located in the territory of an EU Member State in the Programme area or in Norway. At least one of the partners has to be located in the territory of an EU Member State in the Programme area.

The platforms are encouraged to combine expertise, where thematically suitable, from different thematic priorities of the Programme, e.g. energy with innovation or transport. The overall number of partners depends on the character of the platform. The number of partners should allow for efficient daily cooperation.

Specific requirements for platform partnerships:
 Each platform partner has to either represent a regular project of an EU funding

programme (being a project partner there) or a coordinator of the Strategy.

 The lead partner and platform partners have to represent at least three EU funded projects: at least two Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects and at least one project of another EU funding programme (represented by a platform partner).

 In exceptional cases, a project platform may involve up to two well justified organisations as partners that do not represent an EU funded project or an EUSBSR coordinator. The focus of a project platform proposal should, however, remain on the capitalisation of EU funded projects’ outcomes.

A platform is led by a project platform leader (referred as a lead applicant in the application and as a lead partner after the selection for funding by the Monitoring Committee). This project platform leader should be a partner organisation from a regular project funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region or an EUSBSR Policy Area or Horizontal Action Coordinator. A platform leader is responsible for the preparation and submission of the platform application. If the platform is approved, the platform leader takes over the full responsibility for management, communication, implementation, and co- ordination of activities among the involved partners. The lead partner bears legal responsibility for the whole partnership. The lead partner is also the link between the project platform and the MA/JS of the Programme.

In addition, applicants may reserve a budget for new partners to join the platform later (e.g. from new projects selected later than the application stage of the project platforms).

Fields for information on reserved partners can be unlocked by the MA/JS upon a project platform leader’s written request. In justified cases partner organisations located outside of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region area1 may join the platforms as partners2. However, prior consultation with the MA/JS is needed. Furthermore, the platforms are encouraged to involve other important stakeholders as associated organisations.

Further details on the requirements and the composition of the partnership can be found in the Programme Manual.

7. Availability of funds and the budget of project platforms

The available Programme ERDF co-financing for the projects applying in this call is currently 7.5 million euros. The currently available Norwegian co-financing is 0.2 million euros and the ENI/Russian co-financing 3.6 million euros. Some of the funds will be committed to the projects applying in the parallel extension stage call. In addition some of the ENI/Russian funds will be committed to additional Russian partners in the already approved projects in the Programme.

The total budget for a project platform can be up to EUR 1,000,000. Platforms with smaller budgets are encouraged to apply, too.

Project partners have to provide their own contribution to receive Programme co- financing. The level of these contributions depends on the Programme co-financing rate which varies between countries and funds. Partners from Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Sweden may receive up to 75% ERDF co-financing, while partners from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland may receive up to 85% ERDF co-financing. Norwegian partners may receive up to 50% co-financing from Norwegian national funding. Russian partners may receive up to 85% Programme co-financing, combining the EU funding from the European Neighbourhood Instrument and the financial contribution of the Russian Federation.

Partner organisations located outside of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region area may receive up to 75% ERDF co-financing when joining the platforms as partners.

The Programme rules for eligibility of costs apply. The majority of the platform funding is expected to cover staff costs, travel and accommodation costs as well as costs related to organisation of events and other communication activities. External expertise may be included, if needed. Costs for equipment and investment as well as preparation costs are not eligible in project platforms.

1 Interreg Baltic Sea Region area covers eleven countries. It comprises eight EU Member States (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, parts of Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden) and three partner countries (Belarus, Norway, parts of Russia). The detailed geographical coverage of the Programme is defined in the Cooperation Programme. Please note that Belarusian organisations are not eligible for funding.

2 For more information please check the Programme Manual, chapter C.1.4 “Project partners outside the Programme area”, and in particular section “Application phase”.

7. Duration of project platforms

The project platform duration consists of three phases: a contracting phase, an implementation phase and a closure phase. The contracting phase lasts three months and starts the day after the MC approval. The closure phase lasts three months. The duration of the implementation phase of the project platforms may vary and can last up to 26 months (but end no later than 30 September 2021).

8. Project platform application and selection procedure

The MA/JS will support the development of project platforms by providing feedback to the project platform ideas and organising a platform development event. All applicants are required to consult their project platform idea with the MA/JS. For this, they should complete a platform idea form (available at interreg-baltic.eu) and ask for feedback. This consultation is a prerequisite for obtaining access to the online application system (BAMOS).

A project platform application will have to be completed in BAMOS. Guidance for filling in the application is provided in the application package at the Programme website interreg-baltic.eu. The guidance outlines the Programme expectations regarding quality and amount of information to be provided in the project platform application.

The table below summarises information about documents that applicants need to submit:

Project platform application

Digital version

Which documents?
Online application

When?
No later than 31 January 2019 at 16:00 CET (UTC+1)

How?
Submitting via online system: ba.bamos.eu

Paper version

Which documents?
Signed application (identical to the digital version)
Partner declarations for all project partners (including lead applicant) original or copies
Optional: Letters of support from associated organisations

When?
No later than 31 January 2019
!!! The date on the post stamp must be the date of the deadline or earlier !!!

How?
Send documents to:
Interreg Baltic Sea Region
Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat
c/o Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB.SH) Grubenstraße 20
18055 Rostock, Germany

The MA/JS is responsible for the verification of the completeness and correctness of the submitted documents as well as for the assessment of applications. The assessment criteria are presented in Annex to the Programme Manual. Furthermore, during the assessment, particular attention is paid to:

•   the ability of the project platforms to capitalise knowledge and organise communication on behalf of the regular projects;

•   the additionality to the existing coordination and cooperation among the running projects; and

•   the additionality to the planned outcomes of the project platforms selected in the first call.

The Monitoring Committee of the Programme will select the project platforms for funding at its meeting in April 2019. The Monitoring Committee is expected to select up to six project platforms.

9. Programme language

The official language of the Programme is English. Therefore, all communication between applicants and the MA/JS is held in English. Information in application forms as well as official correspondence must be treated accordingly.

10. Further information and assistance

The official Programme documents are available on the Programme website: www.interreg-baltic.eu and include:

•   Interreg Baltic Sea Region Cooperation Programme;

•   Programme Manual; and

•   Application package for project platforms.

The MA/JS offers the following assistance to applicants:

•   For general advice please contact: platform@interreg-baltic.eu;

•   The MA/JS offers consultations at its offices in Rostock and Riga, as well as during a platform development event and via telephone/skype. If interested, please write to: platform@interreg-baltic.eu;

•   The MA/JS organises an event to facilitate the project platform development process. Information about the upcoming event is available at the Programme website: http://www.interreg-baltic.eu/events.html.