GENERAL GUIDELINES CALL FOR PROPOSALS EACEA/04/2013 UNDER THE LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency)

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1 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency Lifelong Learning: Eurydice and Policy Support GENERAL GUIDELINES CALL FOR PROPOSALS EACEA/04/2013 UNDER THE LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) Implementation of the European strategic objectives in Education and Training (ET 2020) (stakeholder cooperation, experimentation and innovation) Part A Support to national implementation and awareness raising of the objectives of European cooperation in education and training (ET ) Part B Support to implementation of innovative policy solutions at institutional level to reduce early school leaving, in line with the priorities set out in Europe 2020 and ET INTRODUCTION In June 2010, the European Council adopted the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth 2. Investment in education and training for skills development is essential to boost growth and competitiveness: skills determine Europe's capacity to increase productivity. In the long-term, skills can trigger innovation, move production up the value chain, stimulate the concentration of higher level skills in the EU and shape the future labour market. The broad mission of education and training encompasses objectives such as active citizenship, personal development and well-being. While these go hand in hand with the need to upgrade skills for employability, against the backdrop of sluggish economic growth and a shrinking workforce due to demographic ageing, the most pressing challenges for Member States are to address the needs of the economy and focus on solutions to tackle fast-rising youth unemployment. In the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) launching the 2013 European Semester for economic policy coordination 3, adopted in 2012, the Commission encouraged Member States to raise the performance of education and training systems and overall skills levels, linking the worlds of work and education more closely together and stated that investments in education should be prioritised and strengthened where possible while ensuring the efficiency of such expenditure

2 Echoing the AGS, the Commission Communication Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes, adopted in , confirms that "Education and training systems continue to fall short in providing the right skills for employability and are not working adequately with business or employers to bring learning expertise closer to the reality of the working environment. The Communication also recalls that the economic downturn and the need for fiscal consolidation have led many Member States to reduce investment in education and training. While the room for manoeuvre may be greater for some Member States than others, all share a double challenge: to prioritise public investment in education and training and to find more efficient ways of deploying financial resources. Fiscal consolidation requires Member States to develop education and training policies bearing in mind effectiveness and value-for-money, while pursuing equity objectives. To achieve this, policy should be based much more on existing evidence, and implementation should include systematic evaluation of efficiency. Funding education and training reform sustainably in times of budgetary constraint also calls for debates about cost-sharing and the degree to which private actors and beneficiaries can contribute to the costs. In 2012, following the European Semester, the Council adopted country-specific recommendations addressing the main challenges in education and training systems that prevent EU Member States from achieving the Europe 2020 goals 5 linked to growth and jobs. The Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training (ET 2020), adopted in , establishes four common strategic objectives: lifelong learning and mobility; quality and efficiency; equity, social cohesion and active citizenship; creativity and innovation. It also establishes a set of priority areas for each work cycle and common working methods to improve institutional commitment, coordination and partnership with all relevant stakeholders at trans-national, national/ regional/ local levels in order to achieve the Europe 2020 goals in education and training. The 2012 Joint Report on the implementation of ET stresses that ET 2020, as a key instrument to modernise education and training, can make a major contribution to achieving Europe 2020 s objectives. This call aims at encouraging European policy cooperation to support through ET countries efforts to meet the objectives of Europe 2020, as reflected in the 2013 Annual Growth Survey and the Rethinking Education Communication, notably: developing skills for growth and competitiveness, strengthening youth employability and reducing early school leaving levels, in a context that prioritises efficient investment in education and training. The call also provides opportunities for ministries and stakeholders to test - in real life situations - the implementation of innovative policies (policy experimentations) addressing European goals. This call is based on the decision establishing the Lifelong Learning Programme (Decision No 1720/2006/EC) adopted by the European Parliament and Council on 15 November 2006 (Transversal programme, Key activity 1: Policy cooperation and Innovation)

