NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual

Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013

Programme Manual

Version 6

Update August 2009

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual

ii

Preface This Programme Manual is intended for project applicants and Lead Partners in the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. It aims to offer guidance and instructions for all stages of the project lifecycle - from the preparation of the application to the implementation, monitoring, reporting and finalisation of an NPP project. The Manual is divided into 4 parts: Part 1: How to Apply Part 2: How to Implement an NPP Project Part 3: How to Close an NPP Project Part 4: Common Eligibility Rules In the rest of this cover document, you can find contact details for the relevant programme bodies and a list of changes made to the different versions of the Programme Manual. The Programme Manual is designed to complement the Operational Programme for the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. The Operational Programme is a reference document that provides background information on the policy framework for the Programme and outlines the main strategy in the context of the specific developmental challenges in the programme area. The Programme Manual is part of an Application Pack, which includes the following additional documents:

Application Form (Parts 1-2 in Word and Part 3 in Excel format) Application Instructions (a guide for completing the application form)

All of these documents can be downloaded from the programme website: www.northernperiphery.eu Copenhagen, January 2009

http://www.northernperiphery.eu/�


iii

Table of Contents

Preface ..................................................................................................................................... ii

Programme Bodies .................................................................................................................. iv

Programme Secretariat .................................................................................................................................... iv Regional Contact Points .................................................................................................................................. iv Other Programme Bodies ................................................................................................................................ iv

Contact Details ..................................................................................................................................................... v NPP Secretariat ................................................................................................................................................. v Regional Contact Points .................................................................................................................................. vi

List of Changes ........................................................................................................................ vii

Versions ........................................................................................................................................................... vii


iv

Programme Bodies The programme is managed and supported by a series of different bodies that are responsible for administering the programme and assisting projects. If you are interested in applying for a project or running a project, it cannot be emphasised enough how useful it is to consult the Secretariat and the RCPs as they are valuable sources of information and support. Contact details for the Programme Secretariat and the Regional Contact Points can be found below and on the programme website: www.northernperiphery.eu.

Programme Secretariat The Northern Periphery Programme Secretariat (Secretariat) carries out the day-to-day operational administration of the programme. The Secretariat consists of a small team based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Secretariat is happy to assist with any queries regarding project ideas, partnerships, draft applications, project management, etc. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult and involve the Secretariat in the development of their projects. The Secretariat works in close cooperation with the Regional Contact Points.

Regional Contact Points The Northern Periphery Programme covers a large geographical area and each of the participating partner countries has a Regional Contact Point (RCP), which is a local source of advice and information on the programme. The RCPs work in close cooperation with the Secretariat and have expertise and knowledge on how to develop and manage a transnational project. They also hold programme events throughout the year. This is why it is always worthwhile to consult your RCP in the planning and implementation of your project.

Other Programme Bodies Managing Authority (MA) The MA is the body formally responsible for managing the programme on behalf of the participating partner countries. It is the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten based in Umeå, Sweden. The MA issues the Grant Offer and signs the contracts on behalf of the programme. The MA also plays an important role in the financial claim process for project partners, where the MA must make sure that all project expenditure has been adequately checked and validated by the financial controllers before it can be authorised for payment by the Certifying Authority. Project partners may also come into contact with the Certifying Authority and Audit Authority.

Certifying Authority (CA) The Certifying Authority is the body that actually handles the transfer of payments to projects and makes the claim to the European Commission. It is the Economy Unit of the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten in Umeå, Sweden.

Audit Authority (AA) The Audit Authority is responsible for sample checks of projects to ensure compliance with the necessary rules and regulations. It is the Swedish National Financial Management Authority (Ekonomistyrningsverket - ESV).



v

Further information on the claims and payment procedure will be provided at a later stage in Part 2 of this Programme Manual.

Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) The PMC is in charge of supervising the programme and its overall task is to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the programme's implementation. The PMC is also responsible for the assessment and approval of project applications. Each country involved in the programme is represented on the committee and decisions are made by consensus.

Programme Management Group (PMG) A Programme Management Group has been set up to support and assist the PMC, the MA and CA as well as the Programme Secretariat in carrying out their tasks, especially those related to the administration of ERDF funds. It also facilitates contacts and the flow of information between programme partners.

Regional Advisory Groups (RAGs) RAGs have been established in each programme partner country. These groups have an advisory role in the assessment procedure of project applications. RAGs consider the suitability and priority of project applications from a regional perspective and make a recommendation on whether or not to support the project. Their input is used in the Secretariat’s decision proposal to the PMC before it takes a final decision on the project application. The members of the RAGs have different fields of expertise upon which they base their recommendations. The RAGs also promote and facilitate project development.

Contact Details

NPP Secretariat Strandgade 91, 4. sal DK-1401 Copenhagen K Denmark

Tel +45 3283 3784 Fax +45 3283 3775 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.northernperiphery.eu

Mr. Niclas Forsling Head of Secretariat Tel +45 3283 3786 E-mail: [email protected]

Ms. Maxi Nachtigall Project Officer Tel +45 3283 3785 E-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Christopher Parker Programme Manager for Project Development Support Tel +45 3283 3782 E-mail: [email protected]

Ms. Kirsti Mijnhijmer Programme Manager for Information & Communication Tel +45 3283 3784 E-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]�







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Regional Contact Points

Faroe Islands Finland Mr. Jákup Sørensen NORA (Nordisk Atlantsamarbejde) Box 259, Bryggjubakki 12 FO-110 Tórshavn Tel +298 30 69 94 Fax +298 35 31 01 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nora.fo

Ms. Paula Mikkola Regional Council of Lapland P.O.Box 8056 FIN-96101 Rovaniemi Tel +358 16 2114 324 Fax +358 16 318 705 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.lapinliitto.fi

Greenland Iceland Mr. Mr. Jan Mørch Pedersen Greenland Tourism and Business Council P.O. Box 1615, Hans Egedesvej 29 3900 Nuuk Tel +299 342 827 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.greenland.com

Mr. Þórarinn Sólmundarson Institute of Regional Development in Iceland - Byggðastofnun Ártorg 1 IS-550 Sauðárkrókur Tel +354 455 5400 Fax +354 455 4477 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.byggdastofnun.is

Ireland Northern Ireland Mr. Michael O'Brien BMW Regional Assembly The Square Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon Tel +353 94 9862 970 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bmwassembly.ie

Ms. Teresa Lennon Special EU Programmes Body - SEUPB EU House, 6 Cromac Place BT7 2JB Belfast Tel +44 28 90 266723 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.seupb.eu

Norway Scotland Ms. Greta Johansen Landsdelsutvalget Sjøgata 3 NO-8002 Bodø Tel +47 75 50 34 20 Fax +47 75 52 67 25 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.lu.no

Ms. Denise Pirie Highlands & Islands Enterprise Cowan House, Inverness Retail & Business Park IV2 7GF Inverness Scotland Tel +44 01463 244252 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.hient.co.uk

Sweden Mr. Bernt Vedin Region Västerbotten Box 443, Norrlandsgatan 13 SE-901 09 Umeå Tel +46 90 16 37 17 Fax +46 90 77 05 91 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.regionvasterbotten.se

Please check the website for the most up-to-date contact details: www.northernperiphery.eu


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vii

List of Changes In this section you can find an overview of the changes made to the Programme Manual each time it has been updated since the first public version of the Programme Manual, version 2.

Versions • Version 2 of the Programme Manual was finalised at the start of the First Call for Applications in

October 2007.

• Based on the applications received in the first round, it was felt that certain sections needed to be clarified further for the second call for applications. In parallel, the application form and the application instructions have been updated. Version 3 was finalised for the opening of the Second Call for Applications in January 2008.

• Based on the applications received in the second round, it was felt that a better explanation of a good

partnership constellation was needed. In addition, a text was added to explain that pure research projects do not fit with the NPP 2007-2013 objectives. In the explanation of sustainable development the strong focus on environmental impacts was reduced.

In addition, to improve readability, the chapter order was revised and a number of sections were moved to the cover document. The text was made in line with the information available on the programme website and made more concise. Also, number of updates was made the application form. Version 4 was published in August 2008.

• On 1st October 2008, the Progress Reporting package and Preparatory Final Report package were

made available on the programme website. This coincided with the end of the first reporting round on 30th September for projects approved under the First Call.

To provide instructions for these reporting packages, two new parts were added to the Programme Manual: Part 2 How to Implement an NPP Project and Part 3 How to Close an NPP Project. In addition, a list of National Controllers was added as Annex I. Version 5 was launched on 3 October 2008.

• In connection to the launch of the Fourth Call, Part 1 of the Programme Manual was updated to reflect a number of PMC decision and to respond to a questionnaire among Third Call applicants. Version 6 was launched in January 2009 and minor updates were made in February, July and August 2009. In connection to the end of the second reporting period on 31st March 2009, the claim procedure in Parts 2 and 3 was updated to reflect agreements made among the National Controllers. The reporting package was also updated as a consequence.

A more detailed overview of changes to the different parts of the Programme Manual and related templates can be found in the table below.


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Table 1 Changes to NPP2007-2013 Programme Manual and related templates

Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out Cover document Version 4, August 2008 Newly created: This part explains the different

programme bodies and includes contact details for the Programme Secretariat and Regional Contact Points. It also gives an overview of changes to the Programme Manual document.

None

Version 5, October 2008 Preface rewritten to reflect newly added Part 2 and Part 3.

New cover page Use of updated NPP logo

and EU flag Individual table of

contents Version 6, January 2009 None Reformatted table of

changes Part 1: How to Apply Version 2, October 2007 Newly published: This part contains information

about the NPP 2007-2013 and practical guidance for applicants on how to develop a good quality application.

Version 3, March 2008 Wording paraphrased and made more concise Contact details updated Additional information on work packages (moved

from application instructions to programme manual) Additional information on funding sources Additional information on new requirements for

match funding statements Additional information on how to put common costs

into the budget table External Communication:

o Extra emphasis on wide dissemination o Extra emphasis on demonstrating a clear

link between target audiences and chosen methods.

o Extra requirement to provide a timeframe for the communication strategy covering the entire project lifespan and beyond.

Updates to the eligibility and selection criteria in line with the decisions taken at the PMC meeting in December 2007.

Structure of chapters revised

Figure with NPP concepts (Operational Programme) added to section about core and key concepts

Version 4, August 2008 Preface rewritten to reflect revised Part 1 and the development of Part 2

Added new Norwegian grant rate of 30% Added NPP vision in the introduction of the 2

priorities In the section on added value, a text was added to

explain that pure research projects do not fit with the NPP 2007-2013 objectives.

The section on environmental impacts was replaced with an explanation of all 3 aspects of sustainable development.

Added guidance on an appropriate partnership constellation

Added information that Swedish 1st level control is free of charge

Added new communication indicators Revised text on communication strategy to include

an indicative budget size for promotion The application procedure for preparatory projects

Overall document changed to fit with NPP Visual Guidelines

Picture added to explain structure Part 1

Chapter order revised Sections Preface,

Programme Bodies and Contacts moved to a separate Cover Document

References to chapters updated

List of changes added Wording made more

concise Updated information

regarding the Scottish RCP


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Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out was updated with the information on the focused call.

The wording “PMC recommendation” was changed to “PMC decision”.

The text was made in line with the information available on the programme website and made more concise.

Version 5, October 2008 None New cover page

Use of updated NPP logo and EU flag

Individual table of contents

Version 6, January-April 2009

Clarified purpose of preparatory projects to commit project partners to the project: joint staffing and joint financing

Under preparatory projects: Added the possibility of a project period of up to 1 year and a project budget of up to €37 500

In section 5.1, preparatory project application procedure: Updated the structure to match section 5.2 on the main project application procedure. Added information about focused and special calls.

In section 5.2 on the main project application procedure: added an explanation about the admissibility check: “Before deeming an application inadmissible, the Programme Secretariat will discuss the case with the Lead Partner Applicant concerned”

In section 3.3 about added value: Added information to explain transnational products and services. Further underlined viability after the funding ends.

Under LP responsibilities: added “Ensuring that the certified expenditures for all partners are matching activities outlined in the approved application and any other decisions.”

In section 4.5 Communication: Underlined that failure to comply with EU publicity requirements can lead to cuts in funding, even a flat rate cut of 2%.

Moved the explanation of not allowing cross-border partnerships to section 3.3, the core concept of transnationality.

None

Part 2: How to Implement Version 5, October 2008 Newly created: This part contains instructions for

project managers on different project implementation procedures, such as compiling a Progress Report, requesting changes and publicity requirements.

None


The term National Controller was replaced by First Level Controller where relevant.

The description of the Activity Report was updated to reflect changes to the template.

In agreement with FLC recommendations, the list of supporting evidence was extended with a Partner Activity Report, a Transaction List, the latest decision, a partner Publicity Folder and all evidence related to tenders. The flowchart was updated in accordance.

The policeman role of the Lead Partner was underlined, explaining that Lead Partners are responsible for checking that partner costs are related to eligible activities.

Regarding match funding, it was further underlined

None


x

Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out that match funding needs to be paid and certified before co-financing can be paid, that match funding shares following the pace of project implementation, and that actual costs are claimed in the case of in kind contributions. It was also explained that project partners can temporarily replace match funding from other sources.

The importance of complying with publicity requirements was further underlined.

It was further underlined that the Programme may charge a participant’s fee for attendance to mandatory NPP events.

Replaced instructions on certifying common costs with a reference to a separate instruction document issued by the Managing Authority

Part 3: How to Close Version 5, October 2008 Newly created: For the time being it contains

instructions for compiling a Preparatory Project Final Report. Eventually, it will include instructions for closing a main project.

None


The term National Controller was replaced by First Level Controller where relevant.

In agreement with FLC recommendations, the list of supporting evidence was extended with a Partner Activity Report, a Transaction List, the latest decision, a partner Publicity Folder and all evidence related to tenders. The flowchart was updated in accordance.

The policeman role of the Lead Partner was underlined, explaining that Lead Partners are responsible for checking that partner costs are related to eligible activities.

Regarding match funding, it was further underlined that match funding needs to be paid and certified before co-financing can be paid, that match funding shares following the pace of project implementation, and that actual costs are claimed in the case of in kind contributions. It was also explained that project partners can temporarily replace match funding from other sources.

Replaced instructions on certifying common costs with a reference to a separate instruction document issued by the Managing Authority

None

Part 4: Common Eligibility Rules

Version 2, October 2007 None None Version 3, March 2008 None None Version 4, August 2008 None The reference to contact

details was updated and numbering made more consistent.

Version 5, October 2008 None New cover page Use of updated NPP logo

and EU flag Individual table of

contents Version 6, February 2009 Corrected item 5.2.c in the detailed list of costs

allowed under proportional office costs. Replaced the text “Premises costs as outlined in 4.a according to

None


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Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out the m2 space used for project activities” with “Premises costs such as rent, heat, light, water and service charges”.

Annex I: National Controllers

Version 5, October 2008 Newly created: This part contains a list of National Controllers appointed by each programme partner country so far.

November 2008: Updated information regarding the list of Norwegian first level controllers and instructions for Norwegian partners.

None

Version 6, February 2009 List of Greenlandic first level controllers updated. None Version 6, July 2009 Change of Faroese national controller. None Version 6, August 2009 Updated link to list of Norwegian first level controllers None Application Pack – main Version 1, October 2007 Newly created: The pack consists of Application

Form Parts 1 and 2 in Word, Part 3 in Excel. In addition, a match funding commitment template as an annex, Application Instructions and a Partnership Agreement template.

None

Version 2, January 2008 New annex: budget breakdown template per partner. None Version 3, August 2008 Application Form:

o Part 1: question 3.5 added about synergies or experience drawn from other EU funded projects.

o Part 3: Project budget breakdown and Match funding commitment templates included in the form

o Part 3: Fields added for municipality, legal status and total project grant rates.

Project budget breakdown: field added for number of hotel nights.

Application Instructions: o Updated according to new additions

application form and dates third call. o It was emphasised that applicants are

expected to demonstrate logical connections between different parts of the application form.

Match funding commitment: On the template, the text “national match funding” has been replaced by “public match funding”.

Application Form Part 3: Errors taken out of Excel form

Version 4, January 2009 Application Form Part 1, Section 8 and Part 3: updated the years in the budget tables.

Application Instructions: o Wording paraphrased and made more

concise o Updated references to the 4th call o Synchronised text on what constitutes an

eligible application with the Programme Manual

o Added clarification about blue ink signatures o Added reference to field legal status

Application Instructions updated to the NPP Visual Guidelines.

Application Pack – preparatory

Version 1, June 2007 Newly created: The pack consists of an Application Form and Guidance, including financial tables both in the document and as a separate Excel file. In addition, a match funding commitment template as

None


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Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out an annex.

Version 2, September 2008 The PMC decided to launch a Focused Call from 1 September 2008 to address themes not yet covered.

Changes: o Added list of the focused call themes o Added question 8 "Products and services to

be developed" o Replaced region with municipality/region o Updated guidance:

added information about national controllers and the final report

added themes of the focused call updated the application procedure

and added step Grant Offer o Added references to Programme Manual

and Common Eligibility Rules (instead of OP and Commission Regulations)

o Updated financial table numbers (13 +14)

The form was updated to match the NPP Visual Guidelines.

Version 3, October 2008 The Programme Secretariat decided to change the application form in order to improve the quality of preparatory project applications.

Changes: o Added an extra question about intended

partnership constellation (question 12). Projects should describe the profile of the partnership they are looking for. They have to be as specific as possible about organisational type, expertise and location.

o Added reference to assistance with partner search after approval

o Added text on appropriate partnership constellation as Annex I

None

Version 4, January 2009 The PMC decided to narrow the focus of the call to the remaining 5 themes not yet addressed from 19th January 2009.

Changes: o Added the themes of the new focused call o Synchronised text on submitting an

application with the Application Instructions for main projects

o Changed the order of questions 11 and 12 o Updated the reference to first level control

on the Lead Partner form o Changed the guidance on question 4, the

target area, meaning where project activities will take place.

o Changed the guidance for question 2 to explain that the project activities must be finalised before the project’s end date, meaning that compiling the final report is not included in this period.

None

Version 5, January 2009 The PMC decided to launch an initiative for 1-year preparatory projects, opening on 19th January 2009 and closing on 1st March 2010. The initiative includes additional funding of up to €22 500 and the condition that projects attend a main project development workshop.

