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[ Programme ]
Lead Partner Seminar - event report
L PS4 22The fourth call Lead Partner Seminar took place in Copenhagen, Denmark on 23 January 2012. The staff of the Joint Technical Secretariat and the four Information Points welcomed 173 participants, including representatives of all 82 fourth call projects approved under conditions in December 2011. The event report and presentations are now available online.

[ Project ]
12 January 2012 - CLUSTERIX Project Coordination Support
The INTERREG IVC project CLUSTERIX is seeking to contract an external project coordinator for their project, beginning as soon as possible and until 31 December 2014. Deadline for submitting offers is 31 January 2012.

> Homepage > INTERREG IVC Frequently Asked Questions

INTERREG IVC Frequently Asked Questions

Assistance to Applicants

Information Points have been set up in Rostock (Germany), Katowice (Poland), Valencia (Spain) and Lille (France) to provide assistance to applicants and support the network of national and regional contact points. Further details can be found on the programme website. 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 Joint Technical Secretariat and the Information Points.

Management Structure

Is INTERREG IVC organised into 4 zones as under the previous INTERREG IIIC programme?

No. There is one single programme for the whole European territory, including the EU 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 is the Joint Technical Secretariat of INTERREG IVC based?

The Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) (The Joint Technical Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day management of the programme.) is located in Lille, France. In addition, the JTS works closely with four Information Points which deliver information and technical advice to applicants. They are based in Katowice (Poland), Lille (France), Rostock (Germany) and Valencia (Spain). However, all project proposals have to be submitted to the JTS in Lille.

Programme Area

Which regions are eligible under INTERREG IVC? 

The eligible INTERREG IVC cooperation area covers the whole territory of the European Union with its 27 Member States, including their insular and outermost areas, as well as Norway and Switzerland.  

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 costs. However, partners from Norway can make use of national funds. Swiss partners should refer to the Swiss National Contact Point in order to know more about the availability of Swiss funds. Finally, 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?

No. The official programme documents are only available in English which is the working language of the programme. Some Member States might provide informal translations in their national language, for informational purposes only. Interested applicants should contact their National Contact Point to see if this is the case. However, 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 next Call for Proposals

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 on 20 and 21 September 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal. This Interregional Cooperation (Part of the C strand of the ETC (as well as of the former Interreg III Community Initiative), its aim is to promote exchange and transfer of knowledge and best ...) Forum was the closing event of INTERREG IIIC and officially launched the new INTERREG IVC programme.

More information on the event at the following link on INTERREG3C Website.

What is the timeframe for the fourth call for proposals?

The fourth call for proposals (period of time in which applications can be submitted to the Joint Technical Secretariat) was launched on 1 December 2010.  Deadline for project submission is 1 April 2011.

When will the projects submitted in the fourth call be approved?

Decisions on fourth call applications are expected to be taken by the end of 2011. The applicants should therefore be ready to start their project in January 2012.

Are there any changes compared to the previous calls for proposals?

Yes. The main new features and specific requirements of the fourth call are outlined in the call’s terms of reference (a document providing main guidelines related to a specific call for proposals) which are included in the application pack and can be downloaded here.

Submitting an application

Must the co-financing statements be submitted in original version?

Not necessarily. Signed co-financing statements are accepted in original, faxed or scanned versions.

Is it possible to submit support letters for the project or for certain partners?

No. It is not possible to submit support letters. The only allowed annexes to the application form are the co-financing statements.

Is it necessary to submit draft implementation plans with the application?

No. Implementation plans are outputs produced within component 3 (Exchange of experience) of each project. As they are based on the lessons learnt from the cooperation, they can only be produced towards the end of the project.

Should applicants submit the subsidy contract and the partnership agreement with the application?

No. The subsidy contract (contract between the Managing Authority and the operation’s Lead Partner. It determines the rights and responsibilities of the Lead Partner and the Managing Authority, ...) will be sent to Lead Partners for signing after the approval of the project. The Lead Partner has then to sign a project-specific partnership agreement (In order to secure the quality of the implementation of the project, as well as the satisfactory achievement of its goals, the Lead Partner and the partners have ...) with all partners to extend the arrangements of the subsidy contract to the level of each partner. This is usually done after the approval of the project. The subsidy contract and a model partnership agreement are available for consultation in the website section «Resources for partners».

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, analysis and, under certain conditions, the transfer of good practices. Therefore:

What themes of cooperation are eligible?

The programme is organised around two thematic priorities related to the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas. A certain number of sub-themes (thematic sub-objectives under a given programme priority) are defined for each of the priorities:

  • Priority 1: Innovation and the knowledge economy (ERDF €177 million)
    • Innovation, research and technology development
    • Entrepreneurship and SMEs ;
    • Information society ;
    • Employment, human capital and education.
  • Priority 2: Environment and risk prevention (ERDF €125 million)
    • Natural and technological risks (including climate change) ;
    • Water management ;
    • Waste prevention and management ;
    • Biodiversity and preservation of natural heritage (including air quality) ;
    • Energy and sustainable transport ;
    • Cultural heritage and landscape.
Are there any restrictions on certain sub-themes?