3 This call comprises two separate parts: Part A - Support to national implementation and awareness raising of the objectives of European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020). Part B - Support to implementation of innovative policy solutions at institutional level to reduce early school leaving, in line with the priorities set out in Europe 2020 and ET Applications may be submitted for one or both parts of the call, but a separate application should be submitted in relation to each part of the call. The management of this call has been delegated by the European Commission to the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency 9, herewith referred to as "the Agency". 2. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Part A Support to national implementation and awareness raising of the objectives of European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) Background By 2020, 20% more jobs will require higher level skills. Education needs to drive up both standards and levels of achievement to match this demand, as well as deliver the transversal skills needed to ensure that young people are able to be entrepreneurial and adapt to the increasingly inevitable changes in the labour market during their career. Emphasis should therefore be placed on delivering the right skills for employment, increasing the efficiency and inclusiveness of our education and training institutions, and working collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders. The varying nature and urgency of the challenges facing Member States requires the use of different instruments implemented over different time scales, and joint action is needed from the worlds of both education and employment. Efforts to boost the supply of relevant and high quality skills must go hand-inhand with targeted actions to smooth the transition from schools to work, reduce obstacles to mobility and improve the functioning of the labour market so that young people have wider access to job opportunities. Immediate efforts should therefore be placed on delivering efficiently the right skills (basic and transversal) for employability, on making education and training more open and flexible, and on driving reform in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders. Objectives Supporting awareness-raising and institutional commitment, coordination and partnership with all stakeholders to promote, in particular, skills for growth and competitiveness and youth employability This part of the call will support projects at national and regional level, initiated by public authorities and other relevant stakeholders

4 Priority Priority will be given to actions which aim not only at increasing the effectiveness (quality) of education and training policies but also their efficiency and the evaluation of this. Activities should therefore stimulate debates at national and trans-national level on ways to provide sustainable funding mechanisms to enhance stability and efficiency in education and training investment, in particular by promoting systematic policy evaluation and evidence-based policy making. The activities should aim at: Raising the quality of vocational skills by aligning VET policies with regional/ economic development strategies and enabling permeability with other education offers. Strengthening work based learning, including quality traineeships, apprenticeships and dual learning models to help the transition from learning to work. Strengthening the provision of transversal skills that increase employability and foster innovation, such as entrepreneurial initiative, digital skills and communication in foreign languages. Increasing the use of ICT-supported learning and access to high quality Open Education Resources through modernisation of the ICT infrastructure of schools and support for ICT-based teaching and assessment methods. Revising and strengthening the professional profile of all teaching professions by reviewing the effectiveness of Teacher Education, introducing coherent and adequate resourced systems. Strengthening and promoting partnerships between regional, national, international authorities and organisations and networks between companies, especially SMEs and VET providers to ensure appropriate curricular and skills provision. Identifying efficient funding mechanisms as well as instruments and methods to assess the efficiency of investments. Increasing incentives for low-skilled adults training by companies, validating skills and competences acquired outside formal learning. Expected results (Operational objectives) Better commitment and cooperation of relevant actors and stakeholders to support the implementation of "ET 2020" in order to achieve the objectives of Europe Better coordination and partnership in establishing and implementing coherent approaches to lifelong learning, in particular for the benefit of low skilled adults. Better dissemination and use of European skills transparency and recognition tools. -4-

5 Better coordination and partnership in developing and implementing effective education and training policies in order to improve their impact and sharing the related financial burden. Better dissemination of efficient, evidence-based education and training policy approaches established under the EU Open Method of Coordination. Part B Support to implementation of innovative policy solutions at institutional level to reduce early school leaving, in line with the priorities set out in Europe 2020 and ET Background Every year European education and training systems lose hundreds of thousands of young people, who leave school with poor and inadequate skills for later life. High rates of early school leaving (ESL) constitute a real obstacle to smart and inclusive growth in Europe, as they increase the risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. This is why reducing early school leaving in the EU to less than 10% by the year 2020 is one of the headline targets of the Europe 2020 strategy. The 2012 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of ET highlighted that the EU is not on track to meet the headline target concerning early school leaving. In 2011 the average rate of ESL in the EU stood at 13.5%, still 3.5% percentage points above the politically agreed benchmark. Although some countries are progressing, many are lagging behind and have received specific recommendations in this area from the Council during the European Semester. Early school leaving is a complex phenomenon, and is often the result of an interaction between multiple factors, including family and socio-economic background, individual and psychological problems, and also school processes and experiences, notably, the capacity of school systems to adapt the educational experience to the specific needs of each individual learner. As such, it requires a comprehensive response at policy level, combining prevention, intervention and compensation measures, including coordination across different policy sectors and the integration of measures against ESL into all relevant policies aimed at children and young people. In June 2011 the Education Council adopted a Recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving (OJ C ) 11. This invites Member States to identify the main reasons for ESL in their countries and to ensure that evidence-based, comprehensive and consistent strategies on early school leaving are in place. It also proposes a policy framework, with a non-exhaustive list of measures from which Member States can choose according to their own specific circumstances and contexts. The framework highlights the fact that effective policies against ESL need to address all levels of education and focus on an appropriate mix of prevention, intervention and compensation measures. Because of the complexity of the challenge, innovative policy responses are needed. ET 2020 can provide a framework and tools to support Member States in devising such responses and testing them together