Changes: o Updated references to maximum funding

and lifetime

None


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Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out o Added the themes of the new focused call o Added the requirement to meet with the PS

for main project development workshop o Synchronised text on submitting an

application with the Application Instructions for main projects

o Changed the order of questions 11 and 12 o Updated the reference to first level control

on the Lead Partner form o Changed the guidance on question 4, the

target area, meaning where project activities will take place.

o Changed the guidance for question 2 to explain that the project activities must be finalised before the project’s end date, meaning that compiling the final report is not included in this period.

Progress Report – main Version 1, October 2008 Newly created: The pack consists of templates for

the Activity Report, Statement of Expenditure, Certificate of Expenditure and Project Claim.

Updated: Additional timesheet and minor updates to the other templates

None

Version 2, April 2009 Activity Report template: o The executive summary has been moved

from section 2 (former 2.1) to section 1 (now 1.7).

o Section 2.4 and 2.5 have been moved to section 3 “Indicators” and are now numbered 3.5 “Project outcomes” and 3.6 “Transnational impact”

o An additional section on “Change of indicators” has been added to section 3 “Indicators” (3.4). Accordingly, section 9 (former section 8) in the template has been renamed in “Changes in project partnership, target area and other changes”

o The former section 3.4 “Project activity and outcome performance” has been moved in the document and became a separate section 5.

o In section 7.1 and 7.2 (former 6.1 and 6.2) it was added […] “and how this changed the working culture in the organisations participating in the project”.

o In section 10.2 (former 9.2), FLC-checklist was added as a required supporting document.

o As a consequence of changes above, several sections had to be renumbered.

Financial templates: o As a result of a new procedure for certifying

common costs, additional lines were added to the Statement of Expenditure, Certificate of Expenditure and Project Claim for share of common costs and deducted common costs payments.

o The MA issued an instruction document for certifying common costs

o The MA issued a separate Certificate of

A cover page was added to the Activity Report


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Changes Content and wording Document and Lay-out Common Costs to be filled in by the First Level Controller of the holder

Final Report – preparatory Version 1, June 2008 Newly created: Due to lacking information about

national control systems, the pack only consisted of the preparatory project Final Activity Report.

None

Version 1, October 2008 The final report pack was completed with a Statement of Expenditure, Certificate of Expenditure and Project Claim.

None


Part 1

How to Apply

An introduction to the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 and instructions for applicants on how to develop and submit a good quality project application.

Last updated: 17 February 2009

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual - Part 1: How to Apply

2

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 Guidance to Part 1 ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Getting Started ........................................................................................................................................ 4

2 NPP Facts & Figures ............................................................................................................ 5

2.1 The Programme in Short ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Programme Area ..................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Funding .................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Project Types ........................................................................................................................................... 9

3 NPP Concepts ..................................................................................................................... 11

3.1 Vision ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Programme Priorities ............................................................................................................................ 11 3.3 Core Concepts ......................................................................................................................................... 15 3.4 Horizontal principles ............................................................................................................................ 18 3.5 European and Domestic Strategies ..................................................................................................... 20

4 Project Preparation .......................................................................................................... 22

4.1 Partnership ............................................................................................................................................ 22 4.2 Budget .................................................................................................................................................... 26 4.3 Work Packages ...................................................................................................................................... 28 4.4 Indicators ............................................................................................................................................... 29 4.5 Communication ...................................................................................................................................... 31

5 Application Procedure ...................................................................................................... 35

5.1 Preparatory Projects ............................................................................................................................ 35 5.2 Main Projects ......................................................................................................................................... 36 5.3 Eligibility Criteria ................................................................................................................................. 38 5.4 Selection Criteria ................................................................................................................................... 39


3

1 Introduction

1.1 Guidance to Part 1 How to Apply forms the first part of the Programme Manual. In this part you can find all the relevant information to develop a successful project application for the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. It is therefore in your best interest to become familiar with its contents. In Chapter 2, you can learn about the administrative setup of the Northern Periphery Programme including an overview of the programme area, the available funding and the different programme bodies involved. Chapter 3 deals with the concepts behind the Northern Periphery Programme, describing the underlying vision and objectives as well as the priorities and core concepts it is based upon. All projects are expected to incorporate these concepts. Chapter 4 describes the elements of the project setup and explains how to ensure a good implementation of your project. You will find guidelines on the partnership constellation, setting up a project budget, organising project activities in work packages, preparing a monitoring system and developing a communication strategy. This part of the Programme Manual ends with a description of the application and selection procedure in Chapter 5. An overview of the structure of How to Apply is given in Figure 1.

Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013

NPP Facts & Figures

• Programme Area • Funding • Project Types

NPP Concepts • NPP Vision • Priorities • Core Concepts • European &

Domestic Strategies

Project Preparation

• Partnership • Budget • Work Packages • Indicators • Communication

Application Procedure • Submitting an Application • Eligibility Criteria • Selection Criteria

Figure 1 Structure Programme Manual Part 1


4

1.2 Getting Started If you have a project idea that fits with the transnational focus of the Programme, there are a number of steps that you should take before submitting an application:

Get in touch with your Regional Contact Point for guidance on how to proceed. The network of Regional Contact Points and the Northern Periphery Secretariat can assist with partner searches and the development of project ideas. They can also advise whether a preparatory project may be useful to further develop the partnership and joint project plan. You can find their contact details in the cover document or on the programme website, www.northernperiphery.eu.

Ensure that you (and any potential partners) are located within the eligible programme area. See section 2.2.

Familiarise yourself with the priorities and objectives of the programme, as outlined in Chapter 3. Please note that the programme language is English and all programme communication is carried

out in the English language. As a consequence, project partners should be sufficiently proficient in English.



5

2 NPP Facts & Figures

2.1 The Programme in Short The Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 aims to help peripheral and remote communities on the northern margins of Europe to develop their economic, social and environmental potential. The success of the programme will be built on joint projects creating innovative products and services for the benefit of the programme partner countries and Europe as a whole. To achieve this aim, innovation, business competitiveness, accessibility, the sustainable development of community and natural resources, and cultural heritage will be supported. The Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 was formally approved by the European Commission on 28 September 2007 and is part of the European Commission’s European Territorial Cooperation Objective. The programme builds on the success of the previous INTERREG IIIB programme and will continue to address the specific challenges faced by the northern regions of Europe. The diverse regions of the Northern Periphery Programme area share common features such as harsh climate conditions, sparseness of population and remoteness. Transnational cooperation provides excellent opportunities for finding new ways to address shared challenges and explore new opportunities. The objectives of the Programme are translated into two priorities for transnational cooperation. Each project that applies for funding must address one of the priorities for transnational cooperation: 1. Promoting innovation and competitiveness in remote and peripheral areas

i. Innovation, networks and competitiveness ii. Accessibility

2. Sustainable development of natural and community resources

i. Environment as an asset in the periphery ii. Urban-rural development and promotion of heritage

The Northern Periphery Programme area encompasses regions in the EU Member States of Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and Sweden and Non EU Member States Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. These are referred to as programme partner countries. Between 2007 and 2013, the Programme will allocate around €45 million to projects that address the priorities for transnational cooperation: €35.115 million of European funds (ERDF) will be available to partners in Member States and €10.155 for partners in the Non member States. 60% of the funds are available for projects applying to Priority 1 and 40% for projects in Priority 2. The recommended minimum size for a main project’s total budget is €250 000 and the recommended maximum size is €1.5 million. In general, a 60% grant rate is applied for partners in Member States and 50% for Non Member States. To be considered eligible for funding, a project must concentrate on issues that require transnational cooperation and are of relevance to the characteristics and priorities of the programme area. A project should demonstrate its innovativeness and result in the development of a product or a service through transnational cooperation. Partners from all sectors of society can participate in the programme, including regional and local authorities, national and regional development organisations, research and educational institutions and the private sector.


6

2.2 Programme Area The Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 covers a vast programme area, as shown in Figure 1. The programme partner countries are the EU Member States of Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and Sweden and Non EU Member States Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. As a principle, project partners should be located within the programme area. Please note that it is not always the entire country that participates in the programme. Below you can find a list of the exact regions in the NPP area.

Regions within the European Union Finland NUTS II

NUTS III Itä-Suomi, Pohjois-Suomi Keski-Suomi

Ireland NUTS IV Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo

Northern Ireland

NUTS III East of Northern Ireland, North of Northern Ireland, West and South of Northern Ireland

Sweden NUTS II Mellersta Norrland, Övre Norrland Scotland NUTS II

NUTS III NUTS IV

Highlands & Islands Dumfries & Galloway North East Moray

Regions outside the European Union Faroe Islands

Entire territory

Iceland Entire territory Greenland Entire territory Norway Finnmark, Hordaland, Møre og Romsdal,

Nordland, Nord-Trøndelag, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Svalbard, Sør-Trøndelag, Troms

Figure 2 Programme Area Map


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Characteristics of programme area To be considered eligible for funding, a project must concentrate on issues that require transnational cooperation and that are of relevance to the characteristics of the programme area. The regions of the Northern Periphery share many features. Sparseness of population, rurality, insularity, harsh climate and peripherality are common across the programme area. In practice, this means that all projects must deal with issues that are specific to the rurality and peripherality of the participating regions and that address the particular challenges and opportunities found in the programme area. Projects that focus exclusively on issues of an urban nature will not be supported. Please note that the exclusive promotion of urban-rural links forms a part of Priority 2, but this is intended to primarily benefit the rural areas of the NPP. Further information on the specific characteristics of the programme area can be found in Chapter 4 of the Operational Programme.

Geographical Flexibility In exceptional and fully justified circumstances the Programme Monitoring Committee may approve a partner located outside the programme area, if the geographical flexibility criteria are met. Note that the criteria are only applied as an exception and where a partner from outside the programme area has a significant asset that is not otherwise available and benefits the programme area. The application form should contain justification for the inclusion of a partner from outside the programme area. In cases where conditions and sufficient justification are found, the Programme Monitoring Committee has the possibility to apply the flexibility criteria but it is not an obligation and the final decision is at the discretion of the PMC. The geographical flexibility criteria can be used in two different ways: 1. Up to 10% of ERDF, Norwegian or Icelandic funds may be used to finance expenditure incurred by

partners located in adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. The adjacent regions of Russia encompass Murmansk, Karelia and Arkhangelsk, and the adjacent regions of Canada primarily include Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Any such costs incurred must be kept separate and paid through the Lead Partner’s accounting system. They should also be certified by the Lead Partner’s national controller, due to European financial control requirements.

2. Up to 20% of ERDF may be used to finance expenditure incurred by partners located outside the programme area but inside the European Union, and up to 20% of Norwegian funds may be used to finance expenditure incurred by Norwegian partners located outside the eligible programme area in Norway.

Circumstances that permit the use of geographical flexibility:

The specific expertise of a certain partner from outside the eligible area is deemed crucial for the project and the expertise cannot be found in the programme area.

The external cooperation adds value to the project and the benefit accrues within the programme area.

The project would not be able to fulfil its objectives without participation of the external partner. The addition of the partner enhances the results of the project in a clear and easily justified way. Inclusion of the external partner facilitates a particularly strategic cooperation, as defined by the

Programme Monitoring Committee.


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Faroese and Greenlandic Partners The Programme Monitoring Committee has the possibility to allocate ERDF/Norwegian/Icelandic funds to co-finance partners from the Faroe Islands and Greenland. No special justification is required in the application form, as these partners are located within the eligible programme area.

2.3 Funding Between 2007 and 2013, the Programme will allocate €45 million to projects, of which €35.115 million in European funding (ERDF) will be available to partners in Member States (Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden) and €10.155 for partners in the Non Member States (Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway). The Euro (€) is used for all transactions in the programme. 60% of the total funding is available for projects applying under Priority 1 and 40% for projects under Priority 2.

Funding sources Financing for the programme consists of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) contributions from the Member States, ERDF equivalent funding from the Non Member States and match funding from projects. Projects apply to the programme for ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing and contribute to the project with match funding. In general, partners located in Member States may apply a 60% ERDF grant rate and partners located in Non-Member States may apply a 50% ERDF equivalent grant rate. For Norwegian partners, a 30% grant rate applies. In exceptional circumstances the Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) may approve a grant rate of up to 75%. The precise arrangements will be decided by the PMC. The table below gives an overview of the 8 different funding sources available in the NPP 2007-2013. It also refers to the geographical flexibility rules (10% and 20%) as described in section 2.2.

Funding Sources NPP 2007-2013 Source Type Grant Rate Member State ERDF 60% Member State 20% ERDF 50% Norway ERDF equivalent 30% Norway 20% ERDF equivalent 30% Iceland ERDF equivalent 50% Faroe Islands ERDF equivalent 50% Greenland ERDF equivalent 50% 10% source for Non Member State partners

Mixed; Member States, Norway and Iceland

50%

Detailed instructions on developing the project budget and completing the project financial tables are provided in section 4.2 as well as in the Application Instructions.


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2.4 Project Types Project development is a challenging task and the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 has therefore created two project types: preparatory projects and main projects. The primary aim of preparatory projects is to help develop a main project application.

Preparatory Projects Distance and costs are often obstacles to the development of a strong and well balanced project partnership, due to the dispersed geography of the NPP area. For that reason, Preparatory Projects are a tool developed to bring potential project partners together and to generate high-quality main project applications. Experience from previous programmes has shown that preparatory projects often result in more successful main project applications.

Purpose of preparatory projects

Assist with building suitable and well-balanced partnerships Facilitate the joint development of joint implementation models that correspond with the objectives

of the programme Commit partners to their contribution to the project, joint staff and joint financing Reduce the risks associated with developing a main project application Ensure that all transnational criteria are met

Minimum requirements

An eligible project idea Partners from 2 countries Eligible match funding in place Completion of the specific preparatory project application form Financial information

Project period Normally, a preparatory project can run for up to 6 months. Note: During the Spring of 2009, the PMC has launched a special initiative of preparatory projects for up to 1 year.

Financial information The maximum total budget for a preparatory project is normally €30 000 and the maximum grant to a preparatory project is normally €18 000. Note: For the special PMC initiative of up to 1-year preparatory projects, applicants are allowed to apply for a maximum total budget of up to €37 500 with a maximum grant of €22 500. A grant rate of 60% of eligible costs will be applied for all partners (both Member State and Non Member State). The grant is on condition of public match funding confirmed through match funding commitments.


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Expected results A preparatory project is intended to lead to an application for main project funding in the Northern Periphery Programme. However, if in the course of the project it becomes obvious that an application is not possible for any number of reasons, this too would be an acceptable outcome. At the end of the preparatory project, the Lead Partner is expected to submit a final report describing project activities and the final outcomes. If the project cannot produce an application for main project funding, it is essential that the reasons for this outcome be described in full.

Application Procedure There is a simplified application procedure for preparatory projects, which takes approximately one month. The Programme Secretariat is the body that approves or rejects preparatory projects. You can find more details about the application procedure in section 5.1.

Main Projects Compared to preparatory projects, main projects have a more complex setup and need to fulfil more requirements such as addressing one of the priorities, a solid project partnership consisting of three or more partners from at least three different programme partner countries and incorporating the core concepts of the NPP 2007-2013, as described in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 offers more guidance on the setup of a main project.


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3 NPP Concepts

3.1 Vision The overall vision for the programme is:

Regions working innovatively together to help communities to develop the potential of Europe’s Northern Periphery, and to achieve a sustainable and high quality future, and so make a distinctive contribution to a more dynamic EU.

All projects are expected to contribute to the overall vision of the programme through the development of innovative products and services.

3.2 Programme Priorities The vision and objectives of the NPP 2007-2013 translate into two programme priorities, which have been developed in response to the distinct characteristics of the programme area and take into account the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas. In the early stages of project development, it is important to consider whether the project contributes to the Programme’s priorities for cooperation. Each of the priorities contains two main objectives. To assist with project development, a list of broad themes and some potential project ideas is provided. Please keep in mind that these lists are only indicative. Applicants are free to develop their own ideas, as long as they meet the priorities and objectives of the programme.

Priority 1: Promoting innovation and competitiveness in remote and peripheral areas

i. Innovation, networks and competitiveness

Objective: To promote competitiveness by increasing and developing the capacity for innovation and networking in rural and peripheral areas

Broad Themes exchange of best practise and establishment of cooperation networks between R&D institutions and

SMEs to increase the capacity for innovation, facilitate the design of innovation systems and strengthen competitiveness

transnational cooperation networks and knowledge transfer to develop existing and new innovative products

cooperation and exchange of best practice between SMEs on how to address and reach markets with existing and new products


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Potential Project Ideas Benchmarking of innovation and SME support

networks in remote and rural areas, and promotion of successful systems for the development of new support methods, models and transboundary products.

Collaboration between the research, public and private sectors to support the development of cold climate facilities and techniques, in order to produce innovative products and services in a high tech environment.

Transnational collaboration and knowledge exchange between SMEs in the periphery to develop marketing strategies and target new export markets by clustering to increase their products’ export and market potential.

Improvement to the provision of services to micro and small firms to engage more with research centres and to develop stronger linkages with the public sector.

Knowledge exchange between research institutes and the private sector to develop innovative ‘green’ transboundary products in forestry and aquaculture, for example.

Knowledge transfer across sectors to develop innovative solutions for adding value at source to indigenous products and methods, particularly natural resources and construction.

Networking between enterprise centres and business incubation centres in rural and peripheral areas to design systems that increase technology transfer and the development of innovative products and services.

Promotion of an innovative and entrepreneurial culture across the Northern Periphery by preparing and adapting educational and training systems.

ii. Accessibility

Objective: To facilitate development by the use of advanced information and communication technologies and transport in the programme area.

Broad Themes increased use of ICT to overcome distance

implementation of ICT to modernise and to innovate industries and businesses in the Northern Periphery

developing innovative product and service solutions for developing and maintaining transport infrastructure with regard to roads, railways, airports and ports under harsh climatic conditions

development of transport schemes that benefit rural communities, such as new maritime routes

maritime safety in relation to remote areas with arctic, harsh conditions

building the capacity to respond to and prepare for emergencies and natural disasters to which the Northern Periphery is exposed.

Potential Project Ideas Increasing educational opportunities through

outreach accessibility and other innovative distance learning tools that sustain rural communities and reduce the need to travel.

Benchmarking of advanced ICT in peripheral

Knowledge transfer to develop marine tourism and products and services in fields such as: planning and restructuring of ports (transition from commercial to leisure ports); water sports co-operation; marina management, development


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regions and the development of new models of provision that seek to ensure equal access to all.

