European Collaboration Practical experiences of running a project with DG SANCO funding

Seminar Reykjavik September 2005

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European Collaboration

Practical experiences of running a project with DG SANCO funding

Meeting Public Health Institute of Iceland

23 September 2005

Georg Bröring

Senior advisor

NIGZ, AIDS & Mobility Europe


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Introduction

• Three elements of the presentation– Funding procedures

• Framework of funding• How to apply• How to manage the contract

– Networking at the European level• Being involved in networks• Running a network• Collaboration with other networks

– Structure of AIDS & Mobility Europe• History• National Focal Points• Financing the project

• A&M working plan (if requested)


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Funding procedures

• Framework: Decision by European Parliament– Programme of Community action in the field of

public health (2003-2008)– Workplan– http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/

ph_programme/programme_en.htm

• Policy context (e.g. in 2004): focus on

– Inequality

– Enlargement

– Best practice promotion

– Capacity and skills building

– EU CDC

– Continuity of support for key networks


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Funding procedures

• How to apply?– Develop a draft plan• According to EU priorities• According to (epidemiological)

evidence– Establish European added-value– Find partners (or confirm existing ones)– Formalise (in draft form) collaboration– Submit application– Negotiate, if necessary


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Funding procedures

• The Application form Part I: The story– Two page summary!– Aims & objectives– Tasks & time table– Deliverables, expected results– Community-added value– Consistency with EU work plan– Dissemination of results– Effectiveness of partnerships– Consistency of funding plan– Loads of appendices


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Funding procedures

• The Application form Part II: The money– The Budget• Fees (salaries etc.0• Travel and subsistence• Miscellaneous services• Administration• Unexpected costs

– Balance of EU and other funding

– Negotiate, if necessary


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Funding procedures

• Factors of success?– Evidence & data– Geography– Contacts – Quality of results– Good management– Visibility of EU– Politics– You never know…


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Funding procedures

• Managing the contract– In general max 60 % co-funding by EU– In general quite clear contracts• But procedures may change during

the project period• Clarity/detailed budget may lead to

limitations• There is (little) space for negotiation

– Make sub-contracting agreements– Interim (financial) reporting– Final (financial) report / audit– Pre- , Interim, Final payment


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Networking at European level

• Being involved in networks– Advantages• Access to information• Access to experiences• Access to contacts• Being aware of new trends• Motivating to share expertise• Achieve political support• International collaboration can be fun

and motivate for your work at home


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• Being involved in networks– Obstacles and concerns• ‘Transferability’ of experiences–Diversity in Europe limits the use

of the same approaches• Make the right choices, where to be

involved• Time investment often under-

estimated• Measuring output may be difficult


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• Running a network– Advantages• Visibility of your organisation• Access to expertise and contacts• Developing broader (over)view• Gaining management experience• International collaboration can be fun

and motivating for your work at home


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• Running a network– Obstacles and concerns• Financial risks– In preparation stage - > pre-

investment– In implementation stage - >

reliability of partners– In final stage - > financial

reporting• What if funding stops? –Staff? Project partners?

• Time investment often under-estimated• Bureaucracy


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• Running a network– Tasks of the supervisor• Process management–Guide the project from A -> B

• Define terms of collaboration• Develop project culture• Motivate partners–Cope with diversity of situations

and people• Quality control• Contacts with funding agencies• (Financial) reporting


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• Collaboration with other networks– EuroHealthNet

• General overview about Europen health issues

• Insider information• Support with agenda setting

– Tampep• Focussing on migrant prostitution

– Correlation• Focused on health and social inclusion

– Integration project• Focused on HIV in Central/Eastern Europe

– AIDS Action Europe• Focused on NGOs and advocacy


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Structure of AIDS & Mobility Europe

• History– Start in 1991• WHO review on ‘Migrants and

travellers’• Hosted by National AIDS Commission

of the Netherlands (NCAB)– 1992: start European funding• Pilot projects• Creating databases• Collaboration with selected European

countries on migration issues


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• 1995: Moving to NIGZ

• 1996: Creation of NFP network

– At the request of European Commission

– Changed position in the field

• 1996: In addition to primary prevention, care aspects became important

– Access to care

• 2004: Broadening

– Public Health Programme

– Enlargement

– Merging ‘AIDS & Mobility’ and ‘AIDS & Youth’


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• National Focal Points– Formal contacts and contracts with

organisations in the ‘old’ EU member states– Currently extended to the new member states

• Definition – A NFP is a set of functions additional to an existing

(unit of a) governmental or non-governmental body.

– It supports A&M and the EC in planning effective HIV/AIDS and STD prevention programmes addressing the needs of international mobile groups.

– It is a key information and exchange point and will take care of advocacy and networking on a national level.


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• Objectives of NFPs– To assess needs and problems of the mobile target

groups at a national level– To advocate the needs and problems of mobile

groups at a national and European level– To support the A&M coordinator in providing the EC

and member states with objective, reliable and comparable information at European level concerning target groups

– To improve the quality of European Health Promotion Programmes by coordinating their own national network and transmitting the necessary information for developing effective health promotion programmes

– To be aware of information, to gain access to this information and to interpret the information and where useful disseminate the information to relevant partners in the network

– Capacity development; to strengthen NGOs and CBOs


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• Tasks of NFPs – Collection and dissemination of information– Organising a national network in which all

mobile target groups are represented– Stimulating collaboration with other European

networks within the country itself– Stimulating collaboration between member

states (NFPs will function as interfaces between the European and the national level)

– Country coordination on HIV/AIDS & STDs and mobility issues

– Advocacy for themes which should be translated in national and European action plans


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• Role of NIGZ – Co-ordination of the network

• Motivating project partners• Supervising processes• Control quality

– Providing communication structures, i.e. website, newsletter etc.

– Advice • Towards policy makers• Towards health workers

– Responsible towards main funding agency (European Commission) re. contents and finances

– Reporting


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• Role of the European Commission – Evaluate A&M activities– Translate outcomes of the project into policies– Provide financial and technical support

• Agreements formulated in document formulated together with A&M partners and confirmed in sub-contracting agreement (agreement between ‘main beneficiary’ and ‘associated beneficiary’)


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• Challenges – Inclusion of communities

• NFP structure created distance between A&M and migrant populations

– Quality control• Few means of sanctions in case of non-

compliance– Responding to diversity in Europe

• More countries, more mobile populations, more issues

– Advocacy and agenda setting• Decision making processes have become

more complex• European policy development not easily

accessible


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The European partners

Documents

European Collaboration Practical experiences of running a project with DG SANCO funding