Transcript Slide 1

Applying for
Intelligent Energy – Europe
funding
How does it work?
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Planning your proposal – the critical path
GIVE DETAILED EXPLANATIONS IN YOUR PROPOSAL !
 Starting point - What is the existing situation ? What is the
problem to be solved ? What has been done so far, and by
whom ? Where do you come into the picture – and why ?
 Work packages - What exactly do you propose to do ?
 Results - What will be different when the project has ended ?
When you have finished, how will anyone know that you
have succeeded ? – monitor your impacts !
TARGET GROUP: Who do you need to influence / engage?
IMPACT: What measurable change will you achieve ?
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Result / impact indicators “SMART”
Indicators to measure the impact of your work:
“Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely”
For example:
 Increased 7% of solar collectors in EU to carry a new product
label
 Increased 10% of installers trained and certified in target regions
 Planning approval delays reduced from 2 to 1 year
 Audits leading to energy savings of 0,5 Mtoe per year in schools
 Increased 5% of cyclists in target cities
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Writing your proposal
“Help” in Application Forms and Proposers’ Guide
 Strong competition: you need a good idea !
 Be imaginative, start early ! It takes longer than you think !
 Easy to read? - evaluators assess it in ~2-4 hours. Have it read
by an outsider (no jargon, simple for non mother tongue readers)
 Respect limits of length, but give as much detail as possible in
each work package, and explain what each partner will actually
do, how (methodology), and what will be delivered
 Provide evidence of :
 the problem that you plan to address / solve (market failure),
 your expertise (strong CV’s),
 your co-financing (letters of support, with funding commitments),
 stakeholders who are committed to use the results (ideally they will
be partners or co-sponsors)
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Finding / choosing your partners
“Partner Search”
 Who will own, benefit
from, use, take
forward your results?
(eg architects, bankers,
local policy makers,
urban planners,
utilities, ESCO’s, social
housing companies,
installers)
 Also consult your
National Contact
Point (NCP) !
(see IEE website)
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« European added value of IEE projects»
Value generated by countries / cultures working
together:
Tackling barriers to the achievement of EU targets, by means of
real collaboration, interaction, reflection and learning across
countries / cultures, creating and sharing ideas together
 IEE projects add value to local, regional & national actions
 They cover the right countries – no rule ‘one fits all’: depending
on the scope of the action and its markets
 They offer high transferability – to other EU regions and/or with
trigger effects on regional / local level
 They have high visibility
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More thoughts on ‘European Added Value’
 Multi-cultural working is difficult and expensive, so it must really
deliver added value, with results which are transferable to others
 A consortium of partners from different countries is not enough
 Working in parallel in different countries is not enough
 Working on issues addressed by EU policies is not enough
 Remember: Comparatively small (<500k€) actions can
nevertheless have high added value and impacts at EU level
 Actions, which fit better at national or local level, because of
timescale, involvement of SME’s, intellectual property rights, etc,
should be excluded
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Communication is KEY
Your ideas and
solutions
X
Communication
and exchange
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Communication needs skills
Good communication
requires professional
know-how
Make sure you
have the skills
your project
needs
Communication
specialists in
your team
Subcontractors
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Key rules for granting support
 Funding of up to 75% of total eligible costs
 Flat Rate of 60% on staff costs to cover indirect costs
(“overheads”)
 No profit
Project implementation:
 Evidence required for staff costs (eg: copies of payslips)
 Evidence required for co-financing (own or 3rd party)
 Payment:
 30% 1st pre-financing at the start
 30% 2nd pre-financing at mid-term
 40% Final payment
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Cost sharing principle
Costs
 are not market prices, as no profit margin is allowed
 are very different among EU Member States
 Equal treatment means contributing with an equal share (%)
to the actual costs of organisations, not with an equal
absolut amount
Cost sharing:
 Maximum 75% paid by IEE based on provided evidence
 25% paid by contractor or through 3rd parties
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What kind of costs are eligible?
 Staff costs for collaborative working between partners and countries –
not too much for one partner or country
 Staff costs based on salary (from pay slips) + social charges (no profit
margin) – can be budgeted by staff category; to claimed only with
actual costs per person at the end of the project
 Sub-contracts to specialised professionals (communication,
translation, etc.), but not core tasks
 Meetings and travel – budget should be reasonable
 60% of staff costs for overheads
 Printing of brochures,
 No research or hardware costs
 Do realistic bottom up costing (mainly hours of work)
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Co-financing
Funding from EU tax payers must be justified –
who is interested in the project results?
Explain WHY your organisation is willing to cofinance the action – how will you use the results
after end of project
State clearly the status of negotiations in case of
an application for co-financing from a 3rd party
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Strengths of recent proposals
 Creative and convincing idea to tackle a market based problem or
to take an opportunity one step further (ie: an approach that fits)
 Demand driven with convincing commitments from market actors
(eg: industry) to use the results, well targeted dissemination plan
 Clear and precise awareness of the state of the art. Competitive
proposers present their experiences, and will start from there !
 Choice of partners and countries is clearly explained, and their
skills fit with the allocation of tasks in the work packages.
 Appropriate efforts estimated for each partner and each work
package throughout the proposal
 Co-financing is clear, and credible
 Realistic, but ambitious targets. Tailor-made communication plan
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Don’ts
 Don’t be too broad, don’t try to address the whole world with
one proposal – focus, and do one task very well.
 Don’t include a partner unless they are really needed and have
a clear role – what value will they add ?
 Don’t try to address a target group (eg: industry, planner, public
authority, fleet owner) without involving them
 Don’t ask to be paid to review information which is already
available – partners should know the field
 Don’t focus on policy texts! Explain the problem (market
failure) that you plan to address, and how you will do it.
 Don’t repeat “old” actions – be creative, convince the
evaluators that your exciting (cost-effective) idea will have a big
and measurable impact !
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IEE website as source of information