Enhancing implementation of advanced ICT in businesses and promoting the competitiveness of rural and peripheral areas in IT through out-sourcing, home based working etc.

Sharing of management information systems in sparsely populated areas through greater use of ICT, such as a database of specialist healthcare services throughout the NPP area, for example cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics etc.

Development of new methods and concrete initiatives to improve maritime safety and risk prevention in northern waters exposed to harsh climatic conditions, particularly in relation to the opening up of new sea routes in the periphery.

of new routes, etc.

Joint collaboration between public and private stakeholders to prepare new inter-modal transportation links for peripheral and sparsely populated areas, including small-scale infrastructure management and linking together of airports/rail links and bus routes.

Development of innovative and sustainable public transportation schemes and services for sparsely populated areas that reduce social exclusion and help overcome the area’s dependence on private transportation.

Testing and dissemination of new concepts and models for short sea shipping in the Northern Periphery and the development of new logistical models for freight movement in sparsely populated areas.

Priority 2: Sustainable development of natural and community resources

i. Environment as an asset in the periphery

Objective: To strengthen the synergies between environmental protection and growth in remote and peripheral regions.

Broad Themes Developing new approaches to efficient and sustainable management and utilisation of resources

Impact and possible implications of climate change and means to reduce it at a community level

Development of small scale renewable energy solutions

Potential Project Ideas Transnational collaboration to develop and

increase use of renewable energy solutions, such as heat loss minimisation and small-scale energy conservation measures, for example innovative wood chip pellet technologies/solar panelling/insulation etc.

Development of links between triple helix actors to test, promote and stimulate energy efficiency through low carbon household programmes.

Knowledge exchange to develop new transnational models and joint solutions for coastal zone management, particularly in relation to minimising the risks associated with climate change.

Cross-sector policy coordination in transport, energy, environment, regional planning and trade, to ensure increased tourism across the periphery does not negatively impact on the fragile environment.

Initiatives to increase efficiency in established industries, such as forestry, fisheries and mining, by focusing on sustainable management of natural resources.

Development of innovative strategies and service models for waste management and recycling in sparsely populated and peripheral areas, such as recycling, increased re-use and decomposition, and energy recovery from waste.


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Development of expertise to prepare for climate change and ensure that people, natural environments, spatial structures and associated functions suffer minimal disturbance.

Development and testing of new initiatives that ensure that the potential favourable impacts of climate change are used to advantage in the NPP area, for example in agriculture, sustainable tourism etc.

Development of new models for maximising community socio-economic benefits from proximity to large-scale industries and projects, and securing local sustainable development in industries such as mining and oil exploration.

ii. Urban-rural development and promotion of heritage

Objective: To improve sustainable development in peripheral regions by strengthening urban-rural relations and enhancing regional heritage.

Broad Themes urban-rural partnerships for new service solutions

innovative provision of existing and new services in the periphery

private, public and voluntary sectors cooperation and networks to develop new and innovative service solutions for remote and peripheral regions

promotion of natural and cultural heritage that supports the development of sustainable industries

Potential Project Ideas Development of combined or “bundled” mobile

rural services through transnational networks that involve the private, public and voluntary sectors in developing new service solutions for peripheral and sparsely populated areas.

Triple helix collaboration - bringing together of national health service executives, private medical firms and medical research staff - to take advantage of potential economies of scale and to implement measures aimed at increasing efficiency of heath care delivery to rural and peripheral regions.

Establishment of urban-rural partnerships to develop new service solutions for the benefit of peripheral areas, for example through the use of innovative technologies that facilitate the participation of specialists and experts from urban areas remotely.

Development and testing of new public-private service models that address the demographic challenges of the programme area, particularly the high proportion of elderly people in sparsely populated and rural areas.

Pilot projects to develop joint new approaches and innovative actions to facilitate the promotion of indigenous languages and cultures amongst young people.

Promotion of sustainable tourism actions that enable tourism to help maintain, or even revive the unique cultural and natural heritage of the area.

Development of cultural heritage in the area through innovative actions to stimulate the creative industries of film, music etc, especially through the use of advanced ICT.


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3.3 Core Concepts Project applications will only be considered as eligible if they incorporate the core concepts in accordance with the definition of the NPP 2007-2013:

Transnationality Added value

Applicants are expected to describe in the application form how they apply the core concepts in their projects, so it is essential for applicants to understand these concepts.

Transnationality There is a special emphasis in the NPP on ensuring transnationality at all stages of project development, implementation and dissemination of results. This means that activities are not carried out in isolation in one partner country, but instead there is joint transnationality running throughout the project. Every project must demonstrate how it fulfils the minimum transnationality requirements and, if possible, goes beyond these. The Programme encourages projects with a strong transnational component, but the partnership should also be well balanced, meaning that the different partners contribute and benefit to a similar extent without the dominance of one country or one partner. Minimum requirements for a main project:

A minimum of 3 partners from 3 different programme partner countries One partner must be located in an EU Member State

Please note that it is not allowed to create partnerships of a cross-border character such as the combinations:

Finland-Sweden-Norway Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland Faroe Islands-Greenland-Iceland

Applicants are encouraged to combine countries from the clusters above. In addition, all projects must meet at least three out of four transnational criteria: 1. joint development – cooperation between the partners to develop the project idea and the application.

This means that project activities are developed and drafted in cooperation between the partners and that all agree to the work plan. A draft partnership agreement should also be in place and there should be joint agreement on the management structure.

2. joint implementation – shared project work plan with transnational activities. Partner activities should not be carried out in isolation and should contribute to the objectives and overall results of the project. There should also be common agreement between partners on project decisions and changes.

3. joint staffing - many project activities and tasks are of a common nature and could be jointly staffed by appointing a common project coordinator (normally the Lead Partner), work package coordinator, communication manager, etc.

4. joint financing – partner budgets are collected into a shared transnational total project budget for all activities.


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In connection to joint implementation, the Northern Periphery Programme underlines the importance of a joint strategy for dissemination of project results. This should be outlined in the communication section of the application form. During the main project application assessment process, the Northern Periphery Secretariat and Programme Monitoring Committee will also assess the transnational impact, that project results are applied in different parts of the programme area.

Added Value All projects should develop a tangible product or service, which is what the concept of added value refers to. Each project must make a distinctive contribution and add value by developing concrete, tangible and innovative new products or services. In programme terms, this is defined as: by working together to produce a new product that has a transnational or transregional

character.

by working together to produce a new service that has a transnational or transregional character.

This means to produce an item/product or to develop a service that can be used widely within the programme area and if possible beyond. In addition to outlining the type of products or services to be developed, applicants must describe the functionality of the product or service and its future after the funding ends. To achieve these results, a number of methods are encouraged, as outlined below:

Innovation: working together to develop new or innovative economic development solutions that can be applied in practice in more than one country/region;

Knowledge transfer: facilitating the transfer of economic development solutions, and their practical application, from one country/region to another;

Organisational learning: exchange of ideas, experience and good practice that improves the stock of organisational knowledge. Topics addressed should be of strategic interest for the daily work of all project partner organisations. Project outcomes should be implemented within the organisations where possible or by the organisations.

Careful consideration should be given to what products and/or services the project is developing and the innovativeness of these. This information should be clearly outlined in section 4 of the application form.

Research As a consequence of the focus on added value, pure research projects are not considered to be in line with the objectives of the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. Activities furthering research knowledge are not considered to be sufficient as a project outcome. The Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 expects fundamental research to be in place at the application stage. However, some research activities can be allowed in the testing or adjustment of products and services or as expert input, as long as it does not form a major part of the project. The NPP is not excluding universities or research institutions to participate but the main focus should be on the development of innovative products and services. Because the NPP 2007-2013 expects partnerships to be able to implement project results in their daily work, a partnership with a dominance of academic or research institutions is often not appropriate. For more information about appropriate partnerships, please see section 4.1.


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Figure 3 illustrates how the concepts of transnational cooperation in the Northern Periphery can be applied to develop innovative and strategic projects that make a significant contribution to meeting the objectives and vision of the programme. Note that specific calls will be launched for strategic projects in the future at the initiative of the Programme Monitoring Committee.

Strategic concepts•Innovative outputs of relevance for whole area•Physical product or social capital and expertise•Informs policy development

Triple Helix Partnerships•Cooperation between business, higher education and the public sector

Core concepts•Added value•Transnational

all projects

if applicable

strategic projects

Figure 3 NPP Core Concepts


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3.4 Horizontal principles A horizontal principle is a principle that must be integrated throughout the programme and in all projects. Every project approved by the Northern Periphery Programme is required to contribute to the improvement of the following horizontal principles according to the NPP definition:

Equal opportunities Sustainable development

The principles must be incorporated in every project and at all stages; from project design and delivery, through to project evaluation. Understanding and demonstrating equality issues and sustainability are therefore highly relevant to all applicants.

Equal opportunities The principle of equal opportunities in the Northern Periphery Programme is defined to reflect the diverse languages, cultures and people of the programme area. In this regard, equal opportunities covers more than gender equality and is taken in a broader context to incorporate:

the prevention and elimination of discrimination between people on grounds of gender, marital status, cultural and social background, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, language or other personal attributes, such as religious beliefs or political opinions.

The application form contains 2 categories for equal opportunities:

The project is positive in terms of equal opportunities The project is neutral in terms of equal opportunities

During the selection process, higher priority will be given to projects that are positive in terms of equal opportunities. Projects that have a negative effect on equal opportunities will not be supported. Applicants are asked to justify their choice of equal opportunity indicator. It is important that applicants demonstrate that they have considered the implications of equal opportunities in the design and delivery of the project and the evaluation of its objectives and outcomes. It is not enough just to refer to equal opportunity policies and it is recommended to list concrete actions taken. For higher ranking, a project needs to demonstrate a contribution towards furthering equal opportunities in a broad context. It may be appropriate to develop some common equal opportunities objectives for the project during the design stage; these could then be reviewed during the project and evaluated at the project’s closure. In the project development phase it is important to carefully consider how equal opportunities can be offered to all. Below are a number of points to help initiate the process: Will certain groups of people have difficulties

attending project events or accessing project information?

Does the meeting location, time or promotional material represent any barriers to participation?

Does the project reflect the society it is operating in and have any attempts been made to reflect this diversity? Is progression support required for particular groups?

Do the staff recruitment processes carried out in the project adhere to the principles of equal opportunities?

Are there any other barriers to participation (gender, equality, social inclusion)?

Is equality promoted in the committees and boards and should equal opportunities representatives be included on them?

Could the project engage with specialists to develop best practice or could consultations be held with diverse client groups?

Should a proportion of the budget be set-aside for specific actions to promote equality?


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Sustainable development There are several definitions of sustainable development and they all have the underlying objective of creating a better quality of life, now and in generations to come. In the Northern Periphery Programme sustainable development is defined as:

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Northern Periphery Programme supports projects that maximise and sustain economic, social and environmental benefit. Approved projects should contribute to creating a foundation for long-term sustainability in the NPP region, and be aware of their economic, social and environmental impacts. The application form contains 2 categories for sustainable development:

The project is positive in terms of sustainable development The project is neutral to sustainable development

During the project selection process higher priority will be given to projects that make a positive impact on sustainable development. Projects that are negative in terms of sustainable development will not be supported. Applicants must describe how they contribute to sustainable development and must be able to justify this answer fully. For higher ranking, a project needs to create a foundation for long-term sustainability and bring about beneficial economic, social and ecological impacts. The project partnership should develop a common view on sustainability and ensure that all partners are aware of and contributing to the sustainable approach. To determine the project’s impact on sustainable development, it is first of all necessary to think of the project idea from all perspectives: environmental, social and economic. The environmental perspective involves ensuring that the project has the lowest possible environmental impact; preferably it should have a positive impact.

Economic, social and environmental aspects All three economic, social and environmental aspects have to be considered to ensure sustainability.

Economic aspects: Competitiveness, profitability and cost-efficiency are aims, but they should not come at a social or environmental cost.

Social aspects: All development should aim to improve the quality of life in the community in which it is based.

Environmental aspects: All future development should be in harmony with the environment.

An example of sustainability could be that new “green” industries offer business potential and create new job opportunities for people of all educational backgrounds by enhancing the unique nature of the area.


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3.5 European and Domestic Strategies The Northern Periphery Programme encourages joint projects that address the priorities for cooperation shared by the programme partner countries. These priorities are part of a European policy framework, which is guided by the Community Strategic Guidelines and Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas. These provide a key framework for the Programme and careful consideration has been given to how these strategies can be implemented in the remote and peripheral regions of the Northern Periphery. As such, the projects funded by the Northern Periphery Programme should contribute to the goals contained within the Lisbon and Gothenburg Agendas. Additionally, the Northern Periphery Programme aims to complement and contribute to development strategies in the programme partner countries. This includes relevant national, regional and local development plans and strategies. The application form asks for all projects to analyse whether their project is in alignment with the Lisbon and Gothenburg Agendas, as well as other relevant domestic strategies. Applicants should be able to analyse their coherence with the strategies and describe how they will contribute to them.

Lisbon Agenda When European leaders met at a summit in Lisbon during March 2000 they set the European Union goal of becoming “the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world” by 2010. A series of objectives were set at the Lisbon European Council, to achieve this ambitious goal through areas such as employment, innovation, enterprise, liberalisation and the environment. These formed a strategy known as the Lisbon Agenda. The Lisbon Agenda establishes a new strategic goal for the European Union in order to strengthen employment, economic reform and social cohesion as part of a knowledge-based economy. The European Union should also be capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. In February 2005, the European Commission re-launched its Lisbon Agenda with a focus on “delivering stronger, lasting growth and creating more and better jobs”. The renewed Lisbon agenda concentrates on three main areas of action:

a. making Europe a more attractive place to invest and work; b. knowledge and innovation for growth; c. creating more and better jobs.

Projects should consider whether they will contribute to these objectives and be able to outline any alignments in the application form. A copy of the renewed Lisbon Strategy can be downloaded on the NPP 2007-2013 website.

Gothenburg Agenda The Gothenburg agenda forms the Sustainable Development Strategy for the European Union and recognises “that in the long term, economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection must go hand in hand”. It was agreed at the European Council in June 2001 and has since received renewed impetus to ensure that its goals are achieved. In June 2006 an ambitious and comprehensive renewed Sustainable Development Strategy was adopted for the enlarged EU. It builds on the Gothenburg Agenda of 2001 and is the result of an extensive review process.


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The renewed Gothenburg Agenda sets overall objectives, targets and concrete actions for seven key priority challenges for the coming period until 2010, many of which are predominantly environmental and are thought to pose the biggest challenges to sustainable development in Europe:

1. Climate change and clean energy 2. Sustainable transport 3. Sustainable Consumption and Production 4. Public health threats 5. Better management of natural resources 6. Social inclusion, demography and migration 7. Fighting global poverty

The overall aim of the renewed Agenda is to identify and develop actions to enable the EU to achieve continuous improvement of quality of life both for current and for future generations. This can be achieved through the creation of sustainable communities able to manage and use resources efficiently and to tap the ecological and social innovation potential of the economy, ensuring prosperity, environmental protection and social cohesion. Projects should consider whether they will contribute to these objectives and should be able to outline any alignments in the application form. A copy of the renewed European Union Sustainable Development Strategy can be downloaded on the NPP 2007-2013 website.


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4 Project Preparation

4.1 Partnership Ensuring the correct mix of transnational partners in a project is crucial to achieving genuine transnational cooperation and successful results. In general, all partners should have the capacity and knowledge in the subject area to participate fully and to deliver the products and/or services. For a main project, at least three eligible project partners from three different programme partner countries are required, of which one must be from an EU Member State. Where suitable, partnerships should try to involve a cross-sector of partners from the national, regional and local level.

Appropriate/Successful Partnership Constellation In order to develop tangible and viable products and services, it is essential to have the appropriate partnership constellation capable of developing and implementing the project outcomes. Your application will be judged on the partnership constellation and this can be a deciding factor in project approval. Important aspects to bear in mind when constructing a partnership:

Apply a demand-driven approach In most cases, the programme welcomes a demand-driven perspective. This bottom-up approach should be reflected in the partnership. The core partnership should consist of partners that have a need for the specific product or service and that will implement the solutions in their daily work. The implementation of the developed solutions should preferably take place in all countries participating in the project. This implies that the core partnership should include implementing partners in all countries where the project aims to implement its solutions. To achieve a transnational impact, at least three implementing partners from three different programme partner countries within NPP 2007-2013 should be connected to the project. NOTE that the core partnership can also include private partners, who are eligible for ERDF co-financing if public match funding can be presented. For more information please see section 3.3 explaining transnational impact.

Invite partners whose main interest is close to the project aim and field of intervention

The Northern Periphery Programme works with the concept of organisational learning; knowledge obtained from the project implementation in the participating organisations should be shared with the whole organisation and not kept to the few persons involved in project implementation. Connected to organisational learning is the aspect that knowledge from the project should be implemented in the organisation’s daily work. For more information please see section 3.3 describing the NPP core concepts.

Involve expert organisations (universities, institutions, authorities) and private sector

partners Expert organisations are normally viewed as essential to the development of products and services in NPP projects. However, these expert organisations should not form the core partnership, unless a top-down approach is favoured. An example where it is appropriate for experts organisations to form the core partnership could be when authorities come together to facilitate necessary policy changes on a transnational level. In some cases, the core partnership chooses to contract the expert organisations to the project through tender procedures. An expert organisation cannot be contracted if they can be viewed as a main beneficiary of the project results.


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Select a Lead Partner with the administrative capacity and experience to implement and coordinate a transnational project In many cases, the selected Lead Partner is part of the core partnership. However, the most important factor to succeed as a Lead Partner is that the relevant experience is in place, especially when the cooperation involves different types of organisations from different countries. This means that the selected Lead Partner does not always have to be part of the implementing core partnership, as long as the Lead Partner has the relevant experience and understanding of the task. For more information please see the section Lead Partners below for a description of the eligibility, role and responsibilities of Lead Partners.

If appropriate:

Form a triple helix partnership A triple helix partnership constellation is normally essential if there is a need of high end competence from the academia in the development of new products and services and where public bodies and companies are essential as producers/providers alternatively beneficiaries of the solutions. There could of course be other cases where universities are the main beneficiaries of the outcomes and public bodies and companies are main providers of the service and have the high end competence (essential to the project’s success). An example could be products and services produced/provided by private companies, which needs to be supported by governmental policies, with high end knowledge from universities. For more information please see the section Triple Helix Partnerships below.

