Guidance Note for external applicants on applying for European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund Technical Assistance

Transcription

1 Guidance Note for external applicants on applying for European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund Technical Assistance March

2 What is Technical Assistance? Technical Assistance is funding drawn down from the European Commission to support the administration of European Structural and Investment Funds. It is match funded by contributions from applicants and partners. It will be used to ensure that the activities which fall within the scope of the European Regional Development Fund & European Social Fund Programmes are managed, monitored and evaluated in line with applicable law, including the Common Provisions Regulation, European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Regulations and the Commission s delegated and implementing regulations. The objective of Technical Assistance is to support the efficient and compliant management and implementation of the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Programmes, as well as support robust governance, accountability and partnership engagement. This will help to ensure that Programme performance targets are achieved and that the delivery of European Structural and Investment Fund projects, comply with applicable law. This guidance is based on provisions in the Regulations and our experience in dealing with the European Commission on previous Programmes. Who can apply for Technical Assistance? Public and voluntary sector bodies who are legally constituted and able to enter into a legally binding contract can apply for Technical Assistance funding. Applicant organisations include, but are not limited to: Local Authorities; Statutory and non-statutory publicly funded organisations/bodies; Universities; Voluntary/community organisations; Registered charities and Not for Profit organisations Individuals are not eligible to apply for European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Technical Assistance. It is not envisaged that private sector applicants would be eligible to apply for Technical Assistance on the basis that no profit can be made from the fund. If the applicant has been involved in the delivery of previous European grants and any irregularities with this/these grant(s) have been identified, the Managing 2

3 Authorities - the Department for Communities and Local Government for the European Regional Development Fund and the Department for Works and Pensions for the European Social Fund - will look into these and expect to see how and what steps have been taken to ensure that these have been addressed to mitigate the risk of further irregularities in the future. What activities can be funded through Technical Assistance? The list below is not exhaustive, but gives a good indication of the type of Technical Assistance activities which the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Managing Authorities would be prepared to support. Project Development and Capacity Building [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund (non-opt-in*)] Technical Assistance will support project development and ensure that management bodies, staff, partners, applicants and suppliers are aware of their responsibilities and what s required of them. Through the calls for proposals and appraisals the Managing Authorities will ensure that only relevant projects are supported with Technical Assistance. Examples of actions which may be supported through Project Development and Capacity building are: European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund advisory support to project applicants on an organisational, or sector led basis, to promote the design and development of compliant projects during the outline application stage of the business process model. This can relate to part funding promotional material, resources and activities and the salary costs of individual(s) where added value can be demonstrated [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund]; Where appropriate, offer continued advisory support for projects which have passed the outline application stage and are moving to the full application stage of the business process, where it can be clearly demonstrated that the activities to be undertaken would not duplicate the functions of the managing authority, be eligible for funding and add value - This can relate to partfunding promotional material, resources and activities and the salary costs of individual(s) who are supporting the Managing Authority in ensuring that projects continue to be compliant i.e. that they have the correct systems in place [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund]; 3

4 Start-up costs for Financial Instruments[European Regional Development Fund]; Undertake feasibility work which looks at the viability of activities (possibly those which will have an impact at Local Enterprise Partnership area level/programme level) across a particular thematic and/ or geographical area this will be in exceptional circumstances only, applicants will need to clearly demonstrate why this activity cannot be supported through the relevant Priority Axes [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund]; Support for Civil Society networks to support the participation of voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in the programme [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund]; Preparatory support for Local Action Groups for the development of Local Development Strategies [European Regional Development Fund]; For Opt-In organisations, Technical Assistance can be used to support those additional activities which are over and above those already in place to meet the selection criteria for the award of Co-Financing Organisation status e.g. new management information system applications, relating to the new reporting requirements (on top of minimum regulatory requirements) or activities not identified at the start of the programme which require specific guidance or training [European Social Fund]. Sustainable Urban Development [European Regional Development Fund] A percentage of the European Regional Development Fund Programme has been set aside to support integrated actions for Sustainable Urban Development, where urban authorities are responsible for tasks related to the selection of operations. In addition to London which will have a wide range of tasks delegated to it a number of core cities will have limited Intermediate Body status with delegation limited to tasks relating to the selection of operations in line with Article 125 (3) a) and b) and as such can apply for Technical Assistance to support the delivery of these tasks which is around: 4

