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Applicants - Management Structure
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INTERREG IVC Frequently Asked Questions
Assistance to applicants
The INTERREG IVC Programme was approved by the European Commission on 11 September 2007 and was officially launched on 21 September 2007 in Lisbon. The first Call for Project Proposals was open from 21 September 2007 until 15 January 2008. The second Call for Project Proposals will be opened on 27 October 2008 until 30 January 2009. The application pack (programme manual, application form, etc.) with important information directly related to the development of projects (e.g. recommended ERDF budget, recommended duration, eligibility of preparation costs, precise definition of Fast Track) is available on the Programme website. Please note that an updated Application Pack will be provided for the launch of the second call.
Information Points have been set up in Rostock (Germany), Katowice (Poland), Valencia (Spain) and Lille (France) to provide information to applicants. Please consult regularly the Programme website for further information. Updated information will always be communicated through this channel.
In the meantime, potential applicants will be able to find below answers to some of the questions frequently addressed to the Secretariat.
Management structure
Will INTERREG IVC be organised into 4 zones as under the previous, INTERREG IIIC, programme?
No. There will be one single programme for the whole European territory, including 27 Member States, Norway and Switzerland.
Who is the Managing Authority of INTERREG IVC?
The Managing Authority of INTERREG IVC is the Conseil Régional Nord-Pas de Calais, Lille, France.
Where will the Joint Technical Secretariat of INTERREG IVC be based?
The Joint Technical Secretariat will be based in Lille, France. In addition, four Information Points will support the JTS and will deliver information and technical advice to applicants. They are based in Katowice (Poland), Lille (France), Rostock (Germany) and Valencia (Spain). However, all project proposals will have to be submitted to the JTS in Lille.
Programme area
Which regions will be eligible under INTERREG IVC?
The eligible INTERREG IVC cooperation area covers the entire territory of the European Union – including all new Member States and insular and outermost areas.
Can partners from non EU Member States be eligible under INTERREG IVC?
The general rule is that partners coming from non EU Member States can participate in INTERREG IVC but at their own cost. However, partners from Norway and Switzerland can make use of the respective allocations of Norwegian/Swiss funding in the programme. There is currently no agreement on the harmonised use of EU funds between INTERREG IVC and IPA / ENPI (Instrument for Pre-Accession / European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument)...
Programme documents
Are the Programme documents available in languages other than English?
The official programme documents are only available in English, the working language of the programme. Some Member States might provide informal translations in their national language, for informational purposes only. You should contact your National Contact Point to see if this is the case. However please be aware that only the English version as approved by the Monitoring Committee is authentic and should be used as reference. The Application Form and all annexes have to be submitted in English.
Timeframe and first call for proposal
When was the programme approved?
The programme was submitted to the European Commission on 19 April 2007. It was approved on 11 September 2007.
When was the programme officially launched?
A launch conference took place in Lisbon, Portugal, on 20 and 21 September 2007. This Interregional Cooperation Forum was the closing event of INTERREG IIIC and officially launched the new INTERREG IVC programme.
More information on the event here
What is the timeframe for the first call for proposals?
The first call for proposals was launched on 21 September 2007 in the frame of the INTERREG IVC launch event in Lisbon. The deadline for project submission is 15 January 2008. View the text of the first call here
When will the first operations be approved?
Due to the high numbers of applications received, the approval of project applications were divided by type of intervention. The Monitoring Committee approved the first set of projects, Capitalisation, on 24 April 2008. The Regional Initiative projects will be approved at the Monitoring Committee scheduled for September 2008.
What is the timeframe for the second call for proposals?
The second call for proposals will be launched on 27 October 2008 with a deadline for project submission on 30 January 2009. Updated information – including the updated Application Pack - will be always be communicated through the Programme website.
Types of interventions
What types of interventions are foreseen under INTERREG IVC?
The following types of interventions are supported in the framework of the programme:
1. Regional Initiative Projects are “classic” interregional cooperation projects focusing on the exchange of experiences and the identification, analysis, dissemination and possible transfer of good practices. They will have to focus on one of the sub-themes identified in the Programme Manual which are closely related to the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategies. In addition, activities can go from traditional networking activities to transfer of experience and/or implementation of pilot projects, and even light ‘mini-programmes’. Regardless of the intensity of cooperation, Regional Initiative Projects will have to produce a certain number of tangible deliverables such as policy recommendations or good practice guides.
2. Capitalisation (including Fast Track Projects) are interregional cooperation projects focusing specifically on the transfer of regional development good practices into Structural Funds mainstream programmes. One of the expected outputs is a concrete action plan which should ideally be signed by the respective Managing Authority and relevant stakeholders in each of the participating regions. An action plan is understood as a strategic document which defines precisely how the good practices will be implemented in each participating region.
Will mini-programmes (such as RFOs under INTERREG IIIC) still be eligible under INTERREG IVC?
Under the first type of intervention (Regional Initiative Projects), the support of so called ‘mini-programmes’ will be possible. These ambitious cooperation projects will require a high level of intensity of cooperation as they will for instance imply the building up of joint elaborated decision making procedures to decide on the sub-projects. However, these mini-programmes will be more focused than the RFOs supported under INTERREG IIIC as they will have to be in line with the two thematic priorities of the future programme. A mini-programme is a project with a limited number of partners (maximum 8) developing a joint framework for interregional cooperation that will be implemented through a limited number of sub-projects (maximum 12) developed via calls for proposals in the participating regions.