6 The EU has been constantly supporting policy development in education, training and youth, by facilitating peer reviews, mutual learning, communication and transfer of knowledge and experience among Member States. This has been done at institutional level through the Open Method of Coordination 12 and at grass-root level through the Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action Programmes. However, the scope, size and complexity of the current and future challenges and the increasing political attention devoted to education, training and youth notably in the context of Europe 2020 call for untraditional, more effective and efficient policy solutions. New policy tools need to be developed and tested. It is not because a policy is innovative that it will be effective; in addition, innovation always involves a certain degree of risk. Before introducing far-reaching policy changes on a large scale, it is therefore advisable to test them on a limited scale and in a controlled environment, where different quantitative and qualitative parameters (such as target groups, time line, content, process, etc.) can be adjusted to different requirements (e.g. local context, available resources, etc.) and verified against certain standards, following procedures which are similar to the ones applied in experimental science. This approach is defined as "policy experimentation". Policy experimentations are policy interventions bringing innovative answers to specific needs, which are implemented through fields trials on a small scale and in conditions which enable to measure their impact, with a view to repeating them on a wider scale if the results prove convincing. The main principle of policy experimentations is therefore to test a new policy intervention on a limited population so as to evaluate its efficacy and identify potential liabilities and opportunities before deciding whether it should be scaled up. Objectives Supporting the development, testing and evaluation, by means of field trials, of innovative policy solutions to reduce early school leaving. Field trials will be implemented simultaneously at national level in several participating countries, based on methodologies developed through trans-national partnerships involving competent authorities, relevant stakeholders and evaluation bodies. Priorities The 2011 Recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving, with the attached policy framework, sets the scene for this part of the call. Priority will be given to policy experimentations addressing one or more of the policy tools proposed in the policy framework annexed to the Recommendation. The Commission invites potential applicants to consider in particular the following themes: Prevention measures, such as supporting schools and teachers in disadvantaged areas and helping them improving their educational offer; supporting children with a different mother tongue than the language of instruction; teacher education to prepare teachers for working with young people at risk of dropping out from school; strengthening vocational pathways or promoting work-based learning. 12 Since December 2011 a Thematic Working Group on early school leaving, assembling nearly all EU Member States plus Norway, Iceland and Turkey, and composed of national and regional authorities and practitioners, has been conducting peer learning activities. -6-