Work in a triple helix context The NPP recognises the difficulty for private partners to commit themselves for the entire project lifetime. With this in mind, an appropriate solution could be to include private partners as associated partners or only in the parts where they are necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the project. An alternative solution may be that organisations in the core partnership attach private companies through their participation and will in parts act in the best interest of these private companies. Contracting private companies normally occurs if their expert knowledge is essential in the development of the product or service, not if they can be viewed as a main beneficiary of the project results. For more information please see the section Triple Helix Partnerships below for a description of working in a triple helix context.

The rest of this section describes the eligibility of partners, Lead Partners, associated partners and private sector partners as well as the partnership agreement.

Eligible Partners Organisations from the public, public-like and voluntary (third) sectors are able to participate in Northern Periphery Programme projects and receive direct financial support, including:

National, regional and local authorities Regional and local development agencies, chambers of commerce Universities, higher education institutions, research centres, colleges Non-governmental organisations/public-like organisations Voluntary sector organisations Other relevant public-like organisations contributing to the development of the programme area Private sector - see below for further guidance on private sector partners

The definition of a public or public-like organisation is defined in Directive 2004/18/EC: Definition of body governed by public law

a) established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, not having an industrial or commercial character;


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b) having legal personality; and o financed, for the most part, by the State, regional or local authorities, or other bodies

governed by public law; o or subject to management supervision by those bodies; o or having an administrative, managerial or supervisory board, more than half of whose

members are appointed by the State, regional or local authorities, or by other bodies governed by public law.

Lead Partners The Northern Periphery Programme applies a Lead Partner principle, meaning that a Lead Partner takes additional responsibilities and coordinates the project on behalf of the project partners. A Lead Partner should be nominated for each project. The Lead Partner is formally the final beneficiary of the ERDF funding and acts as a link between the project partners and the Programme. The Lead Partner is responsible for the submission of the joint application form and is also responsible for:

Overall project management; Being contact person for the Northern Periphery Secretariat in Copenhagen; Delivery of project reports and documentation; Informing the Managing Authority of the choice of project controllers; Delivery of project outputs; Producing the documents required for controls and payments and ensuring that all expenditure has

been certified by National Controllers; Ensuring that the certified expenditures for all partners are matching activities outlined in the

approved application and any other decisions. Concluding a partnership agreement for its relations with the other project partners.

The Lead Partner responsibilities are stipulated in Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006, Article 20.

Eligibility of Lead Partners

The role of Lead Partner can only be held by a public or public-like organisation. The Lead Partner must be located in a European Union Member State or Iceland or Norway. Partners in Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not eligible to be Lead Partners.

The demands on a Lead Partner are higher than those on other project partners. A Lead Partner must have the proficient administrative and financial capacity to be able to run a transnational project. Therefore, all applications must demonstrate that the Lead Partner has the capability to manage a transnational project.

Associated partners Associated partners are not part of the formal partnership, but they are directly involved in the project’s implementation for various reasons. Often an associated partner is closely linked to one particular project partner and a project partner may have several associated partners. For example, a project partner may wish to involve a number of companies in the project and, to avoid the administrative burden of full project partnership, they could become associated partners. The inclusion of associated partners can also lead to the creation of a network connected to the project, which could facilitate project implementation. However, if an organisation will play a vital role in the implementation of the project outcomes, it is expected to participate as a full partner where possible. It is recommended to consider making a signed agreement with all associated partners to secure their participation for the benefit of the project.


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Private sector partners The programme recognises the valuable contribution that the private sector can make to a project. The involvement of the private sector, primarily small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), is encouraged; see Triple Helix Partnerships below. Private sector partners can participate as full partners, although the match funding needs to be public or public-like to be able to generate ERDF co-financing. Private match funding cannot generate ERDF financial support. If a private sector partner is not able to obtain public or public-like match funding then it can still be involved as a project partner, but it will have to finance its own participation. These private funds will be part of the project budget, but will not be eligible for, or generate ERDF co-financing. The involvement of a private sector partner should also represent a wider public interest. However, a private sector partner cannot generate profits from its participation. The involvement of private companies in the programme is governed by European Union and national competition rules in order to avoid an unfair advantage to a private company over its competitors. In addition, applicants are also expected to be aware of state aid rules. For further details on these rules, please contact your relevant Regional Contact Point.

Triple Helix Partnerships Cooperative actions and partnerships between representatives from industry, university and government are considered key to securing innovative solutions to many of the issues facing the Northern Periphery area. This three-strand approach is referred to as the “triple helix” approach. Experience from previous programmes has shown how triple helix partnerships can be beneficial for a number of reasons, as detailed in the definition below:

The three different spheres of business, higher education and public institutions working together on new tasks and in new fields. These three spheres together, and not only by themselves, make it possible to obtain an enhanced outcome from the cooperation and invested capital, in the form of innovative new products and solutions.

Additionally, the programme promotes and acknowledges the community aspects of triple helix partnerships and places a special emphasis on ensuring that the end beneficiaries of projects are located within the communities of the Northern Periphery. Applicants should consider that a triple helix approach can apply to all levels of government, from local to transnational. Triple helix partnerships are encouraged where appropriate. However, it is always important to select the most appropriate partners that can contribute to achieving the specific objectives of the project.

Partnership Agreements All projects in the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 have to sign a Partnership Agreement before the Grant Offer is issued by the Managing Authority. This is an agreement between the project Lead Partner and the project partners that guarantees each partner’s match funding contribution and outlines each partner’s responsibilities in the project. The agreement also refers to the project application and targets, and confirms the partnership’s consensus on delivering the project as approved by the Programme Monitoring Committee. In the application applicants will be asked whether a partnership agreement is in place. Please note that the Managing Authority cannot issue the Grant Offer until the agreement has been signed. A Partnership Agreement Template is available on the website, www.northernperiphery.eu.



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4.2 Budget

Appropriate Budget Size The recommended minimum size for a main project’s total budget is €250 000 and the recommended maximum size is €1.5 million. In exceptional cases, the Programme Monitoring Committee can approve projects with a larger budget of up to €3 million, but this should be justified in the application form.

Eligibility of expenditure Common Eligibility Rules have been developed to guide applicants and project managers regarding the eligibility of their costs. The Common Eligibility Rules form Part 4 of this Programme Manual and can be downloaded from the programme website, www.northernperiphery.eu. Please note that the Common Eligibility Rules do not necessarily take into account national rules. In all cases, the strictest rules should be applied.

Financial control In the 2007–2013 programming period the terms “audit” and “control” (and thus auditor and controller) are not interchangeable as they refer to two different meanings:

The term “control” refers to the check performed by the first level controller, who is appointed by the programme partner country and whose duty it is to validate expenditure declared by each partner participating in a project.

The term “audit” (or second level auditing) refers to the checks performed on the project by the

auditor, whose duty it is to carry out project audits on the basis of an appropriate sample to verify the expenditure declared.

In other words, the “first level control” is the check of project expenditure made when submitting a payment claim and covers all project expenditure. It is different from the “second level control”, which is an additional check of expenditure organised by the partner country and only looks at a sample of projects.

National Controllers In the regulations establishing the new programming period (2007-2013) it is up to the participating partner countries to set up a control system and to designate the controllers responsible for verifying the legality and regularity of the expenditure declared by each beneficiary or partner. The procedures for the first level control in the NPP 2007-2013 period will, therefore, vary from one partner country to another. Each partner should refer to the control system of the partner country where it is located, regardless of the Lead Partner’s location. Projects should be aware that financial control of their project expenditure may incur a cost to the individual project partner being controlled. In such a situation, the cost of the control will normally be charged to the project but will be considered an eligible project cost. When developing the project budget, it is recommended to budget approximately €1000 per partner, per claim. Rates will vary between programme partner countries and this is an indicative figure only. Controls for Swedish partners are free of charge. Further information on the claims and payment procedure is be available in Part 2 of this Programme Manual.



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Budget Tables An overview of the project budget is given in Part 1 of the main application form. Details on the financial setup of the project are provided in Part 3 of the main application form, which is an Excel file. It consists of individual partner information, a cost budget and a financing plan for each partner participating in the project. This section is signed by each individual partner. Each partner signing up for participation has to fill in:

Partner information, page 1 (3). Standard partner information including contact details and questions of relevance to the partner’s interest in the project. This excel sheet is named, e.g. for partner 2, “P 2, 1 (3)”.

Partner cost budget and financing plan, page 2 (3). Demonstrates how the money will be spent

in the different budget lines and how the operation will be funded. The partner, or alternatively the organisation providing the public match funding, is signing off on received public match funding, since only public match funding can generate funding from the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. The partner cost budget and the partner financing plan should of course always match each other, i.e. the financing should fully cover the costs. NOTE that a signed public match funding commitment from all partners or alternatively the organisation providing the public match funding, is needed together with the application. All the costs have to be supported by an annex demonstrating the eligibility of the applied costs and all partners have to answer to a number of questions (tick boxes) before signing off on page 2 (3). This excel sheet is named, e.g. for partner 2, “P 2, 2 (3)”.

In addition: If a partner is the holder of common costs for the project implementation then a third document, a common cost budget, has to be presented. This excel sheet is named, e.g. for partner 2, “P 2, 3 (3). It is only the partner that is the holder of the cost that should make this budget. An annex to the common cost budget has to be presented to demonstrate the eligibility of the applied costs. How the project partnership chooses to distribute the cost among the partnership is a decision within the partnership. Distribution of common costs to each partner budget is made on the budget line “Add: Share of common costs” in the cost budget on page 2 (3) for each partner. At the end of the document are two templates, the project budget breakdown and the match funding commitment templates. The template for project budget breakdown is expected to be filled in by all partners to demonstrate the eligibility of their planned expenditures. The match funding commitment has to be supported and signed by the organisations that take the responsibility that eligible public match funding is provided to the project. Both templates can also be downloaded as individual documents.


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4.3 Work Packages In addition to giving a general project description, projects are asked to submit a description of the different work packages that the project partners have developed and agreed to in order to structure their activities. Structuring project activities into work packages should help improve project planning. The activity plan contained within each work package is intended to be an indicative plan and the Northern Periphery Programme will exercise flexibility (within reasonable limits) when monitoring project activities.

Structure

All work packages should be given an individual title to describe the work that will be carried out in the work package.

The overall objective of the project should be described in the application form. Each work package should describe the expected outcome of the work package’s activities and how

the work package will contribute to the overall objective of the project. This description should include key dates.

The first work package will be “Management, coordination and communication”. All projects will be asked to split their activities into a maximum of 5 work packages.

Work package 1, “Management, coordination and communication”, consist of internal communication, external communication and all other tasks associated with the Lead Partner’s coordination of the overall project administration. Some of the common tasks associated with Lead Partner administration include coordinating the drafting of the progress reports and final reports and organising the claim procedures for the project partnership. The Lead Partner is normally the internal contact body for questions within the project partnership and is the main contact point for the Secretariat. All applications will consist of at least two work packages, since the first work package is for “Management, coordination and communication”. Work packages are described in Part 2 of the main application form. Applicants will be asked to provide a general description of each work package such as the strategic focus, partners involved and expected outcomes. Two sections request a more detailed description of the Work Package content and an outline of the activity plan including key dates for listed activities. Part 2 of the main application is feeding into Part 1, section 3 of the main application, which deals with Project content. Please note that the detailed work package description should be in line with the work package summary in Part 1 of the main application form.


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4.4 Indicators The Northern Periphery Programme aims to achieve a number of programme objectives. Progress towards achieving these objectives is measured in the form of indicators and regular monitoring and assessment helps to identify programme successes and to ensure the programme is on track to achieving its goals. The NPP projects contribute to achieving the programme objectives and consequently play a prominent role in the monitoring process. Before project monitoring can take place, each project must detail the targets that it aims to achieve through indicators which can then be assessed. Project indicators must be provided in the Application Form and should be based on realistic projections of what the project will achieve. Project indicators consist of General Indicators that can be used by all projects and Priority Specific Indicators that should be chosen depending on the Priority applied to. Some Activity Indicators have also been provided and projects can choose to use these or develop a limited number of their own Activity Indicators based on the project’s objectives and activities. In addition to the indicators mentioned above, projects are asked to report on communication indicators. For more information, see section 4.5 below. Remember that indicators listed should fit logically with other parts of the main application, for example if a project indicates that it has 3 transboundary products in the indicators, they should also be listed and described in section 4.1 of the main application.

General Indicators General Indicators are collected at a programme level and are reported to the European Commission. Projects should indicate on the application form whether they make a contribution to the General Indicators: The project deals with: The project involves: water management universities / higher education institutions improving accessibility technology institutes and SMEs developing RTD and innovation networks risk prevention promoting female entrepreneurship improving transport links across national borders improving waste management services actions between rescue services reducing climate change furthering adaptation to the effects of climate change

Equal opportunities: Participants in Project No. of male < 25 years old No. of female < 25 years old No. of male > 25 years old No of female > 25 years old

Involvement of Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) No. of SMEs involved as partners No. of SMEs involved as associated partners


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Priority Specific Indicators As the name suggests, Priority Specific Indicators should be chosen depending on the priority applied under. Within the Priority Specific Indicators there are different types of indicators depending on the stage of project implementation, as shown below:

Output

Priority 1 outputs Priority 2 outputs No. of transnational networks supporting new products and services

No. of transnational networks supporting new products and services

No. of transnational networks involving local, regional and national actors to inform policy development

No. of transnational networks involving local, regional and national actors to inform policy development

No. of triple helix partnerships No. of triple helix partnerships No. of urban-rural links

Result

Priority 1 results Priority 2 results No. of transboundary products No. of transboundary products No. of transboundary services No. of transboundary services No. of new or improved solutions/systems to promote innovation & competitiveness in remote and peripheral areas

No. of new or improved solutions for sustainable management of natural or community resources

No. of new or improved transportation schemes / services developed

No. of new or improved solutions for sustainable management of cultural heritage

No. of new or improved ICT services / ICT solutions developed

Activity The achievement of Activity Indicators is viewed as an additional contribution to the programme. Some possible activity indicators have been listed below and projects are encouraged to select from these:

Priority 1 activity indicators Priority 2 activity indicators

No. of SMEs involved in development of new products and services

No. of SMEs involved in development of new products and services

No. of R&D partners involved in industrial collaborations No. of R&D partners involved in industrial collaborations No. of new technology transfer models developed suitable for rural areas

No. of risk prevention measures

No. of patent applications No. of actors adopting “green” products or services No. of new e-services developed No. of businesses with improved sustainable development

practices No. of businesses modernised through ICT No. of solutions focusing on small scale renewable energy

or energy efficiency No. of improvements in maritime safety/risk prevention No. of new rural services developed through urban-rural

links The Programme recognises that projects will make other additional contributions that are not captured in the indicator system. Scope has therefore been allowed for projects to develop a limited number of their own indicators in line with the specific objectives and activities of the project. A maximum of four project specific indicators may be detailed in the application form.


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4.5 Communication The projects funded by the Northern Periphery Programme help remote and rural communities develop their economic, social and environmental potential. The projects are making a real difference to the development of their regions, so it important that they are recognised for their achievements. In addition, informing the general public and policy makers could in turn lead to a better quality of project implementation and ensure a lasting impact of the project outcomes. It is therefore a vital part of every project to increase public awareness and recognition through communication and dissemination. The Programme expects each project to be able to communicate its chosen messages effectively, to target these messages successfully and to develop specific methods and tools to achieve this. To create maximum effect and benefit from these activities, it is recommended to develop a communication strategy for the entire project lifetime. In the application form, applicants are asked to answer a number of questions that could form the basis for such a communication strategy. The communication strategy outlines the project’s intended communication, dissemination and publicity activities. The communication activities should be developed in proportion to the size and objectives of the project. Lengthy detailed descriptions are not required, but applicants should list the key points and communication aims of the project partnership. Within this strategy all projects are expected to fulfil a number of minimum requirements, in addition to developing specific activities based on the nature and content of the project.

Internal communication Internal communication refers to how the partnership will cooperate transnationally and how this cooperation will be facilitated.

Methods of internal communication Maintaining transnational cooperation in the project partnership is crucial to the success of the project and it can be carried out in many ways. Regular project meetings and the development of a project intranet are some of the most common approaches. The structure of the project partnership is also important and thought should be given to how the regular exchange of information will be ensured. In the application form, projects are expected to outline any planned activities/methods of maintaining internal communication.

Decision making One aspect that should be taken into account during the project design stage is how joint decision-making will be carried out between the partners. There are several approaches to joint decision-making that should be reflected on at the application stage. It is often appropriate to appoint a steering committee to oversee the project and ensure that it keeps to its targets. Stakeholder input could also be useful during the project’s implementation. Please note that a Partnership Agreement must be signed by all project partners before the Managing Authority issues a Grant Offer. See section 4.1 for further information on Partnership Agreements.

External communication & dissemination The first step in developing an external communication and dissemination strategy is for the project partners to agree on a list of communication objectives. These should answer the question of why you want to engage with your target audience and what you want to achieve by doing so. These objectives should include a greater public awareness. Without having clear communication objectives it is difficult to target messages to the correct audience.


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Clear messages inform the audience of what they need to know about your project and offer them the information needed to support the project. The messages should be simple and tailored to the needs of the audience. The communication strategy should cover the entire project lifetime, from the start-up to the close of the project and if possible beyond. It is important to remember to set aside an appropriate part of the budget for communication. An indicative budget of 5% of the total budget is recommended on the budget line of promotion, depending on the communication strategy in place.

Target audiences The target audiences are the people that you want to inform about the project and who should have an interest in the project’s achievements. These people need to be informed of the project from the beginning and should be targeted with clear communication messages. It is important to consider interested parties, stakeholders and the different levels of communication – from transnational to local. The project must also ensure that the project activities are widely disseminated throughout the whole programme area, not just in regions participating in the project.