What are Fast Track projects?
Fast Track projects are Capitalisation projects which benefit from additional expertise from the European Commission in order to contribute to the Regions for Economic Change initiative. Based on its “assessment questions”, the European Commission will identify the possible Fast Track projects from the submitted Capitalisation projects. The Monitoring Committee will take the final decision. Therefore, there will be no specific application to Fast Track Projects.
Themes of cooperation
What is the rationale of the INTERREG IVC programme?
The INTERREG IVC Programme is an exchange and capitalisation programme which aims to improve, through the exchange of experience and good practices, the effectiveness of regional development policies. Indeed, it focuses on the identification, the analysis, and, under certain conditions, the transfer of good practices. Therefore:
- The “natural” target group of the Programme are regional and local public authorities, as these bodies are responsible for regional and local policies;
- INTERREG IVC is fundamentally different from cross-border and transnational cooperation programmes. In particular, it is not primarily dedicated to ‘implementation’ or to ‘experimentation’. Core activities of INTERREG IVC projects should always be related to the exchange of experiences
What themes of cooperation will be eligible?
The programme is organised around two thematic priorities related to the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas. A certain number of sub-themes are defined for each of the priorities:
Priority 1: Innovation and the knowledge economy
-innovation, research and technology development;
-entrepreneurship and SMEs;
-the information society;
-employment, human capital and education.
Priority 2: Environment and risk prevention
-natural and technological risks including climate change;
-water management;
-waste management;
-biodiversity and preservation of natural heritage including air quality;
-energy and sustainable transport;
-cultural heritage and landscape.
The INTERREG IVC programme supports projects that aim, through interregional cooperation, to improve regional policies addressing the above sub-themes. These sub-themes can be interrelated not only within but also between the priorities. Even though each project has to select only one of the sub-themes listed in the Application Form and focus on a clear regional policy issue, the way this sub-theme is addressed can have side effect on other sub-themes of the Programme.
Partnership
What is the minimum number of countries that should be represented in the partnership?
INTERREG IVC projects have to involve partners who represent at least three countries, from which at least two partners must be from EU Member States and financed under the INTERREG IVC programme. As the INTERREG IVC programme is the only cooperation programme covering the whole Europe, it is recommended that the geographical coverage of the partnership goes beyond cross-border or transnational cooperation programme. Moreover, matching less experienced regions with more advanced regions also represent one of the Programme objectives.
What is the adequate number of partners within a Regional Initiative Project?
Under the INTERREG IVC programme it is up to each partnership to define the adequate number of partners with a view to facilitating efficient implementation and reflecting the operation’s objectives. In fact, the higher the intensity of cooperation is, the more complex the management becomes, and the lower the number of partners should be. Therefore, it is recommended that: - for basic intensity cooperation projects, the partnership can involve between 8 and 20 partners; - for medium intensity cooperation projects, the partnership should not exceed 10 to 15 partners. However, for high intensity cooperation projects (i.e. mini-prgrammes), the partnership must lie within a range from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 8 partners.
Can private bodies be eligible as partners in INTERREG IVC?
INTERREG IVC is a programme dedicated to public authorities (in particular regional and local authorities) and to bodies governed by public law. Due to the strategic approach of the INTERREG IVC programme, regional and local public authorities represent the main target group of the Programme. Private bodies are ineligible but can participate in the operations at their own costs. Furthermore and subject to public procurement rules, the private sector can be subcontracted by partners to provide services or to assist in the implementation of certain activities.
What is meant by “body governed by public law”?
Body governed by pubic law means any body:
1/ established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, not having an industrial or commercial character;
2/ having legal personality; and
3/ - financed, for the most part, by the State, regional or local authorities, or other bodies governed by public law;
- or subject to management supervision by those bodies;
- 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.
As indicated in the Programme Manual, each Member State is responsible for confirming the legal status of partners located on its territory. Therefore, in case of doubt about the status, interested bodies should contact its Member State representative. The contact list is available on the Contacts page.
What are the criteria for Norwegian Lead Partners?
As indicated in the Programme Manual, the Lead Partner takes the full administrative and financial responsibility for the operation. There are no specific criteria to allow Norwegian organisations to become Lead Partner. However, the fact that ERDF is transferred to the partners through a non-EU Partner presents additional risks. Therefore, only in well justified cases should the Lead Partner be from Norway. Possible justifications could be that the Norwegian partner:
- has a particular and outstanding experience in the policy field tackled by the project;
- is the first financial contributor to the project.
Budget
What is the total ERDF funding for INTERREG IVC?
The total ERDF budget available for commitments to operations during the period 2007 to 2013 amounts to 302 million EUR, which will be matched with national co-financing. In addition, 2.7 million EUR are available for the participation of Norwegian partners.
What is the ERDF co-financing rate for the partners of an approved operation?
Under the INTERREG IVC, project activities are co-financed by the ERDF at either 75% or 85% depending on the Member State in which the partner is physically located:
- 75% for partners coming from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK;
- 85% for partners coming from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The co-financing rate for partners coming from Norway is 50%