7 Intervention measures, such as reinforcing cross-sectoral cooperation at school and local level and promoting networking between schools, parents and local community (including e.g. business); developing systems to detect first signs of early school leaving processes; supporting extracurricular activities to build resilience and selfesteem in young people (such as games, theatre play); implementing innovative teaching and learning methods; strengthening guidance and counselling; promoting individual mentoring; fighting absenteeism. Compensation measures, such as strengthening second chance education; launching out-reach activities to re-engage young people in education and training; providing targeted support for early school leavers to re-enter education and training; fostering recognition and validation of prior learning. Policy experimentations can include developing brand new approaches or adapting measures already existing in other countries which have proved to effectively contribute to reduce early school leaving. The focus is on formal school education (primary and secondary education). Methodology Policy experimentation should rely on a robust evidence base and involve reliable monitoring, evaluation and reporting procedures. It should be designed and trialled on specific groups or in specific contexts or geographical areas, and evaluated according to objective and generally accepted criteria. It should be inspired by the principles of experimental research, involving the use of control groups for testing variables and validating results. It should also respect clear schedules to ensure concrete results within a reasonable time frame. Therefore, evaluation bodies should be systematically involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of experimental - or quasi-experimental policy development work to ensure a rigorous approach. Because the results they deliver are most reliable as regards the evaluation of the impacts of an intervention, preference will be given to randomized experimentation methods that randomly assign the members of a representative sample of the population targeted to either a treatment group or a control group 13. The aim is to support public authorities in developing, testing and evaluating innovative policy measures to reduce early school leaving through policy experimentation. In the context of the present call, policy experimentation should comprise the following components: a) trans-national preparation: education ministries (national or regional) from different participating countries identify together a common policy challenge concerning reducing early school leaving and build a partnership which develops, in consultation with all the relevant stakeholders and with the support of evaluation experts, a common concept for addressing this challenge; b) national implementation: the concept agreed upon by the trans-national partnership is tested ( field trials ) simultaneously at national level, in one or more of the partner countries, in an adequately high number of educational establishments to reach a reasonable and representative critical mass. Each ministry is in charge of 13 For a description of randomised controlled trials and their use in education policy, please refer to the EENEE Analytical Report n. 11 Randomised Controlled Experiments in Education (February 2012), prepared for the European Commission. -7-

8 implementation in the territory under its responsibility on the basis of a commonly established protocol ; c) national and trans-national evaluation: the results of the field trials are evaluated first at country level and then collectively with the other partner countries, with the systematic involvement of evaluation experts; d) national and trans-national operational conclusions: policy experimentations achieving successful results - according to factual evidence and policy evaluation - will prompt responsible ministries to introduce relevant changes in the education systems/curricula and/or foster large-scale implementation. The following dimensions should be carefully considered in the project: Design of a potentially relevant policy intervention: a rigorous description of the target group, of the needs addressed and of the set of actions envisaged should be provided. The expected impact of the policy intervention should also be defined precisely in measurable terms and evidence given that the programme envisaged is likely to address the needs identified. Other elements such as the context in which the policy is to be implemented, the feasibility, acceptability, relevance and timeliness of the proposed solutions in relation to strategic policy objectives, as well as to the operational, strategic and financial capacity of the policy actors should be taken into account. A thorough search for examples of similar policy intervention that have been conducted domestically or abroad would be an asset, to support the relevance of the policy intervention which is envisaged. Design of the evaluation method: The evaluation protocol should be set up from the start of the project, in order to arrive at shared conclusions about the up-scaling potential of the tested policies, based on their measured impact. The evaluation protocol should ensure that the highest standards of analysis are carried out in each country. Randomized experimentation methods, which provide a robust and transparent way of assessing the impact of policy interventions, will be preferred. Applicants and stakeholders This part of the present call aims at supporting policy experimentations against early school leaving, to be initiated and led by Member State authorities. Compared to a traditional call under the Lifelong Learning Programme, the present one seeks institutional leadership, in order to generate a strong and sustainable systemic impact. It is therefore specifically addressed to public authorities in charge of education and training, at the appropriate institutional level, responsible for designing and implementing public policies. The role of the public authority consists not only in holding the applicant's legal responsibility but also in actively committing to the project. The Commission expects of applicants that they place the field trials in a clear policy perspective. Thus, the innovation implemented at small scale shall be able to pave the way for a more structural reform, if proved successful. Involvement of, and good quality cooperation with beneficiaries and stakeholders - including education or training institutions, local authorities, youth and parents organisations, social partners, social service providers will be instrumental in making the policy experiment a success. Involvement should take place from the -8-