Methods of communication Effective communication and dissemination can be carried out in many ways and it is important to use the communication methods most suited to your project’s messages, objectives and target audiences. It is important to demonstrate a clear link between your target audiences and the chosen methods of communication. The activities and methods should also be proportional to the size and aims of the project. All approved projects are expected to develop a limited number of communication and dissemination tools. Communication tools should be tailored and adapted to the individual communication objectives of the project, but there are some basic requirements that all projects should fulfil:

Required within first six months of the project Optional tools tailored to the project’s individual needs Examples include:

Project website Project poster Project logo Project newsletter Promotional material for use at conferences, seminars,

exhibitions, etc. Project DVD

Project presentation in PowerPoint format outlining the project’s objectives

Plaque

Completion of a brief project case study based on an NPP template

Other dissemination materials or tools

Submission of small collection of photos relevant to the project

It is also important to consider the planning of events and conferences and how a maximum benefit can be achieved from either attendance or organisation of these. In the application form, applicants must provide a timeframe for the planned communication tools and activities. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate how they will maintain and update promotional material throughout the project’s lifecycle and if possible beyond. For example, a project website is only useful if it contains relevant and up to date information. It is expected that a project website contains details of project results at the end of the project.

Media The media is a great channel of communicating your project results and all projects are encouraged to interact with the media in their area and inform them of newsworthy developments in the project. Consider project target groups and which types of media are most appropriate for reaching them, for example broadcast media, printed media, press conferences, etc.


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It may be worth developing a simple press kit at the beginning of the project with basic facts on the project and its objectives. This is useful when issuing press releases or when a journalist enquires about the project.

Programme events The Northern Periphery Secretariat regularly organises project events designed to assist partners and provide training on topics concerning project management. Attendance at many of these events is obligatory and projects should therefore budget for attending these events in the application phase:

Annual Lead Partner seminars to be held across the programme area Annual partner seminars in each of the partner countries One thematic seminar during the life of the project It may also be appropriate to budget for attendance at one additional training seminar to be

coordinated by the Northern Periphery Secretariat.

Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring of communication activities will be included in the Project Activity Report in the form of communication indicators. Monitoring and evaluation help to ensure that the tools and methods developed have reached the correct people and with the intended effect. It also provides a means to constantly improve communication and disseminations methods. Examples of tools to monitor effectiveness of communication actions include event feedback forms, questionnaires and web-statistics. In the planning phase of a project, it is important to be aware of the fact that a system needs to be set up in order to keep track of the different indicators.

Communication Indicators

Accumulative Communication Indicators No. of websites developed No. of visitors on website No. of project logos developed No. of promotional materials developed No. of copies of promotional materials distributed or downloaded No. of PowerPoint presentations developed No. of project case studies submitted No. of project picture libraries developed No. of times the project attended an Annual Conference No. of times the project attended a Lead Partner & Partner Seminar No. of times the project attended a Thematic Event No. of times the project attended a Training Seminar No. of times the project attended an event organised by a Regional Contact Point

Compliance with European and NPP publicity requirements For complete information, applicants should be aware that all projects that receive assistance from the programme are under the obligation to publicise that they received European Union assistance. The European publicity requirements can be found in Commission Regulation No 1828/2006 (especially Articles 8 and 9), which can be downloaded from the programme website, www.northernperiphery.eu. Guidance on how to use the European flag and the Northern Periphery Programme logo will be provided in Part 2 of this Programme Manual.



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Note: Failure to include the mandatory graphical elements outlined in the Regulations can lead to cuts in funding! It could be that the programme does not only deduct the costs related to communication measures with missing elements but, in addition, applies an overall flat rate cut of 2% on the total project budget when projects do not follow the regulations.


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5 Application Procedure

5.1 Preparatory Projects

Calls for Applications A continuous call system is in place for the submission of preparatory project applications, meaning that they can be submitted at any time. Note that focused calls and special calls for preparatory projects are launched throughout the programme period. Please find the latest information on our website or contact your Regional Contact Point, alternatively the Programme Secretariat.

Filling in the Application Form Applicants should download a copy of the “Preparatory Project Application Form and Guidance” from the NPP website and familiarise themselves with the guidelines and rules concerning a preparatory project.

Submission of Application Applications for funding should be submitted by the Lead Partner of the project to the Northern Periphery Secretariat, in accordance with the preparatory project application instructions at the end of the application form.

Selection Procedure There is a simplified application process for preparatory project applications and the application procedure is expected to take approximately one month. It proceeds as follows: 1. Completed applications should be sent to the Northern Periphery Secretariat. Applications can be

rejected at this first stage if there are already similar projects in the same field of work receiving funding from the NPP or if the application is found inadmissible.

2. A check is carried out by the Northern Periphery Secretariat to verify the project’s eligibility and

relevance to the programme. The Northern Periphery Secretariat will consult the Regional Contact Points for regional input on the project idea and may also consult the Chair of the Programme Monitoring Committee.

3. The Northern Periphery Secretariat is authorised to make funding decisions on preparatory project

applications and will take into account any comments from the Regional Contact Points. The Northern Periphery Secretariat will inform the Programme Monitoring Committee of all preparatory project decisions.

4. The Northern Periphery Secretariat will inform the applicant whether the project application has been

accepted or not. Details on all approved projects and a list of beneficiaries will be published on the NPP website.

5. For approved projects, the official decision and Offer of Grant will be issued by the Managing Authority.

A contract states the obligations and rights of the contracting parties and constitutes the main agreement between the project and the programme.


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5.2 Main Projects

Calls for Applications Calls for applications will be launched regularly, approximately two per year from 2008 onwards. Calls for applications will be published on the NPP website well in advance of the deadline, so it is worth checking for regular updates. Relevant information will also be distributed by the Regional Contact Points and Programme Monitoring Committee members. Additional promotional material and activities may be used to widely publicise the calls. The Programme Monitoring Committee may decide on a specific focus or special requirements for individual calls. The call for applications and guidance will clearly outline any special requirements.

Filling in the Application Form The main application form consists of three different parts, Part 1 and 2 in Word format and Part 3 in an Excel file. Part 1 is the content part of the application, which is signed by the Lead Partner. Part 2 describes the work packages and part 3 gives details about the financial setup of the project for each partner. The most up-to-date version of the application form should be obtained for the relevant call applied to. Copies of the application form can be found on the NPP website. Detailed instructions on how to fill in the application form are provided in the Application Instructions.

Submission of Application Applications for funding should be submitted by the Lead Partner of the project to the Northern Periphery Secretariat, in accordance with the Application Instructions. Only complete applications submitted by the deadline and containing all signed documents will be accepted by the Northern Periphery Secretariat.

Selection Procedure The selection and approval of projects is based on an open and competitive process based on the merits of each project. Following submission of an application form by the relevant deadline, the application will be registered and the Lead Partner will be sent a notification of the application’s receipt at the Northern Periphery Secretariat. After registration, each main application submitted will be subject to a five-step selection procedure: 1. Eligibility assessment by the Northern Periphery Secretariat

The first stage is an admissibility check, normally within the first two weeks. Before deeming an application inadmissible, the Programme Secretariat will discuss the case with the Lead Partner Applicant concerned. Project applications will then be checked against the eligibility criteria to ensure that they fulfil the technical requirements of the Programme. Details on the eligibility criteria can be found in section 5.3. An application could be rejected at this stage if it does not meet the eligibility criteria.

2. Regional Advisory Group (RAG) Appraisal

The Northern Periphery Secretariat will send all eligible applications to the Regional Advisory Groups (RAGs) in each of the partner countries. RAGs will appraise the applications and consider the project idea and application from a regional perspective. The RAGs will make recommendations to the Northern Periphery Secretariat on whether the requests for funding should be supported.

3. Programme Secretariat completes Assessment and Decision Proposal


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On the basis of their assessment and the recommendations from the Regional Advisory Groups, the Northern Periphery Secretariat will prepare proposals for decision to the Programme Monitoring Committee.

4. Selection of projects by Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC)

The decision on the approval or rejection of the project application will be made by a Programme Monitoring Committee made up of representatives from each of the participating partner countries on the basis of prioritisation against the selection criteria, which can be found in section 5.4. A qualitative ranking system will be used.

A project will be given a decision by the PMC in line with one of the following categories: 1. Approval without conditions 2. Approval with conditions 3. Rejection with recommendations on how to strengthen the proposal 4. Rejection Following the PMC meeting, the Lead Partner will be informed of the funding decision and the Lead Partner will be responsible for communicating the PMC’s decision to the other project partners.

5. Final offer by the Managing Authority

For approved projects, the official decision and Offer of Grant will be issued by the Managing Authority. A contract states the obligations and rights of the contracting parties and constitutes the main agreement between the project and the programme.

Details on all approved projects and a list of beneficiaries will be published on the NPP website.

Timescale Following the closure of a call, the decision procedure outlined above should normally be completed within 8 full working weeks.


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5.3 Eligibility Criteria In order to be considered for funding from the Northern Periphery Programme, each application must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

1. Application The correct application form has been submitted in electronic form by the deadline of the call. If the hard copy does

not arrive by the deadline, then it should be post marked before the deadline. All sections of the application form have been completed.

All partner forms have been filled in detailing: o Description of partner organisation’s core activities and interest in project results o Partner’s total budget, request for co-funding, signed commitments of match funding and additional

supporting documents The budget and request for funding is within the limits agreed by the Programme Monitoring Committee in the call for

applications. The project duration is no longer than three years and the project will be completed by the end of 2014.

2. Partnership The Lead Partner has been assigned and the Lead Partner organisation is eligible.

The project involves a minimum of 3 partners from 3 different partner countries, one of which is located in a European Union Member State.

Partners are located in the programme area unless in exceptional circumstances when sufficient justification is provided for the use of geographical flexibility.

The partnership is clearly transnational rather than cross-border: partnerships should include an appropriate combination of partners from the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway) and the West Atlantic (Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands).

A draft partnership agreement is in place to assign and govern responsibilities in the project.

3. Coherence with Joint Transnational Strategy The project must: Clearly address one of the two programme priorities and be consistent with the aims and objectives of the Northern

Periphery Programme. Concentrate on issues that require transnational cooperation.

Be innovative and avoid duplication of current or completed work. Comply with relevant European legislation (in particular eligibility of expenditure rules and State aid). Be consistent with the Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion and with relevant national/regional strategies. Take into account and demonstrate a positive contribution to the horizontal principles of equal opportunities and

sustainable development.

Be transnational and meet at least 3 of the 4 transnationality criteria: i) joint development; ii) joint implementation; iii) joint staffing; iv) joint financing

Result in the development of a defined transboundary product or service: o by working together to produce a new product that has a transnational or transregional character o by working together to produce a new service that has a transnational or transregional character


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5.4 Selection Criteria During the project assessment and approval process, selection criteria are used to rank the project applications. There are two main types of selection criteria:

General selection criteria to assess the application’s coherence with the strategy and objectives of the NPP;

Quality criteria to assess the quality of the application and the project itself.

1. General selection criteria for ranking of projects Projects will be given higher priority if they:

Contribute significantly to achieving the objectives of the programme: o to promote competitiveness by increasing and developing the capacity for innovation and networking in

rural and peripheral areas. o to facilitate development by the use of advanced information and communication technologies and transport

in the programme area. o to strengthen synergies between environmental protection and growth in remote and peripheral regions.

o to improve sustainable development in peripheral regions by strengthening urban-rural relations and enhancing regional heritage.

Focus on topics of particular relevance and importance to the programme area, such as peripherality, sparsity of population, rurality, etc.

Make a specific contribution to the Lisbon Agenda by:

o Making Europe a more attractive place to invest and work o Knowledge and innovation for growth o Creating more and better jobs

Make a specific contribution to the Gothenburg Agenda by: o Combating poverty and social exclusion o Dealing with the economic and social implications of an ageing society

o Limiting climate change and increasing the use of clean energy o Addressing threats to public health o Managing natural resources more responsibly o Improvements to the transport system and land-use management

Make a positive impact on equal opportunities and sustainable development by integrating and mainstreaming them into the project:

o By demonstrating a contribution towards furthering equal opportunities in a broad context. o By creating a foundation for long-term sustainability and by bringing about beneficial economic, social and

ecological impacts. Demonstrate a high level of transnationality and a strong transnational impact throughout the programme area. If appropriate, adopt a triple-helix partnership or work in a triple helix context.

Play a role in the development of innovative actions that could subsequently be taken forward in complementary Convergence and Competitiveness programmes or Regions for Economic Change.

Draw on experience and results from previously funded EU projects to develop and implement innovative actions at a transnational level.

Exhibit synergies with other programmes, such as the Northern Dimension framework and other Community programmes.


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2. Quality Criteria There is coherence between the issue/challenge to be addressed and the project response/intended results. The work packages are logical and well organised. The division of tasks is reasonable and there is a realistic and

transparent work plan.

The project activities are consistent and concrete. The partnership:

o involves the appropriate partners with the capacity to deliver and make use of the project results. o is manageable and of an appropriate size; o is well balanced meaning that the different partners contribute and benefit to a similar extent without the

dominance of one country or one partner;

The management and financial structure is sound and should ensure efficient implementation of the project. The Lead Partner has experience in project and financial management (ERDF).

There is an effective communication strategy. The results and experience acquired by the project will be transferable and easily communicated.


Part 2

How to Implement an NPP Project

Instructions on NPP 2007-2013 procedures for project implementation

Last updated: 2 April 2009

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual - Part 2: How to Implement an NPP Project

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Table of Contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3

2 Project Start-up .................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 PMC Decision ........................................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Start Date ................................................................................................................................................. 4

2.3 Grant Offer Letter .................................................................................................................................... 4

3 Project Implementation ...................................................................................................... 5

3.1 Initial Project Activities ........................................................................................................................... 5

3.2 Monitoring and Evaluation .................................................................................................................... 6

3.3 Changes in Project Implementation ....................................................................................................... 6

4 Control System ................................................................................................................... 8

4.1 First level control ..................................................................................................................................... 8

4.2 Second level control ................................................................................................................................. 8

4.3 On-the-spot checks ................................................................................................................................... 8

4.4 Irregularities ............................................................................................................................................ 9

5 Progress Report ................................................................................................................ 10

5.1 Activity Reporting ................................................................................................................................. 10

5.2 Project Claim ........................................................................................................................................... 12

5.3 How to submit a Progress Report ......................................................................................................... 15

5.4 Assessment of the Progress Report and Payment ................................................................................ 16

6 Information & Communication......................................................................................... 18

6.1 Project role in NPP communication strategy ...................................................................................... 18

6.2 Publicity Requirements ......................................................................................................................... 18

7 Project Management Tools ............................................................................................... 21

7.1 NPP Events .............................................................................................................................................. 21

7.2 Programme website............................................................................................................................... 22

7.3 Useful documents and websites ............................................................................................................ 23


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1 Introduction How to Implement an NPP Project forms the second part of the NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual. It is written for at project managers of approved projects under Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. In this part you can find instructions for all procedures related to project implementation. In Chapter 2, you can learn about what happens directly after the PMC decision to formalise your project approval. Chapter 3 deals with the implementation of your project. You will find information about mandatory activities in the early stages of your project. You can also read about monitoring and evaluation to keep your project on track and instructions for requesting changes to your original project plan or budget. Chapter 4 deals with the control system used in the NPP 2007-2013 to verify expenditure and project implementation. You will find information about first and second level control, on-the-spot-checks and what happens in case of irregularities. Chapter 5 gives details about the procedure for six-monthly Progress Reports. You will find information about how to compile and submit an Activity Report and a Project Claim. This chapter also explains how to get expenditure certified and which templates to use. Chapter 6 lays down the European and NPP publicity requirements for all projects. In addition, this chapter elaborates on the role of projects in the NPP communication strategy. The final chapter, Chapter 7, contains several tools to assist project managers in the implementation of their project. You can find information about special training events for project managers, the programme website and references to useful documents. Note: Most of the information provided in this part is meant for main projects, but certain sections also apply to preparatory projects.


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2 Project Start-up This chapter explains what happens directly after the PMC decision to formalise your project approval.

2.1 PMC Decision After approval by the Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC), the Programme Secretariat notifies the Lead Partner of the PMC decision based on the minutes from the meeting. This may take up to several weeks after the PMC meeting because the minutes need official approval by the PMC Chair. There are 2 possible decisions for approval: approval with conditions or approval without conditions.

Conditions If your project was approved with conditions, the Secretariat will enclose a second version of the decision with additional comments to help fulfil the conditions. Some conditions require your project to make changes to the application, the budget or the partnership. Other conditions ask your project to accept a certain limitation. Normally, a deadline of 1 month is given to settle the outstanding conditions between the project and the Secretariat. The Secretariat will make a formal assessment of the conditions, which is forwarded to the Managing Authority. The Managing Authority will use the latest approved version of the application in their formal decision. Once the conditions are met, the decision documents can be issued.

2.2 Start Date The decision text includes a statement that project activities must start within 3 months after approval. It is important that projects start according to the time plan in the decision to avoid delays towards the end of the project, even if Grant Offer and the conditions have not been settled yet. Before starting up any activities if a main project decision has not been issued, please contact the Secretariat to ensure eligibility of activities and related costs. An eligible start date of a project can be at the earliest the date of submission of the project application and at the latest one month after issuing the Grant Offer. Project implementation costs are not eligible before the submission of the main application. Project expenditure is eligible from the date stated in the official decision.

2.3 Grant Offer Letter The Managing Authority is the programme body that issues the official decision to your project. This is the contract that lays down the rights and responsibilities of all parties. The official decision document consists of 3 parts:

Main decision: Official decision signed by the Managing Authority and the Programme Monitoring Committee chair, stipulating the eligible budget, start and end date and reporting deadlines.

Enclosure 1: Includes a detailed project description including work packages and indicators, and the project budget.

Enclosure 2: Includes legal conditions that need to be met by the Lead Partner and other Lead Partner responsibilities.


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3 Project Implementation Once the project is approved and conditions are settled, the project can get started in earnest. In this chapter, you can read about mandatory activities in the early stages of your project. This chapter also explains how to keep track of your project through monitoring and evaluation and how you can request changes to your original project plan or budget if necessary.

3.1 Initial Project Activities There are a number of activities that are mandatory to be carried out in the early stages of the project implementation:

Separate account system All project partners are required to keep separate project accounts in their national currency, where all costs incurred and all public match funding received shall be entered. All project partners must be able to present a ledger from their accounting system, showing only transactions generated in the project. The accounting system must ensure the posting of all expenditures and revenues related to the project. It is up to National Controllers to verify the existence of project accounts.