Details of >400 ongoing
IEE projects

Project database
(launch in March/April)

Intelligent Energy News

Calls for proposals &
how to apply

Guidelines for better
communication

Support for partners

Information on how to
implement a project

Contacts & help
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/index_en.html
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How will proposals be evaluated?
 Fair and equal treatment of all proposers:
Based on the criteria announced in the Call
Confidential process, no conflicts of interest
Independent external experts as advisers
 Three successive checks:
1. Eligibility criteria (yes/no)
2. Selection criteria (yes/no)
3. Award criteria (scores)
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Eligibility criteria
 Proposals must fulfil submission conditions (see Call)
 Partners must be legal persons from EU27, Croatia,
Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein (check IEE website)
 Number of project partners > 3 (1 for a new agency)
 Scope must fit Work Programme priorities
 Duration of projects 24 - 36 months (max)
 Partners must not be in any of the situations listed in
Article 93 (1) of the Financial Regulation
 Cannot be bankrupt or guilty of serious professional misconduct, or
engaged in illegal activities, etc.
 Partners must sign standard “declaration of the applicant”
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Selection criteria
 Applicants must show that they have the FINANCIAL
capacity to complete the action. Submit balance sheets
(not needed for public organisations)
 => YES or NO
 Applicants must show that they have the TECHNICAL
capacity to complete the action. Submit information on
key personnel (CV’s), description of organisation, previous
project experience, etc.)
 => YES or NO
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Award criteria
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Relevance of the action
Quality of the methodology
Community added value
Costs and co-financing
Management and
organisation of the team
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IEE Key documents
 Work Programme 2008
 detailing priorities and budgets for the year
 Call for Proposals 2008
 detailing evaluation criteria, announcing priorities and deadlines
 Application forms (special forms for new Agencies)
 Guide for Proposers (special guide for new Agencies)
Available after launch of the Call on IEE website :
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/index_en.html
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Budget 2008
Type
Budget
million €
Expected
number of
grants
Deadline for
submission
Projects
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Creation of
energy
Agencies
50-60
26 June
2008
17h00
2
8
Participating countries : EU 27 + NO, IS, LI, Croatia
Minimum
number of
proposers
Grants
At least 3
independent
organisations
from 3
participating
countries
Up to 75%
of eligible
costs
1 public
authority
Up to 75%
of eligible
costs
(max limit
of 250k€)
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Creation of new local / regional energy
agencies (special forms and proposers’ guide)
 Agency is energy focal point / coordinator for local community
 Proposals only from public authorities – deliver a public service
 New “not for profit” independent legal entity to be created within
6 months of signature, not an existing body, not “consultancy”
 EC support of 75% up to 250k€ (max) over 3 years
 All eligible agency costs are “direct” – no overheads
 Financial commitment from proposing authority, including a plan
for 5 years after EC funding ends (or pay it back !)
 Defined geographical area - no overlapping with other agencies,
population >200,000 (except islands and arctic regions)
 Partnerships with other agencies / organisations across EU to
disseminate EU knowledge / experience (help of Managenergy)
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NEW: Online application
Detailed budget
Part B
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Timeline : from proposal to signature of Grant Agreement
12 March
2008
Call for
proposals
26 June
2008
March 2009
Evaluation
Contract
of proposals negotiation
Project implementation
End of
November
2008
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Take another look at the IEE website :
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/index_en.html
Thank you for your attention !
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