9 moment the project discussion starts. This helps build consensus on the design of the policy intervention, the methodology used in the evaluation and the sets of outcomes that will be considered during the experimentation. Given the very nature of policy experimentation, a professional evaluator has to be involved in the project. Expertise and experience in the field of impact evaluation will be absolutely necessary. The policy experimentation protocol should be designed and implemented in conditions guaranteeing the functional independence of the evaluator from the policy-maker. Expected results (Operational objectives) Scalability of innovative real life pilots involving a large number of learners, learning providers and addressing issues of common policy concern across Europe, to be performed on the basis of commonly agreed methodologies. Improve the knowledge-base to support the design and implementation of education and training policies addressing issues set out in the context of Europe 2020 and ET European added value through collecting best practices and lessons learnt on 'what works' and 'what does not work', on successful implementation strategies and critical success factors for policy makers and practitioners. Increased effectiveness of national, regional/local measures designed to tackle complex challenges in education and training, enabling reforms to produce an impact on education and training systems ; effective transfer of best practices and recommendations to different contexts. 3. TIMETABLE Final date for submission of applications is 16 September :00 noon (Central European Time). (Please read carefully section 13 of this call for proposals concerning the procedures for submitting applications). The intention is to complete the award procedure before the end of December 2013 and to inform applicants of the outcome of the selection procedure no later than the end of January Succesful applicants will have ten days to provide the Agency with all original documents (if not already submitted with the application), required for the agreement as listed under 5.3 of this call. It is planned that beneficiaries will receive their grant agreements for signature in February BUDGET AVAILABLE The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects amounts to 4 million Euro. Financial contribution from the European Union cannot exceed 75% of the total eligible costs. -9-

10 The maximum grant per project will be Euro for Part A and Euro for Part B. The Agency intends to allocate the amount available according to the following indicative proportion: Euro for Part A and Euro for Part B. However, the final allocation depends on the number and quality of the proposals received for parts A and B. The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available. 5. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Applications which comply with the following criteria will be the subject of an in-depth evaluation: 5.1 Formal criteria Only proposals submitted in one of the EU official languages (which should also be the language which will be used in the partnership for the implementation of the project), using the official application form, completed in full, signed on the declaration of honour by the person who is authorised to enter into legally binding commitments on behalf of the applicant organisation (original signatures or equivalent required) and submitted online by the specified deadline, will be considered. The application form must provide a balanced budget and all the other documents referred to in the application form (see also 13.2). 5.2 Eligible countries Applications may be submitted by organisations (including all partner organisations) established in countries participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme: the 27 Member States of the European Union, the EEA/EFTA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, candidate countries: Croatia, Turkey Switzerland, Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Montenegro 14, Third country participation is not allowed for this action. At least one country of the partnership must be an EU Member State (applies only to Part B of this call). 14 The participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro in the present call for proposals is subject to the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission and the competent authorities of each of these countries respectively. If, by the first of the month of the grant award decision, the Memorandum of Understanding has not been signed, participants from this country will not be funded and will not be taken into account with regard to the minimum size of consortia/partnerships. -10-

11 5.3 Eligible applicants This call is open to organisations established in the countries participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme. Applications must be submitted by a legal person having the legal capacity. Natural persons may not apply for a grant. Applicants can be national or regional ministries in charge of education and training and lifelong learning policies, and other authorities/bodies and stakeholders' organisations active in the development and implementation of lifelong learning policies. Stakeholders' organisations include European, national and regional associations or organisations whose main activities or core responsibilities are directly linked to any education and training sector, in particular social partner organisations and other national or regional associations that represent the interests of a societal group in the establishment and implementation of lifelong learning policies. Part A Support to national implementation and awareness raising of the objectives of European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) Applications for funding may only be made by national partnerships composed of at least three organisations involving at least one national or regional authority responsible for education and training and lifelong learning policies (pre-primary, schools, VET, higher education and adult learning), and other bodies and stakeholders' organisations directly involved in the development and implementation of such policies. Part B Support to implementation of innovative policy solutions at institutional level to reduce early school leaving, in line with the priorities set out in Europe 2020 and ET Applications for funding may only be made by transnational partnerships of national or regional ministries in charge of the development and implementation of education and training and lifelong learning policies, or other organisations designated by such ministries to reply to the call. The partnerships must be composed of at least 5 organisations involving 3 or more eligible countries. At least one partner per country must be a national or regional ministry in charge of the development and implementation of education and training and lifelong learning policies or another organisation designated by such ministry to reply to the call, and at least one partner must be an evaluation body. Partnerships should also include other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate. Signed designation letter(s) from the delegating ministry(ies) must be sent with the paper version of the proposal. For the purpose of this call, all higher education institutions accredited by Member States (participating countries), and all institutions or organisations providing learning opportunities which have received over 50 % of their annual revenues from public sources over the last two years (other European Union grants for an action excluded), or which are controlled by public bodies or their representatives, are considered to be public bodies. Such organisations are -11-