Document retention system All project partners are required to keep an audit trail. This means that all supporting documentation related to project accounts must be kept for controls or follow-up visits. This documentation includes copies of invoices and receipts, rental and leasing contracts, employment contracts and so on. Project partners are required to preserve copies of all supporting documentation until three years after programme closure, although it is recommended to keep everything until the year 2020. National legislation for the preservation of accounting material must also be considered. All material must be held on commonly accepted data carriers, such as photocopies, microfiches and electronic versions of original documents as well as documents existing in electronic versions. The following bodies are entitled to examine the project and all relevant documentation and accounts; National Controllers, the Managing Authority, the Programme Secretariat, the Programme Monitoring Committee, the Certifying Authority, the Audit Authority, the European Commission and the European Court of Auditors and other appointed auditors.

Lead Partner (and Partner) Seminar

The Programme Secretariat will organise a special seminar for project managers at least once a year, normally after the closure of a Call for Applications. The purpose of this event is to explain the responsibilities of a Lead Partner and to go through the different procedures and requirements, such as reporting on activities, submitting a Project Claim and communication requirements. It is also an important opportunity for new projects to meet the Programme Secretariat, Regional Contact Points and other NPP projects.

Communication Projects must also remember to develop the mandatory communication tools within the first six months of the project. For more information, please see section 6.2.


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3.2 Monitoring and Evaluation It is the responsibility of the Lead Partner to make sure that the project is proceeding according to plan. In case there are departures from the original plan, the Lead Partner needs to respond to the occasion. In case there are any difficulties, serious delays or needs to change the activity plan, the Programme Secretariat must be notified immediately. If necessary, you can request a change to the project implementation.

3.3 Changes in Project Implementation As a result of monitoring and evaluation of the project, it may become evident that the activity plan or the budget needs to be revised. Changes could apply to:

Total project budget or individual budget lines Planned activities in case of technical difficulties or constraints Partnership constellation, division of tasks, staff Project duration, timing of different activities Target area Work package structure Indicators

Please note that all changes must be pre-approved by the Programme Secretariat before becoming eligible. Note that some activity changes may also impact the project budget.

Minor changes Minor changes have no major impact on project implementation and involve a change of less than

€40 000 in one project budget line. Changes with a minor impact are approved in regular correspondence between the Lead Partner and

the Secretariat; a request and answer by e-mail. Once approved, the changes are to be listed in the Activity Report and should confirm the picture

that the changes are of a minor degree when described in their full context.

Major changes Major changes have a major impact on project implementation or involve a change of more than

€40 000 in one project budget line. Changes with a major impact normally require a formal request on a specific template. Further

instructions will be provided by the Programme Secretariat to the individual project manager. Different bodies may be responsible for approving the request, such as the Managing Authority and

Programme Monitoring Committee. Once approved, the changes should be mentioned in the Progress Report.

A project can have maximum two requests for changes per year. Major changes can normally only be allowed once during the project lifetime. The degree of the change will be determined by the Programme Secretariat.


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How to request a change In order to request a change:

Please describe the change in the project setup, budget or activity plan to the Secretariat in an e-mail, [email protected].

Justify the need for the proposed change. Describe the impact of the change on project implementation.



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4 Control System This chapter explains the control system used in the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 to verify expenditure and project implementation. There are two levels of control in the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013: first level and second level control.

4.1 First level control First level control refers to the task of checking that all project expenditure is eligible according to the Common Eligibility Rules, European regulations and national legislation, when submitting a Project Claim. First level control is carried out for each project partner by a First Level Controller in their country, designated by the National Controller. For partners under the 10% funding source there is an exception. Their costs are attached to a Member State Lead Partner or Member State partner, in case the Lead Partner is Icelandic or Norwegian, and its First Level Controller.

First level Controllers will require the project partner to provide certain documentation in order to enable the first level control. Each First Level Controller will have different requirements, but in many cases a project ledger supported by invoices, evidence of public match financing and other adequate documentation will be required. It is up to each partner country to establish procedures for holding documentation according to the EC regulation and applicable national legislation. To find out who the First Level Controllers are in your partner regions or how a First Level Controller can be designated to a partner, please find the list of National Controllers in Annex I or on the programme website.

4.2 Second level control Second level control or audit refers to checks to verify the expenditure declared. This check is based on a representative sample and does not include all projects. On the whole programme, at least 5% of the budget will be checked. The Second Level Audit is performed by the Audit Authority, assisted by the national representatives of the Group of Auditors.

4.3 On-the-spot checks There are two types of verifications in first and second level control: desk checks and on-the-spot checks. On-the-spot checks take place at the premises of the project partner and may be carried out on a sample basis. Besides checking costs and documentation, the on-the-spot check will ensure that expenditure declared is real and that products or services have been delivered. On-the-spot checks for first level control are performed by the National Controllers. On-the-spot checks for second level audit will be performed by the Audit Authority, assisted by the national representatives of the Group of Auditors.


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4.4 Irregularities If irregularities are detected, and the funds involved in an irregularity have already been paid out to a project partner, the Managing Authority will have to initiate a recovery procedure. There are two possibilities:

Deducting the amount involved from the next payment to the project Recovery of the amount involved from the Lead Partner

When the amount is recovered from the Lead Partner, the Lead Partner is in turn expected to recover the funds from the partner committing the irregularity. Irregularities found with Member State partners are reported to the European Commission Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF, by the Member State in question. Irregularities found with Non Member State partners are reported to the Managing Authority, Certifying Authority and Audit Authority.


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5 Progress Report This chapter explains the procedure for compiling and submitting a six-monthly Progress Report. You can also find information about how to get expenditure certified and which templates to use. A complete Progress Report consists of 2 parts: Activity Report

A report on the progress of your project implementation. It is supported by: Examples of promotional materials

Project Claim

A formal declaration of project expenditure in order to receive NPP co-financing. It is supported by: Signed Certificates of Expenditure for each partner Signed first level control checklists for each partner

Reporting Periods Main projects are expected to submit a Progress Report on a six-monthly basis. Preparatory projects only claim once in their Final Report. The Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 uses the following reporting periods:

1st April to 30th September 1st October to 31st March

There may be circumstances that require different deadlines for reporting periods, which will be in agreement between the Secretariat and the individual project.

5.1 Activity Reporting All main projects are expected to report on the progress of their implementation on a six-monthly basis through a Progress Report. One part of the Progress Report is the Activity Report. The purpose of the Activity Report is:

To allow different programme bodies to monitor the development of the project, including the Secretariat, Managing Authority, and Programme Monitoring Committee.

To help guarantee a satisfactory implementation of the project. To provide quantification and continuous measurement of project outputs. To allow a cross-check between the implementation versus the project application or decision. To feed into the Annual Report, which is submitted to the European Commission To help disseminate information and knowledge about the project to the wider public. To identify best practices in project implementation and communication measures

The Activity Report will also be checked to make sure that the implementation corresponds with the expenditure of the project. Therefore, a missing or unsatisfactory Activity Report could lead to a decision not to issue a payment or in the worst case a revoked Grant Offer Letter!


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Compiling the Activity Report After each reporting period, the Lead Partner collects Partner Activity Reports from all partners on the activities they have carried out. There is no fixed format for this Partner Activity Report. The Lead Partner integrates the collected information into one Activity Report for the project. The template for the Activity Report can be downloaded from the programme website. The Activity Report consists of 9 sections:

1. General Information This section contains basic project data from the application form such as project title, priority, duration, target area and partnership details. In addition, projects are asked to give a summary of the progress made on their project implementation, the activities that took place during the reporting period as well as any information on outputs achieved such as products and services.

2. Project Activities and Performance In this section, projects are asked to give an overall description of project activities so far, highlighting the most important activities. In addition, projects should provide an accumulative report for each work package, comparing the activity plan set out in the application with the implementation and results achieved so far. The rest of this section asks projects about any pre-approved changes to the activity plan.

3. Indicators In this section, projects report their progress made on the types different indicators; general, priority and project specific indicators. If there are any changes to indicators, this should also be reported in this section. In addition, projects are asked to report on the status of the development of products and services including specific features, which can demonstrate their innovativeness. In addition, projects should describe the transnational impact of these products and services.

4. Project Financial Information In this section, projects should provide information on their financial performance. Projects are asked for the amount of certified expenditures compared to the total project budget. In addition, projects have to analyse if they are still on track with their spending targets. Projects should also mention any pre-approved budget changes and their impact.

5. Analysis of Project Activity and Outcomes Performance In this section, projects are asked to analyse their performance on project implementation and outcomes, in relation to the indicators, timetable and budget set out in the approved application.

6. Project Management and Partnership Dynamics In this section, projects are asked to provide a description of the management structure and mention decisions taken as well as their impact. In addition, projects are asked to comment on the dynamics of cooperating in a transnational context. Projects should also describe any cooperation with other NPP or EU funded projects.

7. NPP 2007-2013 Horizontal Principles This section deals with the horizontal principles of equal opportunities and sustainable development according to the NPP definitions. Projects are asked to describe concrete steps taken to enhance these principles and how this changed the working culture in the organisations participating in the project. For more information about the horizontal principles, please see Part 1, section 3.4.

8. Project Communication In this section, projects should demonstrate their progress made on the mandatory communication measures through a set of communication indicators. In addition, projects are asked to exemplify the indicators by listing the tools or promotional materials developed. Projects should also provide an


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analysis of their performance on internal and external communication and confirm that all promotional materials comply with the European and NPP publicity requirements. For more information about publicity requirements, please see section 6.2.

9. Changes in Project Partnership, Target Area and Other Changes In section 8, projects should provide an accumulative list of all pre-approved changes to the project in comparison to the approved application if any.

10. Additional Information Section 9 provides the opportunity for projects to give feedback and suggestions. In addition, projects should list all supporting documents attached to the report, such as the Project Claim, supporting evidence and examples of promotional materials. Finally, the form should be signed by the authorised person in the Lead Partner organisation.

5.2 Project Claim The Project Claim is the formal declaration of expenditure by the Lead Partner in order to receive ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing. Payments to projects will be paid out retrospectively against actual expenditure incurred and paid out by project partners. Only certified costs can generate ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing. All conditions for future payments are laid down in the official decision issued by the Managing Authority. The decision also includes the eligible start and end date for expenses.

Public Match Funding Note that public match funding has to be paid out and certified before an ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing payment can be issued. ERDF or ERDF equivalent funding will only be paid out fully if the full share of certified in kind AND cash match funding can be demonstrated in the claim. A match funding source is expected to cover its full share in every claim. Note that if a share of match funding expected according to the decision has not been paid out, it can be replaced by other sources of match funding if these sources can be paid to the project and certified by a First Level Controller. A public organisation participating as a partner and covering its costs can temporarily replace expected payments from match funding sources. Please contact the Programme Secretariat if you have any doubt, or when match funding is not being contributed at the pace of the project implementation, alternatively when match funding is lost.

In kind match funding An in kind contribution is always contributed by an organisation outside the project partnership. From a financial perspective, the only purpose of using an in-kind source is to be able to generate ERDF (EU member state) or ERDF equivalent (Non Member State) co-financing from the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. Demonstrating an in-kind contribution as a certified cost will not generate ERDF or ERDF equivalent funding unless actual costs have been spent by the project partner. ERDF or ERDF equivalent funding will only be paid out fully if the full share of in kind AND cash match funding can be demonstrated in the claim. It is of the highest relevance that any in-kind contribution is contributed to the project at the same pace as the project implementation/spending takes place.


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If a project is not generating the expected/stated in-kind contribution, other match funding sources have to replace the missing funding. Otherwise the project will be underfinanced, unless the project reduces its actual costs.

Compiling a Project Claim 1. All partners compile a Statement of

Expenditure In line with the timeframe setup the decision, each project partner fills in a Statement of Expenditure for the current reporting period. In the template, partners state all expenditure incurred during the period according to their accounting system and any revenues. The project partner submits the Statement of Expenditure with supporting evidence such as copies of invoices and timesheets as well as a Partner Activity Report to the First Level Controller in the partner country for first level control. All partners must state their expenditure in Euros. For this purpose, partners from non-Euro countries must fill in a Currency Conversion Sheet to convert their expenditure in national currency to Euros. All costs should be converted using the monthly Commission rates for the last month in the current reporting period. The Commission exchange rates can be found on the official website: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/inforeuro/index.cfm?fuseaction=countries&Language=en. The Statement of Expenditure template can be downloaded from the programme website. Project partners must fill in the reporting period, contact details, their VAT status and a list of supporting documents. In addition, they must answer questions about funding and information measures and about the expenditure incurred. The rest of the form consists of a table for incurred costs per budget line, including the approved budget, and a table for received public match funding. The Statement of Expenditure must be signed by an authorised person at the partner organisation. The procedure for completing the Statement of Expenditure is limited to maximum one month. Supporting Documentation Each programme partner country will establish exactly what supporting documentation is required. In general the following supporting documents are likely to be required by National Controllers: Statement of Expenditure (signed by authorised person) Ledger for the current reporting period (every partner should keep separate project accounts) Currency conversion sheet (for non-Euro partners) Time sheets (for part time project employees) Employment contracts (for full time project employees) Copies of all invoices and receipts Model to show the office costs distributed proportionally including relevant supporting evidence Latest approved application and any further decisions Transaction List Partner Activity Report Other relevant documentation

Figure 1 Compiling a Project Claim

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/inforeuro/index.cfm?fuseaction=countries&Language=en�


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Note: First Level Controllers may also ask for additional evidence during an on-the-spot-check. For this reason, all partners are advised to keep a publicity folder, corresponding with expenditure related to publicity and all evidence concerning tender procedures (public procurement) including the advertisement of the tender and the selection process.

Certification of Common Costs A separate instruction on the certification of common costs and the distribution among the partnership is available in the reporting package on the programme website.

2. First level control by First Level Controllers After receiving the Statement of Expenditure with all supporting documentation, the First Level Controller will perform the first level control. A check is made to see if the expenditure is in line with the NPP 2007-2013 Common Eligibility Rules, European regulations and National legislation and if public match funding has been paid out. The strictest definition of the various regulatory frameworks must be applied to ensure eligibility. After completion of the first level control, the First Level Controller will issue a Certificate of Expenditure, detailing the eligible expenditure as well as any deductions made. The controller will send the signed Certificate of Expenditure together with a signed first level control checklist to the project partner in question. The procedure for performing first level control is limited to maximum two months.

3. Project partners send materials to the Lead Partner The project partner sends the signed Certificate of Expenditure and the signed first level control checklist to the Lead Partner. In addition, the partner forwards any other documents agreed to in the partnership. Note: Lead Partners are expected to be the policemen in the partnership, ensuring that all costs can be connected to eligible/approved project activities. For this reason, First Level Controllers recommend that all Certificates of Expenditure are supported by a Transaction List, demonstrating which costs are related to which activities, and a Partner Activity Report, clearly outlining the individual partner activities. Also, it is vital that the Lead Partner can extract the individual partner activities from the overall Work Package activity plan.

4. The Lead Partner compiles and submits the Project Claim On the basis of the materials sent in by the project partners, the Lead Partner will compile the Project Claim.

The template for the Project Claim is available on the programme website. It consists of 3 parts:

On page 1, the Lead Partner must provide information such as the reporting period, contact details and bank details. Similar to the Statement of Expenditure, it contains a list of supporting documents, a number of questions regarding funding and information measures, questions regarding the expenditure and a signature field. The form must be signed by the authorised person in the Lead Partner organisation.

Page 2 gives an overview of the total project claim per budget line. It is automatically generated by the Summary of Certificates of Expenditure.

Summary of Certificates of Expenditure: this serves a tool to calculate if the claim has been

compiled correctly. The Lead Partner must copy from each partner’s Certificate of Expenditure, the certified expenditure and the paid public match funding.


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Note that any changes in the budget must be pre-approved by the Programme Secretariat. For instructions about requesting a budget change, please see section 3.3. The complete Project Claim must be supported by signed Certificates of Expenditure and first level control checklists for all partners. Together with the Activity Report, the Lead Partner will send the Project Claim to the Programme Secretariat. The procedure for compiling and submitting a complete Progress Report is limited to maximum one month. A full reporting cycle is therefore estimated to a maximum of four months.

5.3 How to submit a Progress Report The Lead Partner submits the complete and signed Progress Report with all supporting evidence to the Programme Secretariat. Projects are asked to send everything as much as possible in one package. The report should be sent both electronically and by post to the following address. Please include an extra copy of the paper version.

Northern Periphery Programme Secretariat Attention: Responsible Desk Officer Strandgade 91, 4th floor DK-1401 Copenhagen K Denmark E-mail: [email protected]

The submission dates for the Progress Reports are stated in your decision document. In general, the deadline for submitting a Progress Report is 4 months after the end of each reporting period. For example, the report for the period April-September 2011 is due on 31st January 2012. The electronic copy should be received on or before the deadline. The hard copy should have a date stamp no later than the deadline.



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5.4 Assessment of the Progress Report and Payment Once the Progress Report has been received by the Programme Secretariat it enters an assessment procedure involving the Programme Secretariat, the Managing Authority and the Certifying Authority. 5. The Programme Secretariat assesses the

Activity Report The Programme Secretariat is the body that assesses the Activity Report. The assessment by the Programme Secretariat includes:

Completeness of the information Eligibility of activities carried out

Coherence of activities with objectives set out in the application and decision

Concrete actions meeting the NPP horizontal principles Quality of partnership and distribution of roles between the partners Current degree of project progress achieved Efficiency and effectiveness of the project implementation process Measurement of quality and quantity of project outputs and results Impact, Added value and Sustainability Improvement proposed and anticipated results Analysis of project expenditure and other budgetary matters

After assessment, the Programme Secretariat sends the evaluation of the Activity Report to the Managing Authority for further processing of the Progress Report.

6. The Managing Authority assesses the Progress Report After receiving the Progress Report, the Managing Authority will perform a compilation check. This means that the Managing Authority will check if all documents are in place, if the Project Claim has been compiled correctly, if all costs have been certified by National Controllers and if all amounts have been calculated correctly.

7. The Managing Authority issues a Decision of Payment After assessing the Progress Report, the Managing Authority will issue a Decision of Payment, the formal decision from the Managing Authority that a payment can be made in accordance with the Grant Offer. This decision is sent to the Certifying Authority.

8. The Certifying Authority carries out final payment check Before payment is made, the Certifying Authority will carry out its own checks to verify that the Lead Partner is entitled to receive the requested NPP co-financing. Public match funding needs to be paid out before a payment can be issued.

