Registration and validation of participating organisations. Radu SORA Validation planning REA Validation Services

Transcription

1 Registration and validation of participating organisations Radu SORA Validation planning REA Validation Services

2 REA Validation Services (REA VS) 1. Legal existence / legal status verification of entities applying for EU funding 2. Validates the appointment of Legal Entity Appointed Representatives (LEAR) 3. Financial Viability Checks 4. SME Validations* and SME ex-post checks 5. Validation of Legal Entities File and creation of Bank Accounts in cooperation with DG BUDG. 6. Validates legal changes requested by LEARs of validated entities. 7. Assesses Universal (Partial) Takeovers of validated entities

3 Registration of an organization (at proposal stage)

4 Registration of an organization (at proposal stage) Self-registrant Enters initial data during first registration Can edit data Uploads all documents required for validation via tab' of the Beneficiary Register Assigns other self-registrant roles via of the Participant Portal (PP). If a proposal is successfully evaluated, the registered data will be verified by REA Validation Services before the signature of the Grant Agreement

5 Validation Rules Validation of a Participant is done once, is valid for several programmes and it covers for the whole duration of the programme. Validation is always performed on the basis of supporting documents, in accordance to EU Financial regulation and H2020 rules. Validation is required for all beneficiaries and linked third parties. PICs of third parties, frequently included in the consortium during grant preparation, must be introduced in the Participant Portal Grant Management Service (PPGMS).

6 Validation Documents Legal entities form (template to be completed, dated, stamped and signed) VAT extract (< 6 months) If not registered for VAT proof of VAT exemption Registration extract (<6 months) for private law bodies Law/decree/decision for public law bodies Treaty for international organisations Statutes for non-profit organisations

7 Existence & independence of a legal entity Legal entity - any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law or international law, that has legal personality and that may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations. If the organisation does not have legal personality, it is validated only if it: has representatives who have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on its behalf and can offer guarantees for protecting the EU s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons If it does not meet the above criteria, it must use the PIC of the legal entity to which it is associated.

8 Legal Status Supporting documents define the legal status of the applicant. Why is the legal status so important? differences in terms of funding rates still remain for nonprofit entities programmes/calls may establish specific eligibility criteria (e.g. SME instrument) 'public bodies', 'international organisations' and 'higher/secondary education establishments' are by default exempted from the Financial Viability Check

9 Legal status Natural Person Private law body Public law body International organisation International organisation of European interest Secondary and higher education establishment Non-profit organisation Research organisation SME

10 LEAR role The LEAR appointment is mandatory for the signature of the GA. The LEAR: Notifies the EU of changes in legal data/status; Submits legal and financial documents if required; Nominates 'Account Administrators' and individuals authorised to sign: Grant agreements and amendments (Legal signatories i.e. LSIGN) Financial statements (Financial signatories, i.e. FSIGN) Informs own staff about the organisation's PIC

11 LEAR extended mandate documents 1. Letter of Appointment (duly signed by legal representative) 2. Roles and Duties (duly signed by both LEAR and legal representative) 3. Declaration of Consent (duly signed by legal representative) 4. Copy ID card of the LEAR 5. Copy ID card of the legal representative 6. Proof of empowerment of the legal representative Original signed forms (pdf copies and electronic signatures are NOT accepted) to be sent via postal mail to: Research Executive Agency-Validation Services COV2 13/132 B-1049 BRUSSELS, BE

12 LEAR appointment tips The LEAR's EU Login account needs to be linked to the PIC Name and in PP LEAR section shall match name and address of the linked EU Login account New LEAR or new = new EU Login account PIN code is usually sent by service-desk via postal mail Provide in the LEAR appointment form the mobile phone number of the LEAR, which will be used by the service-desk only to communicate the PIN code Urgent request for PIN code: send an to EC-Research- IT-helpdesk@ec.europa.eu,

13 GAP PROCESS OVERVIEW TTG TTI Call Deadline Invitation Letter GA Signature Submission EVALUATION Evaluation RANKING Ranking ERL Grant Preparation GAP Project Lifecycle Participants registration (temporary PIC) Validation

14 Legal validation/lear appointment workflow Validation Starts REA VS Request Registration documents POs contact the Beneficiary to request documents' upload REA VS sends reminders to the Beneficiary If the Beneficiary is non responsive PIC is set to "sleeping" status in the Beneficiary Register and REA VS informs the Operational Unit (POs) REA VS requests missing supporting documents Legal Validation + LEAR Extended Mandate Beneficiary replies? Yes Submission of documents is complete? No No Yes

15 Bank Accounts Search for available bank account(s) in Participant Portal Grant Management Service (PPGMS) when session is open. If no account exists, PPGMS displays explanatory message on how to request the validation of a BA Coordinator shall inform the LEAR to start BA entry request (upload of documents via the Beneficiary Register) REA VS will launch BA entry creation and inform LEAR when creation is completed Pdf copies are accepted. Original forms not required

16 Communication All communications to -and from- entities is exclusively managed through the Beneficiary Register of the Participant Portal Messages from the REA VS are also sent as to the participant (to the Self-Registrant(s) or the LEAR for valid entities). Please Check To reply, select andgotothe to follow-up REA VS requests, click on tab The and actions provides an overview of latest REA VS requests

17 Guidance Documents The egrants Manual and specific FAQs are published on the Participant Portal g/reference_docs.html#h2020-grants-manual-lev It includes a dedicated section on the legal and financial validation rules as well as the LEAR role and tasks.

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