All the programme’s sub-themes are still open for the fourth call for proposals.

What is meant by ‘cross-cutting’ approach to sub-themes?

The INTERREG IVC programme supports projects that aim, through the exchange of experience and good practices, to improve regional policies addressing the above sub-themes.  It is evident that these sub-themes are interlinked in many ways, within and even between the two priorities. Therefore projects can propose a cross-sectoral and integrated approach (cross-sectoral approach, in which projects are linked to different programme subthemes, even though they have to clearly focus only on one) where appropriate.  However, each project has still to select only one sub-theme and have a clear focus on a specific regional policy issue.  The integrated approach does not mean that one project can address several sub-themes at the same level. It should instead be reflected in the manner in which the project addresses the specific sub-theme. This would for instance be the case of a project focusing on cluster policies in the sector of renewable energy. Such a project would have a clear single focus on Priority 1 (‘entrepreneurship and SMEs’ sub-theme) but it would still have a link with Priority 2 (‘energy and sustainable transport’ sub-theme).

Types of Interventions

What types of interventions are possible under INTERREG IVC?

Two types of interventions are possible: Regional Initiative Projects (Regional Initiative Projects are ‘classic’ interregional cooperation projects comparable to those already supported under the INTERREG IIIC programme. They allow ...) and Capitalisation Projects (Capitalisation Projects are interregional cooperation projects which focus specifically on the transfer of regional development good practices into mainstream EU ...) . Please note that the fourth call is open only to Regional Initiative Projects, excluding mini-programmes (mini-programmes are projects with a limited number of partners developing a joint framework for interregional cooperation that will be implemented through a limited ...) . Applications for Capitalisation Projects and mini-programmes will not be accepted.

What are Regional Initiative Projects?

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 have to focus on one of the sub-themes identified in the programme manual (Part of the Application Pack. Intended to assist applicants in drafting applications, as well as in implementing and finalising the approved operations) 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. Regardless of the intensity of cooperation (under Regional Initiative Projects, different levels of intensity of cooperation are possible. The intensity of cooperation is defined by the nature of the activities ...) , all Regional Initiative Projects must have a particular focus on the exchange of experience at policy level.

What are Capitalisation Projects?

Capitalisation Projects (including 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 ...) ) are interregional cooperation projects focusing specifically on the transfer of regional development good practices into Structural Funds (The EU's Structural Funds are administered by the Commission to finance Community structural aid. They comprise the Guidance Section of the EAGGF for agriculture, ...) mainstream programmes. One of the expected outputs is a concrete action plan (is a strategic document that defines precisely how the good practices will be implemented in the operational programme of each region participating in a Capitalisation ...) 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.

What are mini-programmes (such as RFOs under INTERREG IIIC)?

These ambitious cooperation projects require a high level of intensity of cooperation as they for instance imply the building up of joint elaborated decision making procedures to decide on sub-projects (projects developed via calls for proposals in regions participating in mini-programmes. Mini-programmes involve a limited number of partners developing a joint ...) . However, these mini-programmes have to be more focused than the RFOs supported under INTERREG IIIC as they have to be in line with the two thematic priorities of the 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 (On 8 November 2006 the European Commission adopted a new initiative for the 2007-2013 programming period under the Territorial Cooperation objective called 'Regions ...) initiative. Based on its “assessment questions”, the European Commission identifies the possible Fast Track projects from the submitted Capitalisation projects. The programme's Monitoring Committee takes the final decision. Therefore, there is no specific application to Fast Track Projects.

Activities

The programme refers to the ‘joint implementation of pilot actions’. What is meant exactly by pilot actions ?

There is no official definition of ‘pilot action’ as this notion may vary a lot depending on the project. However, in all cases, it means an implementation carried out by one of the partners in order to test a new approach on its territory.
It can be related to a completely new experimentation for the concerned partnership. For instance, a project under the sub-theme ‘Information Society’ may be dealing with broadband infrastructure in rural areas. All the local authorities involved have different experiences in that field (e.g. fibre optic, wi-fi) but none of them of tried the broadband connection via satellite solution. One of these local authorities may therefore take the lead to test this new solution through the connection of a local rural administration through satellite connection (as long as the costs remain reasonable for the programme and in particular the equipment costs). It has to be clear that this experimentation will be useful not only for this specific authority but also for the other partners of the project (e.g. through sharing among the partnership the preparation, implementation and evaluation of this pilot action (it means an implementation carried out by one of the partners in order to test a new approach on its territory. It can be related to a completely new experimentation ...) ).

A pilot action can also be related to a transfer of practice from one authority to another authority. In the same above example, it would mean that one of the partners is already experienced in satellite broadband connection and will transfer its know-how to another partner who for the first time will try this technology on its territory.

In any case, the notion of ‘pilot action’ has to be tackled with a lot of care within INTERREG IVC for the three following reasons:

What should be included in the implementation plan?

