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EU Structural Funds

Dorte Olesen, Dale Robertson

TERENA General Assembly

Paris, 25 October 2012

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Structural Funds 2007-2013

Current Status

42% of R&I budget still unspent as of May 2012 = €36bn

EC keen to ensure remaining funding is allocated

Funding can continue until 2015

around half of research expenditure in the EU goes to 30 regions out of

254

majority of ESFRI Roadmap initiatives located in some 10

Member States

EC keen to use Structural Funds money to address these

disparities in levels of development

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ESFRI Projects Analysis

EC analysed 34 ESFRI Roadmap (2006) projects eligible to receive SF funding

Keen to encourage capacity building by use of Structural Funds

Fund ESFRI Project Partners Eligible

Cities/Regions Member States ESFRI Projects

Convergence funds

66 29 16 25/34

Competitiveness and Employment Funds

260 128 17 34/34

Territorial Cooperation Funds

131 59 19 27/34

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Applying for SF Funding

Reminders (1)

Regional or member state managing partners for Structural Funds:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/esf/main.jsp?catId=45&langId=en

Member states’ and regions’ Operational Plans tailored to local socio-

economic challenges

Managing authorities decide

application procedures

types of funding

Project selection criteria for evaluation of project applications published

on Managing Authorities’ websites

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Applying for SF Funding

Reminders (2)

ERDF – European Regional Development Fund – is most relevant fund

in the 2007-2013 Structural Funds

Who can apply?

Almost all research and innovation actors:

enterprises, universities, technology transfer

bodies, cluster organisations, higher education

institutes, etc

How to apply?

Contact Managing Authority in your country/region

to find out about

– Calls for proposals

– Competitions

– Eligibility and funding criteria

– Award procedures

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Combination of Funds

Illegal to combine FP7 funding and ERDF funding in the same project

National or regional funding part of an ERDF project can be funded by

EIB (loans) or EIF (venture capital funds or guarantee)

Complementary use of funds is possible – i.e. separate projects,

complementary objectives

Of particular interest to RI projects is, for example:

Preparatory phase funded by FP7

Construction funded by ERDF

Research use, including training, funded by FP7 or ERDF

E.g. partner organisation in FP7 project implementation wishes to

individually pursue research ideas arising. If its region is eligible,

organisation can apply for SF funding

ELI Beamlines: http://www.eli-beams.eu/

Separate but related activities or parts of a project can be funded at the

same time by the Structural Funds, FP7 and the CIP

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Cross-border, Trans-national and

Inter-regional Cooperation

Most SF spending is within member states and regions

2.5 % (€9 bn) of SF budget allocated for cross-border, trans-national

and inter-regional cooperation

Mostly within European Territorial Cooperation Objective (formerly

INTERREG), part of ERDF

Example is Baltic Sea Region Programme

More information from

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperate/index_en.cfm

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Instrument for Pre-Accession

Assistance

Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) replaced PHARE,

PHARE CBC, ISPA, SAPARD, CARDS and the financial instrument for

Turkey

Provides assistance to bring beneficiaries closer to EU membership

Components include Regional Development (component III) – relevant

for research networking

Available to EU candidate countries: Croatia, Turkey , FYROM,

Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia

Apply via EU delegation in your country

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/thefunds/ipa/index_en.cfm

Potential candidates (Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina,

Kosovo) not directly eligible

Budget 2011-2013 €7bn

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Information Links

Structural Funds: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm

Research Infrastructures and Structural Funds:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures/index_en.cfm?pg=structural

_funds

Practical Guide on EU Funding Opportunities for Research &

Innovation: http://cordis.europa.eu/eu-funding-guide/home_en.html

Summaries of operational programmes and financial allocations:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/index_en.htm

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - Managing

authorities:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/manage/authority/authority_en.cfm

Information on Structural Funds' actions in the field of research

and innovation:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/activity/research/index_en.cfm

NETWATCH: EC information platform on transnational R&D

programme collaboration: http://netwatch.jrc.ec.europa.eu/nw/

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Structural Funds 2014-2020

Funding more

focussed

Programme

simplified

Science,

technology and

innovation

recognised as

the driving force

behind long-

term economic

growth

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Complementarity between Structural

Funds and Horizon 2020

Same strategic goals: EU 2020 strategy

Same programming period: easier synchronisation and planning

Common political framework:

→ Strengthening knowledge & innovation as drivers of growth & competitiveness

→ Tackling major societal challenges in the EU 2020 framework

→ Bridging the gap between science and the market, through successive stages

Same project supported by different funds

→ possible for different expenditure items

Support outside of the programme area

→ possible up to 10%: useful for enabling combined support from SF & H-2020 to several partners in different countries

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Objectives of cohesion policy

2014-2020

Deliver the Europe 2020 strategy objectives of smart,

sustainable and inclusive growth

Focus on results

Maximise the impact of EU funding through

concentration

Conditionalities (smart specialisation)

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RIS3: Research & Innovation

Strategies for Smart Specialisation

Will lead to an economic transformation based on 4 Cs:

(Tough) Choices

Competitive (Constructed) Advantage

Critical Mass

Collaborative Leadership

Ex-ante conditionality: RIS3s are a pre-condition for approval of a

member state’s of region’s Operational Programme

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The connected

region:

I am not alone

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Monitoring &

up-date of RIS3

Cohesion

Policy

Timing for RIS3 and Operational Programmes Q2-2012 Q3-2012 Q4-2012 Q1-2013 Q2-2013 Q3-2013 Q4-2013

Development of RIS3

by MS and / or regions

Discussion of

COM position paper

CSF & Legal frame

adoption

COM

position

papers

Country

Specific

Rec.

Negotiations

Dra

ft O

Ps

Dra

ft P

art

ner

ship

Ag

reem

ent

Ex

-an

te c

on

d.

Negotiati

on

Mandate

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Incubators

Universities & regional development

Broadband

Soon available:

► Clusters ► Social Innovation

► Green growth ► Entrepreneurial spirit

► Creativity ► Service innovation

► ….

Inspiration for innovation support:

• Oslo Manual (OECD) https://community.oecd.org/community/smartspecialisation

• Community framework for State Aid to Research and

Innovation

• Analysis of regional innovation http://www.rim-

europa.eu

• EURADA • Directory of "No-Nonsense"

Activities to Build S³-minded Regions;

• All money is not the same

http://www.insme.org/files/3019

Thematic guides

16

Cohesion

Policy

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Additional Information

Joint 2011 OECD/European Commission book on “Regions and

Innovation Policy”: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/urban-rural-and-regional-

development/regions-and-innovation-policy_9789264097803-en

2011 EC Communication “Regional Policy for smart growth in Europe

2020”:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information/pdf/brochures/rfec/2011_s

mart_growth_en.pdf

Proposals for the Structural Funds 2014-2020:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/what/future/proposals_2014_2020_en.cfm

RIS3 Factsheet:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat/2014/smart_specialisation_en.pdf

S3 Platform: http://ipts.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/research-and-

innovation/s3platform.cfm

RIS3 Guide: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/s3pguide