12 required to state in a signed declaration of honour (included in the application package) that their organisation complies with the above-mentioned definition of public body. The Agency reserves the right to request documentation to prove the veracity of this declaration. For Parts A and B: The Agency can propose an agreement only on the basis of acceptance of documents which make it possible to define the beneficiary s legal personality (public administration, private company, or non-profit organisation, etc.), and on the provision of financial identification/ bank details. In order to demonstrate its existence as a legal person, the applicant must provide the following documents: Private company, association, etc.: legal identification form, available via the link to the Call web page at section 13.2 below, extract from the official gazette/trade register, and certificate of liability to VAT (if, as in certain countries, the trade register number and VAT number are identical, only one of these documents is required), the bank details form completed by the beneficiary and certified by the bank (original signatures required), available via the link to the Call web page at section 13.2 below. Public-law entity: legal identification form, available via the link to the Call web page at section 13.2 below, legal resolution or decision established in respect of the public company, or other official document established for the public-law entity, the bank details form completed by the beneficiary and certified by the bank (original signatures required), available via the link to the Call web page at section 13.2 below. To be eligible, application must also: Be submitted by organisations from eligible countries, complying with the criteria set in part 5.2 as well as with all specific requirements by sub-actions concerning the consortium (as described above); Comply with the mandatory project duration of 12 months for Part A and 36 months for Part B. Include a budget in euro that is balanced in terms of expenditure and revenue and complies with the ceiling for a European Union grant (max Euro per project for Part A and Euro per project for Part B) and cofinancing (max. 75%). Be sent in paper form immediately after the submission of the online original version. The paper copy of the application must include: o Copy of the Application package: submitted eform (with received reference number) with its attachments (including the originally signed Declaration on Honour). Please mention the eform reference number on all documents. -12-

13 o For Part B (when applicable): duly signed designation letter from ministry(ies) must be sent with the paper version of the proposal. The letters must use the models provided. Signed fax or scanned versions of the designation letters will be accepted at proposal stage, but originals will have to be available at the moment of establishing the agreement. If no designation letter is provided the proposal could be declared ineligible. o Mandate letters from all partners.the letters must use the models provided. Signed fax or scanned versions of the mandate letters will be accepted at proposal stage, but originals will have to be available at the moment of establishing the agreement. o Proof of legal existance (copy of articles of associations and/or legal registration documents) o Annual account for the most recent financial year. o Financial capacity form (only for private organisations see 7.2) o Financial identification form. o VAT registration (when applicable) Comply with all conditions set out in section 13 of this call for proposals. 5.4 Eligible activities Part A Support to national implementation and awareness-raising of the objectives of European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) The activities to be financed under this part of the call include (Specific objectives) Awareness-raising activities stimulating national debates and dialogue linked to the implementation of the four strategic objectives of ET 2020 to support the Europe 2020 strategy Establishment of stakeholder fora on national lifelong learning strategies to combat youth unemployment and to promote growth Dissemination and awareness-raising activities under ET 2020 to enhance learning opportunities through alternative pathways Follow-up actions at national level by linking the results of the Open Method of Coordination to existing national programmes Part B Support to implementation of innovative policy solutions at institutional level to reduce early school leaving, in line with the priorities set out in Europe 2020 and ET The activities to be financed under this part of the call include (specific objectives): Development, testing and evaluation of innovative policy solutions to reduce early school leaving, by means of field trials carried out through trans-national partnerships. Joint design and testing of innovative policy actions involving a sufficiently high number of educational establishments. Analysis, from a policy point of view, of the effectiveness, efficiency and conditions for scalability of policy experimentation results and for transnational transfer of good practices. Systematic dissemination at national and European level; smoother transferability between different education and training systems and policies. -13-