5 Applying appropriate approved selection procedures and criteria which ensures that projects coming forward for funding are eligible and contribute to the achievement of the specific Sustainable Urban Development objectives and results, are non-discriminatory and transparent and take into account the principles of the cross cutting themes, promotion of equality and sustainable development and Support for implementing and managing Sustainable Urban Development Advisory Committees. As an Intermediate Body with delegated functions, Core Cities do not have to wait for a Technical Assistance call to submit an application for funding based on the above criteria. Promote and Publicise Funds from a local or national perspective [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund] Publicity is an integral part of the programming strategy and the Managing Authorities will ensure that the activities and benefits of the funds are communicated to the wider public. To help achieve this, Communication Strategies will be established for both the European Regional Development Fund Programme and the European Social Fund Programme to be approved by the Growth Programme Board (Programme Monitoring Committee). The delivery of the strategies will be led by the Managing Authorities with support from the Intermediate Bodies, Opt-In organisations, the National Offender Management Service and other national and local partners (who will have a key role to play in contributing to the strategies implementation). All projects will be required to comply with the publicity requirements of the European Union regulations. Technical Assistance will be used to support Programme information and publicity through: Supporting partners in raising awareness and communicating programme and project activities through in-person and online network exchanges, newsletters, case studies other means of communication and across Local Enterprise Partnership area boundaries; Promoting cooperation, networking and exchange of best practice which could include sharing of best practice between Local Enterprise Partnership areas as well as other European Union funding programmes and Use of promotional events such as seminars, conferences and road shows to launch the programme, publicise bidding rounds, showcase European 5

6 Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund achievements and disseminate good practice. What activities cannot be supported through Technical Assistance [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund]? The list of activities which will not be supported is not exhaustive but gives a good indication of the type of Technical Assistance activities which the European Regional Development Fund & European Social Fund Managing Authorities would not look to support. Activities which are not directly related to the delivery of the European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund ; General organisational administrative support; The coordination and management of European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund activities through Local Enterprise Partnerships / European Structural and Investment Fund committees and Using European Regional Development Fund Technical Assistance for European Social Fund related activities and vice versa. Outputs and Results The Outputs and Results expected to be delivered against the Technical Assistance budgets for both the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund in relation to external applications can be viewed in Annex A. How can Technical Assistance funding be accessed? All calls for Technical Assistance will be publicised on the GOV.UK website at All applicants must complete an outline application which will be checked for eligibility by the Managing Authorities through a gateway review process. Applicants will require a user ID and password in order to access the Logasnet system. Details on how to register on the system can be found on the GOV.UK website call pages at Logasnet can be accessed at For those applicants wishing to apply for both European Regional Development Fund 6

7 and European Social Fund Technical Assistance a separate application will need to be completed for each. In addition where applications span more than one category of region the costs, outputs and results will need to be apportioned. Local Enterprise Partnership Area, Technical Assistance Applications [European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund (non- Opt-In)] Individual outline and full applications relating to a single Local Enterprise Partnership area will be assessed by the Managing Authority. The local European Structural and Investment Fund committee will be asked to provide advice on local economic growth conditions and opportunities within the context of Operational Programmes and the local European Structural and Investment Funds Strategy to aid the Managing Authority s assessment at outline and full application stage. The Managing Authorities will make the final decision and if successful a formal offer of grant will be made. If the outline application covers more than one Local Enterprise Partnership area (but not the whole of England) a response across Local Enterprise Partnership area European Structural and Investment Fund committees will be coordinated by the Managing Authorities. National Technical Assistance Applications [European Regional Development Fund & European Social Fund (non- Opt-In)] If the outline application is a national application (i.e. covers the whole of England) a Technical Assistance Advisory group will be asked to provide an opinion to aid its assessment. The Technical Assistance Advisory group will liaise with all of the Growth Delivery Teams and European Social Fund teams to ensure that the proposal is not duplicating any existing activities and adds value. The relevant sub-committee of the Growth Programme Board (Programme Monitoring Committee) may also be asked for an opinion. If the Managing Authority decides to invite the applicant to submit a full application, this will be formally appraised by the relevant Managing Authority and if successful a formal offer of grant will be made. The Logasnet system referred to above is a temporary IT system which is being used by the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Managing Authorities during this first call for applications. There are relevant sections which relate to local European Structural and Investment Fund strategies, but there is not a specific Technical Assistance section. There is however, a comments box where applicants can add additional comments if they wish. If the applicant is invited to submit a full application it will be considered through the formal 7