9. The Certifying Authority makes the payment to the Lead Partner If the final payment check is satisfactory, the payment is made and the funding is transferred to the Lead Partner’s bank account. A payment notification will be sent to the Lead Partner. The payment will be made in accordance with the Grant Offer and the approved Project Claim.

Figure 2 Assessment of the Progress Report and Payment


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Receipt of Grant 10. Receipt of grant by the Lead Partner

The Lead Partner will receive the co-financing on the bank account stated in the Project Claim.

11. The Lead Partner distributes the co-financing to the project partners The Lead Partner is then responsible for distributing the received grant to the individual project partners.

12. Individual share of partnership grant The individual project partners will receive their share of the partnership grant in accordance with the Grant Offer and the partner’s Certificate of Expenditure.

Figure 4 gives a complete overview of the Progress Report procedure, from compilation to the receipt of co-financing.

Figure 4 Progress Report Procedure

Figure 3 Receipt of Grant


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6 Information & Communication This chapter lays down the NPP and European publicity requirements. It also explains the role projects play in the overall NPP communication strategy.

6.1 Project role in NPP communication strategy For the programme period 2007-2013, the European Commission is placing more emphasis on communication. The Commission hopes to achieve a greater awareness among citizens about the work carried out with European assistance, attract more potential project partners and increase transparency. The communication strategy for the NPP 2007-2013 is in line with the Commission’s strategy. Besides only informing potential project partners, the general public, projects and programme bodies and policy makers, the NPP 2007-2013 will to involve these groups to create an interactive, two-way communication stream. The NPP 2007-2013 expects that this will make the available information more relevant, that it increases ownership of the programme and its outcomes and that it optimises the use of limited resources. Projects also have a role to play in carrying out the NPP 2007-2013 communication strategy for a number of reasons:

Projects form the link between the programme and the citizens in the NPP area In a large programme area with limited accessibility, a centralised approach is not very suitable. In addition, programme resources are limited compared to the large size of the area. Project partners are located in the communities that the programme wishes to reach. Project partners can communicate with the general public and policy makers in their own language.

Projects produce tangible outcomes that impact citizens It is easier to communicate the benefits of transnational cooperation to the general public and stakeholders when you can show tangible results and improvements in the daily lives of end users.

6.2 Publicity Requirements All projects that receive European funding must comply with the publicity requirements stipulated in the European regulations. In addition, the NPP 2007-2013 has outlined a number of requirements that all main projects must meet. Progress on communication activities and the mandatory publicity requirements is monitored through communication indicators and questions in the Activity Report. See section 3.3.

European requirements The European publicity requirements for projects are laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1828/2006, Chapter 2, Articles 8 and 9, as well as Annex 1. It stipulates that all projects are responsible for informing the public about assistance received from ERDF.


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All information and publicity measures must include:

1. The European flag, in accordance with the graphic standards set out in Annex 1, and a reference to the European Union

2. A reference to the fund: “European Regional Development Fund” 3. The programme statement: “Innovatively investing in Europe’s Northern Periphery for a sustainable

and prosperous future” For small promotional objects, points 2 and 3 do not apply. Note: Failure to include the mandatory graphical elements outlined in the Regulations can lead to cuts in funding! It could be that the programme does not only deduct the costs related to communication measures with missing elements but, in addition, applies an overall flat rate cut of 2% on the total project budget when projects do not follow the regulations.

European flag Guidance on use of the European flag or emblem can be found in Annex 1 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1828/2006 and on the following website: http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/index_en.htm. It is important to keep the following things in mind:

Only use the official colours: Pantone Reflex Blue and Pantone Yellow 2C Do not place the flag upside down! When reproducing the flag:

o The preferred option is reproduction in full colour. o When using a colour background the flag needs a white rectangular border around it. o When reproducing in black and white: use black stars on a white background. o When reproducing in white and blue: the flag should be Reflex blue and the stars in white.

You can download the flag in different formats from the programme website, also in combination with the mandatory text.

http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/emblem/index_en.htm�


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NPP requirements As mentioned in Part 1 of the Programme Manual, all main projects are expected to develop a set of mandatory communication tools within the first six months of the project lifetime. In addition, projects are expected to budget for mandatory attendance at events organised by the Programme. Mandatory communication tools within the first six months:

Project website Project logo Promotional material for conferences, seminars, exhibitions, etc. Project presentation in PowerPoint format outlining the project’s objectives Completion of a brief project case study based on an NPP template Submission of small collection of photos relevant to the project

Expected attendance at NPP events during the project lifetime:

Annual Lead Partner (and Partner) Seminars Annual partner seminars organised in each of the partner countries One thematic seminar One additional training seminar

NPP logo Together with the European flag, projects must include the NPP 2007-2013 logo on all communication measures. You can download the NPP 2007-2013 logo in different formats from the programme website, also in combination with the programme statement and the EU flag.

For more information about the visual identity of the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013, please download the Visual Guidelines document from the programme website.

Project Case Study As part of the mandatory communication tools, all Lead Partners are expected to complete a case study template of their project within the first six months of operation. Lead Partners should give basic information, such as project title, start and end date, project budget and provide contact details for the partnership. In addition, they should give a summary of the main objectives and the expected outcomes. Projects should also list any publications and attach the project logo. The idea is that a final case study will be submitted with the final report. The case study template is available on the website as a Word document. In addition, all project managers will get editing rights to their online project description. They are expected to update this online project description with achieved outcomes on a regular basis and upload pictures and publications.


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7 Project Management Tools This chapter contains several tools to assist project managers in the implementation of their project. You can learn about special training events for project managers, useful features on the programme website and references to useful documents.

7.1 NPP Events During the course of a year, the Northern Periphery Programme organises a number of events particularly for project managers. All projects are expected to budget for attending these events according to the NPP publicity requirements. See section 6.2.

Lead Partner (and Partner) Seminars The Programme Secretariat will organise a special seminar for project managers at least once a year, normally after the closure of a Call for Applications. The purpose of this event is to explain the responsibilities of a Lead Partner and to go through the different procedures and requirements, such as reporting on activities, submitting a Project Claim and communications. Project can also learn about the latest developments in the programme. It is also an important opportunity for new projects to meet the Programme Secretariat, Regional Contact Points and other NPP projects. All project managers are expected to attend Lead Partner (and Partner) Seminars held during their project lifetime. Depending on the focus of the event, it may be appropriate for the project manager to bring a project partner, a finance officer or a communications officer. Project managers are expected to pass on any important information or instructions to the rest of the partnership. They can make use of the materials from the event such as presentations, which are made available on the website. Lead Partner (and Partner) Seminars will be announced on the programme website and by e-mail.

Regional Partner Seminars All Regional Contact Points will organise seminars for project partners in their region once a year. They will be able to answer questions and give the latest information about the programme in your own language. Regional partner seminars will be announced on the programme website and by e-mail.

Thematic and Training Events The Programme Secretariat will organise events about specific themes addressed under the priorities of the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. In addition, the Secretariat will organise special training events on topics such as communications, reporting procedures, project closure and so on. All events will be announced on the programme website. Note: It may be necessary for the Programme Secretariat to demand a participants’ fee for these events. All projects are asked to budget for attendance of this type of events as part of the NPP publicity requirements.


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7.2 Programme website The programme website is the main tool of communication between the programme and project managers. The address is www.northernperiphery.eu. The website contains general information about the programme and contains a special section on project implementation. In addition, you can download all important guidance documents, regulations and templates relevant for your project. It is important to watch the news section on a regular basis for important announcements regarding project implementation. Events will also be announced on the website, and presentations will be made available after events have taken place. In addition, you can find the most up-to-date contact details for the Regional Contact Points, the Programme Secretariat and National Controllers.

Profile system In order to make the website more relevant for visitors, there are a number of interactive features. One of them is a profile system, which allows visitors to register as a user. Normally, the Programme Secretariat will register project managers if they have not already done so. In the profile system, users have access to a number of features:

Contact Details When registering in the profile system, your contact details are stored in a contacts database, which may be consulted by the Programme Secretariat or other programme bodies. Your information will be treated confidentially but as a project manager, your details will be published in your online project description. Please remember to update your contact details in case of changes to your e-mail address or telephone number!

Newsletter The NPP 2007-2013 plans to issue 2 newsletters a year. In the profile system you can manage your newsletter subscription.

Event registration Users can register for NPP events announced on the website. It is also possible to make online payments, in case there is a conference fee. Users can also see an overview of events they have registered for in the past.

Project ideas Users can submit project ideas on the programme website. In the form, they can specify what type of project partners they are looking for. Users can also see an overview of project ideas they have submitted in the past.

Especially for project managers:

Online project case study As mentioned in section 6.2, project managers are expected to complete and update an online project description. They can also upload project publications and pictures through the profile system.



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Project News and Project Events

There is a possibility for project managers to publish news stories and events organised by the project on the programme website. Project managers are encouraged to use this option to achieve a wider exposure of their news in the NPP community.

Under development A number of other useful features is currently under development. One of them is a news alert service, which will allow users to receive e-mail alerts about topics of their interest. In addition, there will be an information page about each partner country in the programme area, potentially in your own language. Thirdly, the Programme Secretariat will develop a number of online animations to explain different procedures related to project implementation.

7.3 Useful documents and websites Below you can find an overview of documents and websites relevant for project managers.

Documents for project managers

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual The Programme Manual is the main guidance document developed by the NPP 2007-2013. Part 1 “How to Apply” is written for project applicants. Part 4 contains the Common Eligibility Rules. Part 3 about project closure will be made available later on.

INTERACT Territorial Cooperation Project Management Handbook INTERACT has developed a detailed handbook on project managers, which is built on lessons from period 2000-2006. It contains many practical examples.

Programme Documents

NPP 2007-2013 Brochure The NPP 2007-2013 brochure gives a short overview of the programme and its priorities. It may be useful when you wish to inform a third party about the NPP 2007-2013. It is also available in Norwegian.

Operational Programme This document lays the foundation of the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. It explains the background behind the programme and its priorities and explains its administrative and legal setup. Note: This document is not written for project managers but offers more background for those interested. It is sufficient for project managers to read the Programme Manual.

Communication Plan This document lays down the communication strategy for the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 for the full programme period. Note: This document is not written for project managers but offers more background for those interested. It is sufficient for project managers to read the Programme Manual.


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European Documents

European policy documents These documents include the Community Strategic Guidelines on economic, social and territorial cohesion, the Lisbon Agenda on competitiveness and growth and the Gothenburg Agenda on sustainable development.

European Regulations

These regulations include the general regulation 1083/2006, the ERDF regulation 1080/2006 and the implementation regulation 1828/2006.

Other downloads

Templates All relevant templates are made available on the programme website. This includes templates for applications, Progress Reports, project case studies, final reports and so on.

Event materials After each event, the Northern Periphery Programme makes available all PowerPoint presentations and handouts on the programme website. You can find these materials under the relevant event or in the Downloads section.

Graphical elements All mandatory graphical elements, the EU flag and the NPP logo including text, can be downloaded from the programme website.

Websites

Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 www.northernperiphery.eu This website contains all relevant information about the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013 in English.

INTERREG IIIB Northern Periphery Programme www.northernperiphery.net This is the website of the Northern Periphery Programme that ran during the period 2000-2006. You can find information about approved projects and examples of project publications.

INTERACT

www.interact-eu.net INTERACT is a programme that promotes good governance of Territorial Cooperation Programmes. The website contains many handbooks and guidance documents. Although the documents are mainly written for programme bodies, they may contain useful tips for project managers. You can also find information about other European programmes.

InfoRegio

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm This is the website of the Directorate-General for Regional Policy at the European Commission. It contains information about all structural funds managed by this DG and the latest news in the field of regional policy.

This list will be completed with useful websites per country.


http://www.northernperiphery.net/�

http://www.interact-eu.net/�

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm�


Part 3

How to Close an NPP Project

Instructions for project managers on how to close an NPP 2007-2013 project

Last updated: 2 April 2009

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual - Part 3: How to Close an NPP Project

2

Table of Contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3

2 Preparatory Project Final Report ....................................................................................... 4

2.1 Final Activity Report ............................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Project Claim ............................................................................................................................................ 5

2.3 How to submit a Final Report ................................................................................................................ 8

2.4 Assessment of the Final Report and Payment ....................................................................................... 9


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1 Introduction How to Close an NPP Project is Part 3 of the NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual. Part 3 is written for project managers of preparatory and main NPP projects. In this part you will find instructions for closing a project. Note: So far, only the procedure for the Final Report procedure for preparatory projects has been described. Instructions for closing a main project will follow at a later stage in the programme period.


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2 Preparatory Project Final Report This chapter explains the procedure for compiling and submitting a Final Report for preparatory projects. You can also find information about how to get expenditure certified and which templates to use. A complete Final Report for preparatory projects consists of 2 parts: Final Activity Report

A report on the implementation and outcomes of your preparatory project.

Project Claim A formal declaration of project expenditure in order to receive NPP co-financing. It is supported by: Signed Certificates of Expenditure for each partner Signed first level control checklists for each partner

2.1 Final Activity Report A preparatory project is intended to lead to a main project application in the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. However, if during the course of the project it becomes obvious that an application is not possible for any number of reasons, this too would be an acceptable outcome. If this case, it is essential that the reasons for this outcome are described in full.

Compiling a Final Activity Report The template for the Final Activity Report for preparatory projects is available on the programme website. The Final Activity Report for preparatory projects consists of 4 parts:

1. General Overview (sections 1 -6) The Lead Partner should provide general project information such as title, period, priority, target area and specify which new areas have been added or excluded. In addition, project is asked to give contact details for the partnership.

2. Contents of the Project (sections 7-8) In this section, the Lead Partner should give a description of the activities carried out in compared to the activity plan set out in the application. Projects are also asked to list the outcomes of the project compared to the application.

3. Financing (section 9) In this section, projects should give details about any pre-approved changes to the project budget.

4. Administration (sections 10-12) In section 10, projects should list any pre-approved changes to the project implementation. Section 11 offers space for feedback. Section 12 is a checklist for supporting documentation. The form should be signed by the authorised person in the Lead Partner organisation.


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2.2 Project Claim The Project Claim is the formal declaration of expenditure by the Lead Partner in order to receive ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing. Payments to projects will be paid out retrospectively against actual expenditure incurred and paid out by project partners. Only certified costs can generate ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing. All conditions for future payments are laid down in the official decision issued by the Managing Authority. The decision also includes the eligible start and end date for expenses.

Public Match Funding Note that public match funding has to be paid out and certified before an ERDF or ERDF equivalent co-financing payment can be issued. ERDF or ERDF equivalent funding will only be paid out fully if the full share of certified in kind AND cash match funding can be demonstrated in the claim. A match funding source is expected to cover its full share in the final claim. Note that if a share of match funding expected according to the decision has not been paid out, it can be replaced by other sources of match funding if these sources can be paid to the project and certified by a First Level Controller. A public organisation participating as a partner and covering its costs can temporarily replace expected payments from match funding sources. Please contact the Programme Secretariat if you have any doubt, or when match funding is not being contributed at the pace of the project implementation, alternatively when match funding is lost.

In kind match funding An in kind contribution is always contributed by an organisation outside the project partnership. From a financial perspective, the only purpose of using an in-kind source is to be able to generate ERDF (EU member state) or ERDF equivalent (Non Member State) co-financing from the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013. Demonstrating an in-kind contribution as a certified cost will not generate ERDF or ERDF equivalent funding unless actual costs have been spent by the project partner. ERDF or ERDF equivalent funding will only be paid out fully if the full share of in kind AND cash match funding can be demonstrated in the claim. It is of the highest relevance that any in-kind contribution is contributed to the project at the same pace as the project implementation/spending takes place. If a project is not generating the expected/stated in-kind contribution, other match funding sources have to replace the missing funding. Otherwise the project will be underfinanced, unless the project reduces its actual costs.


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Compiling a Project Claim 1. All partners compile a Statement of

Expenditure In line with the timeframe setup the decision, each project partner fills in a Statement of Expenditure for the current reporting period. In the template, partners state all expenditure incurred during the period according to their accounting system and any revenues. The project partner submits the Statement of Expenditure with supporting evidence such as copies of invoices and timesheets as well as a Partner Activity Report to the First Level Controller in the partner country for first level control. All partners must state their expenditure in Euros. For this purpose, partners from non-Euro countries must fill in a Currency Conversion Sheet to convert their expenditure in national currency to Euros. All costs should be converted using the monthly Commission rates for the last month in the current reporting period. The Commission exchange rates can be found on the official website: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/inforeuro/index.cfm?fuseaction=countries&Language=en. The Statement of Expenditure template can be downloaded from the programme website. Project partners must fill in the reporting period, contact details, their VAT status and a list of supporting documents. In addition, they must answer questions about funding and information measures and about the expenditure incurred. The rest of the form consists of a table for incurred costs per budget line, including the approved budget, and a table for received public match funding. The Statement of Expenditure must be signed by an authorised person at the partner organisation. The procedure for completing the Statement of Expenditure is limited to maximum one month. Supporting Documentation Each programme partner country will establish exactly what supporting documentation is required. In general the following supporting documents are likely to be required by First Level Controllers: Statement of Expenditure (signed by authorised person) Ledger for the current reporting period (every partner should keep separate project accounts) Currency conversion sheet (for non-Euro partners) Time sheets (for part time project employees) Employment contracts (for full time project employees) Copies of all invoices and receipts Model to show the office costs distributed proportionally including relevant supporting evidence Latest approved application and any further decisions Transaction List Partner Activity Report Other relevant documentation

Figure 1 Compiling a Project Claim

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/inforeuro/index.cfm?fuseaction=countries&Language=en�


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Certification of Common Costs A separate instruction on the certification of common costs and the distribution among the partnership is available in the reporting package on the programme website.

2. First level control by First Level Controllers

After receiving the Statement of Expenditure with all supporting documentation, the First Level Controller will perform the first level control. A check is made to see if the expenditure is in line with the NPP 2007-2013 Common Eligibility Rules, European regulations and National legislation and if public match funding has been paid out. The strictest definition of the various regulatory frameworks must be applied to ensure eligibility. After completion of the first level control, the First Level Controller will issue a Certificate of Expenditure, detailing the eligible expenditure as well as any deductions made. The controller will send the signed Certificate of Expenditure together with a signed first level control checklist to the project partner in question. The procedure for performing first level control is limited to maximum two months.

