3.4 Preparatory Projects - Application and selection procedure

1.     Admissibility, Eligibility and Quality assessment by the Joint Secretariat

The first stage of the eligibility assessment is an admissibility check, normally within the first two weeks. If the application is deemed to be incomplete, the Joint Secretariat will allow the Lead Partner applicant to complete the application. Should this not be possible, the application is deemed inadmissible.

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 chapter 3.3 of the Programme Manual. An application could be deemed ineligible at this stage if it does not meet the eligibility criteria.

Eligible applications will then undergo a quality assessment, looking among other things at the fit of the project with the specific objective, a coherent and logical setup, a budget that presents value-for-money, and a suitable partnership.

2.     Regional Contact Point (RCP) Appraisal

RCPs will conduct an appraisal of the application, considering the project idea, and the application in general from a regional perspective, potential synergies with other funded projects, as well as the suitability of the partnership. The RCPs will make recommendations to the Joint Secretariat on whether the requests for funding should be supported.

3.     Joint Secretariat completes Assessment and prepares Decision Proposal

On the basis of their assessment and the recommendations from the Regional Contact Points, the Joint Secretariat will prepare decision proposals for the Monitoring Committee.

4.     Selection of projects by Monitoring Committee (MC)

Through a Written Procedure, a recommendation for the approval or rejection of the project application will be made by a Monitoring Committee, made up mainly of representatives from each of the participating partner countries, on the basis of prioritisation against the selection criteria, which can be found in chapter 3.3 of the Programme Manual.

A preparatory project will receive a recommendation in line with one of the following categories:

• Approval, including:

  • lump sum conditions

  • specification of supporting documentation for activities and deliverables outlined in the applicationRCP recommendations - partnership recommendations, as well as potential synergies with other initiatives

  • Any other project development recommendations from the JS or MA

• Non Approval, based on any or a combination of the following reasons:

  • Poor fit with the programme strategy

  • Duplication of previously funded initiatives

  • Serious concerns about the project partnership

  • A lack of regional support

  • Perceived low value-for-money

  • An underdeveloped project idea

  • Insufficient programme funds

Following the MC Written Procedure, a member of the Joint Secretariat will inform the Lead Partner of the MC’s recommendation. The Lead Partner will be responsible for communicating the MC’s recommendation to the other project partners.

In case of approval, the draft budget will be converted to a lump sum budget in Jems.