8 project appraisal process undertaken by the relevant Managing Authority and if successful, the project will be issued with a formal offer of grant. Match funding The contribution from the European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund, finances only part of the eligible costs of a project. The funding for the remaining eligible costs (known as match funding) must come from the applicants and any delivery partners own resources, or from a range of organisations. The match funding must be identified and secured by the applicant during the application process and be available to deliver the specified project activity. The minimum amount of match funding required may vary depending on where the project is being delivered. The intervention rate will be specified in the call documentation and will be set out in the funding agreement. The funding for eligible staff costs can be included as match funding but only where the employing organisation is the applicant or a delivery partner included in the funding agreement. For European Regional Development Fund Technical Assistance projects, the use of unpaid work or a valuation of staff time, as a contribution in kind is not allowed to count as match funding. However, For European Social Fund projects volunteer time will be considered as match funding on an exceptional basis. Timesheets Where salary costs are being claimed through European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund Technical Assistance budgets, a time sheet will need to be completed by the relevant members of staff, to ensure that the claims being submitted through the Technical Assistance project only capture eligible activities (please see above). The Managing Authorities have developed a timesheet which applicants may wish to use as a guide only. This is not mandatory given that many organisations already have effective time recording systems in place. The timesheet can be viewed at Can Technical Assistance be claimed retrospectively? Retrospective expenditure can only be claimed from the point at which the outline application is accepted into either the European Regional Development Fund or European Social Fund Programme and a full application invited. Each case will be considered on an individual basis please see full details in the eligibility guidance 8

9 at For how long will Technical Assistance projects be funded? European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Technical Assistance projects will initially be funded for a maximum of three years. Contact Details General Technical Assistance policy Sharon Shattock sharon.shattock@communities.gsi.gov.uk Local Growth Delivery Team contacts for the European Regional Development Fund can be found in Annex B. European Social Fund contacts covering Local Enterprise Partnership Areas can be found in Annex C. The Greater London Authority are an Intermediate Body delivering the London element of the English European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Programmes and will appraise London European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund Technical Assistance applications. *Opt-In organisations are organisations such as the Skills Funding Agency, the Department for Works and Pensions and the Big Lottery. These organisations will deliver the majority of the European Social Fund Programme. Organisations who are not one of these organisations are classed as non-opt-in organisations for the purposes of applying for Technical Assistance funding. 9

10 Annex A Technical Assistance Output and Results Indicators Code Indicator Description Indicator Type ER/T/O/01 Number of projects supported to submit an application. Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/02 Number of training events held by the managing authority and or partners. Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/03 Number of attendees at training events part funded by Technical Assistance. Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/04 Number of dissemination events held. Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/05 Number of attendees at dissemination events part funded by Technical Assistance. Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/06 Number of evaluations undertaken by applicants. Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/07 Number of evaluations carried out by Managing Authority Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/08 Number of Managing Authority employees (FTE years) whose salaries are co-financed by Technical Assistance Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/09 Percentage of annual expenditure checked through on the spot verifications Output European Regional Development Fund ER/T/O/10 Number of Programme Monitoring Committee and subcommittee meetings supported Result European Regional Development Fund ER/T/R/01 Number of Technical Assistance project supported applications that are approved. Result European Regional Development Fund ER/T/R/02 Number of evaluations where the results are used to inform future projects Result European Regional Development Fund ER/T/R/03 Number of attendees who found the training useful. Result European Regional Development Fund ER/T/R/04 Number of attendees who found the dissemination event useful. Result European Regional Development Fund Fund 10

11 ER/T/R/05 Percentage points the programme Error Rate is below the 2% threshold Result European Regional Development Fund ER/T/R/06 Number of evaluations where recommendations to modify policy or processes have been implemented Result European Regional Development Fund ES/T/O/01 Number of evaluations undertaken by applicants. Output European Social Fund ES/T/O/02 Number of publications produced and communication events held. Output European Social Fund ES/T/O/03 Number of Managing Authority staff part funded by Technical Assistance Output European Social Fund ES/T/R/01 Completion of evaluation strategy. Result European Social Fund ES/T/R/02 Completion of communications strategy. Result European Social Fund 11