14 For Parts A and B: Activities must start between 1 March 2014 and 31 May The period of eligibility of costs will start on the day indicated in the grant agreement. If a beneficiary can demonstrate the need to start the action before the agreement is signed, expenditure may be authorised before the agreement is signed. However, under no circumstances can the eligibility period start before the date of submission of the grant application. The mandatory duration of projects is 12 months for Part A and 36 months for Part B. No applications will be accepted for projects scheduled to run for a different period than that specified in this call for proposals. No extensions to the eligibility period beyond the maximum duration will be granted. However, if after the signing of the agreement and the start of the project it becomes impossible for the beneficiary, for fully justified reasons beyond his control, to complete the project within the scheduled period, an extension to the eligibility period may be granted. A maximum extension of 3 additional months may be granted for Part A and 6 additional months for Part B, if requested before the deadline specified in the agreement. The maximum duration will then be 15 months for Part A and 42 months for part B. Consortia must allow in their budgets and planning provision for two meetings in Brussels during the project lifetime: an inception meeting bringing together all the successful projects, and a further monitoring meeting (could be required by the Agency during the lifetime of the project). It is expected that each consortium will be invited to send maximum two representatives. 6. EXCLUSION CRITERIA Applicants and (co-)beneficiaries must state that they are not in any of the situations described in Articles 106(1), 107 and 109 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Union and set out below. 15 Applicants will be excluded from participating in this Call for Proposals procedure if they are in any of the following situations: (a) (b) they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations; they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment of a competent authority of a Member State which has the force of res judicata; 15 This provision does not apply for grants which are lower than or equal to EUR Article 131 (4)(a) FR

15 (c) (d) (e) (f) they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify including by decisions of the EIB and international organisations; they are not in compliance with their obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the responsible Authorising Officer or those of the country where the grant agreement is to be performed; they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such illegal activity is detrimental to the Union' financial interests; they are currently subject to an administrative penalty referred to in Article 109(1) of the Financial Regulation. Applicants will not be granted financial assistance if, in the course of the grant award procedure, they: (a) (b) (c) are subject to a conflict of interests; are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the Agency as a condition of participation in the grant award procedure, or fail to supply this information. find themselves in one of the situations of exclusion, referred to in Article 106 (1) of the Financial Regulation; In accordance with Article 109 of the Financial Regulation, administrative and financial penalties may be imposed on beneficiaries who are guilty of misrepresentation or are found to have seriously failed to meet their contractual obligations under a previous contract award procedure. To comply with these provisions, applicants for a grant exceeding EUR must sign a declaration on their honour certifying that they are not in any of the situations referred to in Articles 106(1) and 107 of the Financial Regulation 7. SELECTION CRITERIA The applicants and partners must demonstrate that they have the technical competence, experience and legitimacy in the development and implementation of coherent and comprehensive lifelong learning strategies and policies. Applicants must show that they are able to work in lifelong learning as defined in the present call (see section 2). Applicants must have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the action is being carried out or the year for which the grant is awarded and to participate in its funding. They must have the professional competencies and qualifications required to complete the proposed action. -15-

16 Applicants must submit a declaration on their honour (included in the application package), completed and signed in original, attesting to their status as a legal person and to their financial and operational capacity to complete the proposed activities. 7.1 Operational capacity In order to allow an assessment of their operational capacity, organisations applying for a grant above EUR must submit, together with their applications, a list of projects, actions or activities already undertaken in the relevant field by the members of the partnership/consortium; 7.2 Financial capacity In order to allow an assessment of their financial capacity, organisations applying for a grant above EUR must submit, together with the paper version of their applications: the profit and loss accounts of the applicant organisation together with the balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed; a completed financial capacity form, available via the link to the Call web page at section 13.2 below; the bank details form completed by the beneficiary and certified by the bank (original signatures required), available via the link to the Call web page at section 13.2 below. The verification of financial capacity shall not apply to public bodies or to international organisations under public law. If, on the basis of the documents submitted, the Agency considers that financial capacity has not been proved or is not satisfactory, it may: reject the application ask for further information require a guarantee (see 9.2) offer a grant agreement without prefinancing make a first payment on the basis of expenses already occurred 7.3 Audit (Compulsory for grants for an action over Applies only to Part B) Grant applications must be accompanied by an external audit report produced by an approved external auditor. This report shall certify the accounts for the last year available. This obligation does not apply to public bodies and international organisations under public law, as well as secondary or higher education establishments. -16-