The implementation plan is a document that specifies how each ‘region’ participating in the cooperation will work to integrate the lessons learnt from the cooperation into its local/regional or, if relevant, national policies.
This plan can include information on the results already achieved during the project lifetime, but its main focus should remain on the future actions planned to ensure that the benefits of the exchange of experience are not lost after the project’s end. These actions could, for instance, include local meetings to mobilise relevant stakeholders and preparation of bids to be submitted in local/regional/national programmes, launch of new initiatives in the region, measures to modify a specific policy document/instrument. No specific format or template for the implementation plan is provided by the programme so it is up to each project/region to design it to its need. The methodology for drafting the implementation plans is also up to each project to define.

Partnership

What is the minimum number of countries that should be represented in the partnership under the fourth call?

As the INTERREG IVC programme is the only cooperation programme covering the whole Europe, it is recommended that partnerships cover a wide EU area. In particular, the geographical coverage should in principle go much beyond cross-border or transnational cooperation programmes.

In order to be eligible, the applications submitted in the fourth call will have to ensure that the two following requirements are met:

What is the adequate number of partners within a Regional Initiative Project?

It is up to each partnership to define the adequate number of partners with a view to facilitating efficient implementation and reflecting the project’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.

In case a project does not follow these recommendations set by the programme, a clear justification needs to be included in the application form. Based on the statistics of the first three calls (excluding mini-programmes), it can be stated that Regional Initiative Projects involve on average 11 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 for ERDF funding but can participate in projects 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”?

According to Directive 2004/18/EC, Article 1, a body governed by public law (according to Directive 2004/18/EC, Art. 1 means any body:(a) established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, not having an industrial ...) means any organisation:

  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.
How do I know if an organisation is eligible as a partner?

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 legal status, interested bodies should contact their National Contact Point or Monitoring Committee member. 

What are the criteria for Norwegian Lead Partners?

The Lead Partner takes the full administrative and financial responsibility for the project. Transferring ERDF to the partners through a non-EU Partner presents additional risks. Therefore, only in well justified cases should the Lead Partner come from Norway. Even though there are no specific criteria to assess it, possible justifications could be that the Norwegian partner:

  • has a particular and outstanding experience in the policy field tackled by the project ;
  • is the major financial contributor to the project.
Can bodies governed by public law act as Lead Partners?

Yes. Any eligible body can become a Lead Partner. However, when it comes to the participation of any body governed by public law (e.g. universities), such partners always need to carefully demonstrate their relevance to the programme. In particular, their link with regional/local authorities should be explained and their capacity to influence policies at the local/regional level has to be demonstrated in section 5 (Partnership) of the application form.

Can institutions from outside the programme area (EU-27, Norway and Switzerland) become project partners?

It is possible to have a partner from outside the programme area ((see Cooperation area)) . However, their involvement is only possible at their own cost and as long as their participation is clearly justified in the application form. Their involvement has to be relevant to the overall objective of the project, in particular to the exchange of experience at policy level. This partner also needs to fulfil the partner eligibility requirements set by the programme, i.e. being a public body or a body governed by public law. Provided that the above conditions are fulfilled, the partner will be then considered as an official partner, listed in the application form and required to provide a financing statement covering the total contribution of this partner to the project.

How can the win-win character of an interregional partnership be demonstrated for regions which are already well-advanced in the regional development topic tackled by the partners?

In order to support the exchange of experience between local and regional policy-makers from different parts of Europe, INTERREG IVC aims to bring together more experienced and less experienced regions in the same policy field. However, the “flow” of experience, knowledge and good practices within an interregional partnership should never be considered as a “one way street”. Even the most advanced region can benefit from the cooperation by receiving valuable feedback on its policies and good practices from a new, external perspective. Furthermore, other regions might have completely different approaches to the addressed regional development issue which the advanced partners have never considered before. At the same time, no region in Europe should underestimate the experience and knowledge it can contribute to the partnership, even though might not be in the position yet to share its “own” good practice. Following the ‘contributing partner’ principle described in section 2.3.3 of the Programme Manual, the active and proportionate involvement of all partners in the project is therefore considered as a precondition to achieve the win-win character of the cooperation.

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 (Amount of money not covered by the ERDF. It can be local, regional or national. In any case, it must be a public funding. In each partner state different rules ...) . In addition, 2.7 million EUR are available for the participation of Norwegian partners.

How much ERDF has already been allocated?

A total amount of EUR 202 million was already allocated to the 122 approved projects (102 Regional Initiative Projects and 20 Capitalisation Projects) Thus around EUR 100 million is still available for funding (around EUR 62 million for priority 1 and EUR 38 million for priority 2).

What is the ERDF co-financing rate for the partners of an approved project?

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%.

Can activities outside the EU be funded through INTERREG IVC?

Based on Article 21 of Regulation (EC) No. 1080/2006, expenditure incurred in implementing parts of the projects outside the EU can be co-financed from ERDF, provided that they are for the benefit of the project and do not exceed 10% of the project’s INTERREG IVC budget. The expenditure for carrying out activities outside the EU (e.g. renting and catering costs for the organisation of a joint seminar), has to be budgeted, paid and borne by the EU or Norwegian partners of the project. The related activity has to be explicitly mentioned and justified in the approved application. Ideally, activities outside the EU are linked to the official participation of a non-EU partner in the project