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13 Annex B - Local Growth Delivery Team contacts for the European Regional Development Fund Local Enterprise Partnerships Name Contact Details Address North East Tees Valley Leeds City Region York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Humber Sheffield City Region Lesley Calder lesley.calder@communities.gsi.gov.uk Cumbria Liverpool City Region Greater Manchester Lancashire Cheshire and Warrington Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire The Marches Black Country Coventry and Warwickshire Worcestershire Greater Birmingham and Solihull Greater Lincolnshire Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (D2N2) Leicester and Leicestershire Northamptonshire South East Midlands Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Coast to Capital Solent David Read Mark Foley Graham Watt david.read@communities.gsi.gov.uk mark.foley@communities.gsi.gov.uk graham.watt@communities.gsi.gov.uk Citygate Gallowgate Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Tyne & Wear NE1 4WH Apley House Brandwood Boulevard Warrington WA37Q 5 St Philips Place Colmore Row Birmingham B3 2PW Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London

14 Enterprise M3 Oxfordshire Thames Valley Berkshire New Anglia Hertfordshire Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough South East West of England Swindon and Wiltshire Gloucestershire Dorset Heart of the South West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Astrid Jenkins Tricia Allen London Alex Conway Greater London SW1P 4DF Eastbrook Shaftesbury Road Cambridge CB2 8DR 2 Riverside Temple Quay Bristol BS1 6EH City Hall The Queen s Walk London SE1 2AA 14

15 Annex C - European Social Fund contacts covering Local Enterprise Partnership Areas Local Enterprise Partnership South West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Heart of the South West DWP CONTACT European Social Fund DIVISION Philip Charlesworth Ian Chapman philip.charlesworth@dwp.gsi.gov.uk ian.chapman@dwp.gsi.gov.uk West of England Hanna Haas hanna.haas@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Gloucestershire Angus Gray angus.gray@dwp.gsi.gov.uk ADDRESS and PHONE Fortescue 2, Ground Floor, Crownhill Court, Tailyour Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 5UE nd floor Rockingham House, West St, First Floor Zone E, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street,

16 Swindon and Wiltshire Hanna Haas Dorset Janet Downes North West Cheshire and Warrington Jon Trott Cumbria Steve Briggs Greater Manchester Angus Gray Lancashire Jon Trott Liverpool City Region Angus Gray First Floor Zone E, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, Rockingham House, West Street, or Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, or Rockingham House, West Street, or Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, or

17 South East Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Steve Briggs Oxfordshire Jon Trott Solent Annette Warrick Thames Valley Berkshire Steve Briggs Enterprise M3 Hanna Haas Coast to Capital Annette Warrick East Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, Rockingham House, West Street, or Area E, 1st Floor, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA Phone +44 (0) Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, First Floor Zone E, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA Area E, 1st Floor, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA +44 (0)

18 Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough Ian Chapman Hertfordshire Mark Hill New Anglia Steve Briggs South East Hanna Haas London London Angus Gray Midlands 2nd floor Rockingham House, West St, nd floor Rockingham House, West St, Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, First Floor Zone E, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street, or

19 Black Country Pete Long Coventry and Warwickshire Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Greater Birmingham and Solihull Leicester and Leicestershire Pete Long Amrik Singh Pete Long Amrik Singh Greater Lincolnshire Amrik Singh DWP Mail Opening Unit, Birmingham BC, St Stephens Street, Birmingham, B99 1AR DWP Mail Opening Unit, Birmingham BC, St Stephens Street, Birmingham, B99 1AR Level 4, Jobcentre Plus, 60 Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6DS or DWP Mail Opening Unit, Birmingham BC, St Stephens Street, Birmingham, B99 1AR Level 4, Jobcentre Plus, 60 Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6DS or Level 4, Jobcentre Plus, 60 Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6DS or

20 The Marches Pete Long Northamptonshire Amrik Singh South East Midlands Amrik Singh Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Pete Long Worcestershire Pete Long North East North Eastern James Ritchie DWP Mail Opening Unit, Birmingham BC, St Stephens Street, Birmingham, B99 1AR Level 4, Jobcentre Plus, 60 Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6DS or Level 4, Jobcentre Plus, 60 Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6DS or DWP Mail Opening Unit, Birmingham BC, St Stephens Street, Birmingham, B99 1AR DWP Mail Opening Unit, Birmingham BC, St Stephens Street, Birmingham, B99 1AR nd floor Rockingham House, West St,

21 Tees Valley Mark Self Yorkshire and Humber Sheffield City Region Ian Chapman Leeds City Region Ian Chapman Humber Mark Self York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Janet Downes 2nd floor Rockingham House, West St, nd floor Rockingham House, West St, nd floor Rockingham House, West St, nd floor Rockingham House, West St, Level 2, Rockingham House, West Street,