17 8. AWARD CRITERIA Eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria: Part A - Support to national implementation and awareness raising of the objectives of European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) 1. Relevance: based on the call for proposals, the objectives are clear, realistic and address relevant issues and target groups, including a wide range of key stakeholders at all levels concerned by the establishment and implementation of lifelong learning strategies, including policy and decision makers, practitioners, providers, social partners, representatives of civil society and learners (30%). 2. Quality of the plan of actions: the organisation of the work is clear and appropriate to achieving the objectives; tasks / activities are defined in such a way that the results will be achieved on time and to budget (10%). 3. Quality of the methodology: the tools and practical approaches proposed are coherent and appropriate to address the identified needs for clearly identified target groups (10%). 4. Quality of the Consortium: the consortium includes all the skills, recognised expertise and competences required to carry out all aspects of the plan of actions, and there is an appropriate distribution of tasks across the partners (10%). 5. The Cost-Benefit Ratio: the grant application demonstrates value for money in terms of the activities planned relative to the budget foreseen (10%). 6. Impact: the foreseeable effects of the project's activities on target groups and systems concerned are clearly defined and consistent with the objectives set out; measures are planned to ensure that those effects can be achieved. The results of the activities are likely to be significant (20%). 7. Quality of the valorisation plan (dissemination and exploitation of results): the extent to which the planned dissemination and exploitation activities will ensure optimal use of the results beyond the participants in the proposal, during and beyond the lifetime of the project (10%). Part B Support to implementation of innovative policy solutions at institutional level to reduce early school leaving, in line with the priorities set out in Europe 2020 and ET Relevance: based on the Call for Proposals, the objectives are clear, realistic and address relevant issues and target groups, including a wide range of key stakeholders at all levels concerned by the establishment and implementation of lifelong learning strategies including policy and decision makers, practitioners, providers, social partners, representatives of civil society and learners (30%). 2. Quality of the plan of actions: the organisation of the work is clear and appropriate to achieving the objectives; tasks / activities are distributed among the partners in such a way that the results will be achieved on time and to budget (10%). -17-

18 3. Quality of the methodology: the tools and practical approaches proposed are coherent, innovative and appropriate to address the identified needs for clearly identified target groups (10%). 4. Quality of the Consortium: the consortium includes all the skills, recognised expertise and competences required to carry out all aspects of the plan of actions, and there is an appropriate distribution of tasks across the partners (10%). 5. The Cost-Benefit Ratio: the grant application demonstrates value for money in terms of the activities planned relative to the budget foreseen (10%). 6. Impact and European Added Value: the foreseeable effects of the project activities on target groups and systems concerned are clearly defined and consistent with the objectives set; measures are planned to ensure that those effects can be achieved. The results of the activities are likely to be significant and the benefits of and need for European cooperation (on top of national, regional or local approaches) are clearly demonstrated (20%). 7. Quality of the Valorisation Plan (Dissemination and Exploitation of Results): the extent to which the planned dissemination and exploitation activities will ensure optimal use of the results beyond the participants in the proposal, during and beyond the lifetime of the project (10%). 9. FUNDING CONDITIONS An EU grant is an incentive to carry out activities that would not be possible without the support of the Union. It is based on the principle of co-financing. The EU grant supplements the applicant organisation s own financial involvement and/or any national, regional or private support it may have obtained. Acceptance of an application by the Executive Agency does not constitute an undertaking to award a grant equal to the amount requested by the beneficiary. Furthermore, under no circumstances may the amount awarded exceed the amount requested. The award of a grant does not establish an entitlement for subsequent years. 9.1 Contractual provisions and Payment procedures In the event of definitive approval of the proposal by the Agency, a grant agreement, drawn up in euro and detailing the conditions and level of funding, will be sent to the beneficiary. The 2 copies of the original agreement must be signed by the beneficiary and returned to the Agency immediately. The Agency will sign them last. The agreement will be a multi-beneficiary agreement. For Part A: A pre-financing payment of 70% will be transferred to the beneficiary within 30 days of the date when the last of the two parties signs the agreement, provided all possible guarantees are received. -18-