3. Project partners send materials to the Lead Partner The project partner sends the signed Certificate of Expenditure and the signed first level control checklist to the Lead Partner. In addition, the partner forwards any other documents agreed to in the partnership, such as information on activities. Note: Lead Partners are expected to be the policemen in the partnership, ensuring that all costs can be connected to eligible/approved project activities. For this reason, First Level Controllers recommend that all Certificates of Expenditure are supported by a Transaction List, demonstrating which costs are related to which activities, and a Partner Activity Report, clearly outlining the individual partner activities. Also, it is vital that the Lead Partner can extract the individual partner activities from the overall Work Package activity plan.

4. The Lead Partner compiles and submits the Project Claim On the basis of the materials sent in by the project partners, the Lead Partner will compile the Project Claim.

The template for the Project Claim is available on the programme website. It consists of 3 parts:

On page 1, the Lead Partner must provide information such as the reporting period, contact details and bank details. Similar to the Statement of Expenditure, it contains a list of supporting documents, a number of questions regarding funding and information measures, questions regarding the expenditure and a signature field. The form must be signed by the authorised person in the Lead Partner organisation.

Page 2 gives an overview of the total project claim per budget line. It is automatically generated from the third part of the form.

Summary of Certificates of Expenditure: this serves a tool to calculate if the claim has been

compiled correctly. The Lead Partner must copy from each partner’s Certificate of Expenditure, the certified expenditure and the paid public match funding.

Note that any changes in the budget must be pre-approved by the Programme Secretariat. For instructions about requesting a budget change, please see Programme Manual Part 2, section 3.2.


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The complete Project Claim must be supported by signed Certificates of Expenditure and first level control checklists for all partners. Together with the Final Activity Report, the Lead Partner will send the Project Claim to the Programme Secretariat. The procedure for compiling and submitting a complete Progress Report is limited to maximum one month. A full reporting cycle is therefore estimated to a maximum of four months.

2.3 How to submit a Final Report The Lead Partner submits the complete and signed Final Report with all supporting evidence to the Programme Secretariat. Projects are asked to send everything as much as possible in one package. The report should be sent both electronically and by post to the following address. Please include an extra copy of the paper version.

Northern Periphery Programme Secretariat Attention: Responsible Desk Officer Strandgade 91, 4th floor DK-1401 Copenhagen K Denmark E-mail: [email protected]

The submission date for the Final Report is stated in your decision document. In general, the deadline for submitting a Final Report is 4 months after the end date of a project. There may be circumstances that require a different deadline, which will be in agreement between the Secretariat and the individual project. The electronic copy should be received on or before the deadline. The hard copy should have a date stamp no later than the deadline.



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2.4 Assessment of the Final Report and Payment Once the Final Report has been received by the Programme Secretariat it enters an assessment procedure involving the Programme Secretariat, the Managing Authority and the Certifying Authority. 5. The Programme Secretariat assesses the

Final Activity Report The Programme Secretariat is the body that assesses the Final Activity Report. The assessment by the Programme Secretariat includes:

Completeness of the information Eligibility of activities carried out

Coherence of activities with objectives set out in the application and decision

Concrete actions meeting the NPP horizontal principles Quality of partnership and distribution of roles between the partners Current degree of project progress achieved Efficiency and effectiveness of the project implementation process Measurement of quality and quantity of project outputs and results Impact, Added value and Sustainability Improvement proposed and anticipated results Analysis of project expenditure and other budgetary matters

In addition, the Programme Secretariat assesses if the preparatory project has been successful in developing a viable main project application and forming a suitable partnership. After assessment, the Programme Secretariat sends the evaluation of the Final Activity Report to the Managing Authority for further processing of the Final Report.

6. The Managing Authority assesses the Final Report After receiving the Final Report, the Managing Authority will perform a compilation check. This means that the Managing Authority will check if all documents are in place, if the Project Claim has been compiled correctly, if all costs have been certified by First Level Controllers and if all amounts have been calculated correctly.

7. The Managing Authority issues a Decision of Payment After assessing the Final Report, the Managing Authority will issue a Decision of Payment, the formal decision from the Managing Authority that a payment can be made in accordance with the Grant Offer. This decision is sent to the Certifying Authority.

8. The Certifying Authority carries out final payment check Before payment is made, the Certifying Authority will carry out its own checks to verify that the Lead Partner is entitled to receive the requested NPP co-financing. Public match funding needs to be paid out before a payment can be issued.

9. The Certifying Authority makes the payment to the Lead Partner If the final payment check is satisfactory, the payment is made and the funding is transferred to the Lead Partner’s bank account. A payment notification will be sent to the Lead Partner. The payment will be made in accordance with the Grant Offer and the approved Project Claim.

Figure 2 Assessment of the Final Report and Payment


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Receipt of Grant 10. Receipt of grant by the Lead Partner

The Lead Partner will receive the co-financing on the bank account stated in the Project Claim.

11. The Lead Partner distributes the co-financing to the project partners The Lead Partner is then responsible for distributing the received grant to the individual project partners.

12. Individual share of partnership grant The individual project partners will receive their share of the partnership grant in accordance with the Grant Offer and the partner’s Certificate of Expenditure.

Figure 1 gives a complete overview of the Final Report procedure, from compilation to the receipt of co-financing.

Figure 4 Final Report Procedure

Figure 3 Receipt of Grant


Part 4

Common Eligibility Rules

Instructions on the eligibility of project expenditure

Last updated: 17 February 2009

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual - Part 4: Common Eligibility Rules

2

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 Where to find guidance ........................................................................................................................... 4

2 Eligibility Rules ................................................................................................................... 5

1. Staff costs including social contributions .................................................................................................... 5

2. Travel and accommodation .......................................................................................................................... 5

3. External experts ............................................................................................................................................ 5

4. Office costs (directly allocated) .................................................................................................................... 6

5. Office costs (distributed proportionally) ..................................................................................................... 6

6. Promotion / publications, seminars / conferences, meetings ................................................................... 7

7. Equipment and supplies (including small scale investments) ................................................................... 7

8. Other costs .................................................................................................................................................... 8

9. Common costs ............................................................................................................................................... 8

10. In kind costs ................................................................................................................................................ 8

11. Indicative list of ineligible expenditure ...................................................................................................... 9

12. Project revenues .......................................................................................................................................... 9


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1. Introduction These Common Eligibility Rules, laying down the details concerning eligibility of expenditure in projects co-financed by the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013, shall be applied in all partner countries participating in the programme. The following expenditure categories have been established for the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-2013:

1. Staff costs including social contributions 2. Travel and accommodation 3. External experts 4. Office costs (directly allocated) 5. Office costs (distributed proportionally) 6. Promotion / publications, seminars / conferences, meetings 7. Equipment and supplies 8. Other costs 9. Common costs 10. In kind costs

A precondition for eligibility of expenditure in the different categories is compliance with the principles of efficiency, economy and expediency of all actions. Furthermore all expenditure has to be project-related, traceable from the approved application form, arisen during the project period determined by the Managing Authority, entered into the project accounts for the claimed period and paid by the project partner. All expenditure needs to be supported by accounting documents having a probative value equivalent to invoices. A sufficient audit trail must be secured. Public procurement rules have to be observed and full documentation of the procurement is obligatory for expenditure to be regarded as eligible. VAT is only eligible if it is non-recoverable for the partner-organisation concerned and this is supported by a certificate from the tax authorities. All expenditure has to be in line with Commission Regulations as well as National legislation. Commission rules on eligibility of expenditure can be found in:

Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006, Art 7 and 13 Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006, Art 11 Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 56 Regulation (EC) No 1828/2006, Art 48-53

Other Commission rules applicable:

Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 2 (5) and Directive 2004/18/EC (Public procurement)

Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 54 (State Aid) Regulation (EC) No 1828/2006, Art 9 (Publicity) Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, Art 48 (2) (Sound financial management) Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 16 (Equality between men and women and

nondiscrimination) Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 17 (Sustainable development) Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 54 (Double financing)


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Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, Art 55 (Generation of revenue) Regulation (EC) No 1828/2006, Art 24 (d) (Legality and regularity of expenditure paid

outside the Community Please note that this list may not be exhaustive.

1.1 Where to find guidance For further guidance please contact:

For guidance on Commission Regulations and Common Eligibility rules at application stage, contact the Programme Secretariat.

Regarding National legislation at application stage, contact your Regional Contact Point for further guidance.

For guidance on eligibility of expenditure at claiming stage, please contact your National Controller. The contact details are available in Annex I and on the programme website.

Contact details for the Programme Secretariat and the Regional Contact Points can be found in the cover document or on the programme website, www.northernperiphery.eu.



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2 Eligibility Rules

1. Staff costs including social contributions Project-related staff costs including social contributions incurred in Lead Partner / Partner organisations are eligible under the following provisions:

a. They are based on and supported by legal contracts / employment agreements.

b. They are documented;

If staff from the Lead Partners / Partners ordinary operations is assigned for part time work in the project, work performed should be reported in detail by the use of timesheets.

The timesheets must state name, date/time and activity. They must be signed by the employee and his / her manager. By signing the timesheet the manager also certifies the additionality of the project assignment and that the activities specified on the timesheet are not being double financed.

c. Hourly rates should be calculated according to the following model:

d. The calculated social contribution charge does only consist of legally required social charges in the Nation concerned.

Monthly salary + social contribution charge

Normal amount of working hours per month

e. No extra charges besides social contribution charge are included in the hourly rate.

f. Fringe benefits are not included.

2. Travel and accommodation Project-related travel and accommodation costs are eligible provided that:

a. The most economic way of transport has been used. Exceptions from this principle must be duly justified and motivated on the individual invoice. Exceptions due to choice of the most sustainable alternative is generally to be seen as eligible (See the NPP Strategic Environmental Assessment report for further guidance).

b. The travel took place within the programme area. Exceptions must be traceable in the approved application or otherwise approved in advance by the Programme administration. (For travel outside the programme area to be regarded as eligible, it must be shown that the travel is of benefit to the programme area.) Travel expenses concerning meetings with the JPS in Copenhagen are generally to be considered as eligible.

c. The accommodation cost is in the middle price range. Higher price ranges (>140 EUR /night) must be duly justified and motivated on the individual invoice.

d. Daily allowances are in line with the conditions set for public authorities in the country concerned.

3. External experts Costs for external experts / consultants are eligible under the following provisions:

a. The work of the external expert is essential to the project

b. Rates charged by the external expert are reasonable. Daily rates over 800 EUR must be carefully motivated to be considered as eligible


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c. Rates are in relation to level of experience and expertise

d. Project partners cannot be contracted as external experts

e. Sub-contracting by external experts is not eligible

4. Office costs (directly allocated)

Examples of eligible costs in this category are:

a. Premises costs such as rent, heat, light, water and service charges related solely to the project and corresponding to the m2 space used for project activities. Besides standard accounting material, a copy of the underlying premise agreement is obligatory for eligibility.

b. Administrative costs such as phone calls, postage, copying and office supplies related solely to the project

5. Office costs (distributed proportionally) Please note that this expenditure category is not applicable in preparatory projects

5.1 General provisions of eligibility

a. It must be impossible to allocate the costs directly to the project.

b. Proportionally distributed office costs must be attributable to the implementation of the project.

c. The distribution rate may not exceed 25% of direct salary cost (hourly rate calculated according to 1.c)

d. The costs must be properly documented through accounting material and periodically reviewed.

e. The costs must be distributed according to the following model:

i. Calculate total allowed office expenditure to be distributed proportionally/year [x]

ii. Calculate total no. of hours worked in the organisation/year [y]

[x]/[y] = proportional cost/hour [z]

Eligible cost is retrieved by multiplying [z] by the number of hours worked in the project according to the timesheets.

5.2 Detailed list of costs allowed in this category

a. Administrative service; Book-keeping, salary administration, postal / telephone services, copying and centralized computer support

b. Office supplies

c. Premises costs such as rent, heat, light, water and service charges


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6. Promotion / publications, seminars / conferences, meetings

Expenditure under this heading may include the following costs:

a. Costs related to all aspects of promotion and publications specific to the project such as:

i. Design and production of marketing materials, brochures and publications

ii. targeted advertising campaigns

b. Costs related to organising and participating in seminars / conferences and meetings such as:

i. Rent for meeting premises

ii. Meals / Catering*

iii. General transportation (except travelling to / from meeting locations)

iv. Conference fees

*Please note that meals/catering should be of a moderate nature and according to normal standards in each partner country. Excessive entertainment is not to be regarded as eligible expenditure. All meals/catering must be supported by a list of participants and a statement outlining the purpose of the occasion.

7. Equipment and supplies (including small scale investments)

7.1 General principles

a. Cost for equipment includes purchase price as well as costs for site preparation, delivery, handling and installation when applicable.

b. The equipment must be essential for the delivery of the project, used solely for that purpose and purchased within the eligible project period.

c. The full purchase price is only eligible if the item is used solely for the project during its total economic and depreciable lifetime. In all other cases only depreciation costs shall be eligible.

7.2 Depreciation rules

For the calculation of depreciation, the following information is required:

a. The cost and description of the purchased item

b. The purchasing date; the number of years over which the item is being depreciated (Three years for electronic equipment and five years for other equipment)

c. The % of the item use devoted solely to the project, over the life of the item

Depreciation expenditure is only eligible provided that the acquisition of the asset is not declared as eligible expenditure.


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7.3 Second hand equipment The purchase cost / depreciation cost of second-hand equipment is eligible under the following conditions:

a. It must be certified by the seller that the equipment has not previously been co-financed with public funds.

b. The price of the equipment shall not exceed its market value and shall be less than the purchase costs of similar new equipment.

c. The equipment shall have the technical characteristic necessary for the project and comply with applicable norms and standards.

8. Other costs Other costs which are eligible according to general principles and regulations and necessary for the implementation of the project may be placed under this category

Examples:

a. Charges for transnational financial transactions

b. Bank charges for opening and administering an account or accounts where the implementation of a project requires a separate account or accounts to be opened

c. Costs for 1st level control

9. Common costs This expenditure category should contain a separate accounting of each project partner’s share of the total common costs for administrating the project on behalf of the project partnership. The individual eligibility rules in each of the other expenditure categories shall apply on the expenditure accounted for in this category.

10. In kind costs

In kind contributions shall be eligible expenditure if they fulfil the following conditions:

a. Only public or public equivalent in kind contributions from organisations outside the partnership are eligible

b. They consist of the provision of land or real estate, equipment or raw materials, research or professional work

c. Their value can be independently assessed and audited;

i. Value of land or real estate must be certified by an independent qualified valuer or duly authorised official body

ii. For research and professional work, the eligibility rules for “staff costs including social contributions” shall apply

The co-financing from the Northern Periphery Programme cannot exceed the total eligible expenditure excluding the value of in kind contributions


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11. Indicative list of ineligible expenditure

The following expenditure is not eligible in the Northern Periphery Programme:

a. Fees for financial transactions (except for transnational transaction charges)

b. Interest on debt, loan charges or costs resulting from the deferral of payments to creditors

c. Exchange rate losses or other costs tied to currency exchange

d. Fines, other legal fees or court costs

e. Costs for finance leases or other hire purchase arrangements

f. Redundancy payments

g. Payments into private pension schemes

h. Bad debts

i. Overtime pay for part time workers in the project

j. Purchase of land

k. Decommissioning of nuclear power stations

l. Housing

m. Recoverable VAT

n. Unpaid costs

Please note that this list is not exhaustive. For further guidance on individual costs, see section 1.1.

12. Project revenues

Eligible expenditure shall be reduced with revenues generated by the project. The following is to be regarded as revenue:

a. Revenues generated by sales, lease, services and fees or other similar activities

b. Revenues in other form than money

Revenues generated by the project shall be accounted for continuously by the project partner


Annex I

National Controllers

A list of first level controllers for each of the programme partner countries

Last updated: 20 August 2009

NPP 2007-2013 Programme Manual - Annex I: National Controllers

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Table of Contents List of National Controllers ....................................................................................................... 3

Faroe Islands ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Finland .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Greenland .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Iceland ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 Ireland ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Northern Ireland ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Norway .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Scotland ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Sweden .............................................................................................................................................................. 5


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List of National Controllers

Faroe Islands Mr Pól E. Egholm CONFIRMED Representation of the Faroes in Copenhagen Strandgade 91, 4. sal 1401 Copenhagen K Denmark E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +45 6165 9554 Finland No pre-designated controllers in Finland. External auditors will be hired by Finnish partners and approved by the Finnish ministry. Further instructions can be found on the website (www.northernperiphery.eu) in the Downloads section under the folder Regional_Info/Finland. Greenland Aviaja Schacht CONFIRMED E-mail: [email protected] Rita Lyberth Jensen CONFIRMED E-mail: [email protected] Hans Jørgen Mørch (National controller in charge) CONFIRMED E-mail: [email protected] Den Centrale Regnskabsafdeling Greenland Home Rule Postbox 1600, 3900 Nuuk Greenland Iceland Magnús Helgason CONFIRMED The Institute of Regional Development The Operation Department Ártorg 1 IS-550 Saudarkrokur Iceland E-mail: [email protected] Tel: + 354 4555440 Tel: + 354 4555499








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Ireland Mr Joe Flynn CONFIRMED Border, Midland and Western Regional Assembly The Square Ballaghaderreen Co. Roscommon Ireland E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +353 (0) 94 9862970 Mr Michael Buckley CONFIRMED Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly Assembly House, O'Connell Street, Waterford Email: [email protected] Tel: +353 (0) 51 860711 Northern Ireland Mr Niall Smyth CONFIRMED Special EU Programmes Body EU House 6 Cromac Place BELFAST BT7 2JB Northern Ireland E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 28 82 255756 Norway

A list of pre-approved Norwegian controllers can be found on the following website: http://www.nkrf.no/bedriftsmedlemmer/cms/28. If Norwegian partners would like to use a controller outside of this list, this controller will need to be pre-approved by Innovation Norway. Ms Marita Søndeland CONFIRMED Innovation Norway Post box 448 Sentrum 0104 Oslo Norway E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +47 22002849 Scotland No information received.




http://www.nkrf.no/bedriftsmedlemmer/cms/28�



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Sweden Ms Anna Viktorsdotter CONFIRMED County Administration of Västerbotten Storgatan 71B 901 86 Umeå Sweden E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +46 90 10 82 34
