SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME for NORTHERN IRELAND 2007 - 2013 ... · Northern Ireland 2007...

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SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME

for NORTHERN IRELAND 2007 - 2013

(ERDF)

ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION

REPORT 2015

2

NORTHERN IRELAND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME

ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 2015

Section Title

Page

1.

Identification

3

2.

Overview of the Implementation of the Operational Programme

3

2.1 Achievement and analysis of the progress 3

General Progress 4

Qualitative Analysis of Performance against Core Indicators

6

2.1.2 Financial Information 8

2.1.3 Information about the breakdown of use of the Funds 10

2.1.4 Assistance by Target Group 12

2.1.5 Assistance Repaid or Re-used 12

2.1.6 Qualitative Analysis 12

2.2 Information about compliance with Community law 12

2.3 Significant problems encountered and measures taken to overcome them

12

2.4 Changes in the context of the operational programme implementation

12

2.5 Substantial modification pursuant to Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006

14

2.6 Complementarity with other instruments 15

2.7 Monitoring and evaluation 16

2.8 National performance reserve 17

3. Implementation by priority

3.1 Priority 1 18

3.2 Priority 2 28

3.3 Priority 3 37

4. ERDF/CF Programmes: Major Projects 51

5. Technical Assistance 51

6. Information and Publicity 53

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1. IDENTIFICATION

Operational Programme Regional Competitiveness and Employment

UK: Northern Ireland

2007 - 2013

2007UK162PO003

The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007 - 2013

Annual Implementation Report Year ending 31 December 2015

Date approved by PMC: 27 June 2016

2. OVERVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME

2.1 Achievement and analysis of the progress

Information on the physical progress of the Operational Programme (key on page 4): The table below outlines performance against the European Commission core indicators which apply to the Programme.

Indicator Priority SFC Code

Ind Type

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

Number of RTD Projects

P1 004 C

A 34 210 453 610 727 938 1073 1224 1266 1266

B

T 100 250 450 650 850 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

Number of co-operation projects enterprises – research institutions

P1 005 C

A - - 3 6 7 8 12 18 24 24

B

T 4 8 12 12 12 12

Research jobs created P1 006 C

A 70 650 1080 1370 1700 1880 2100 DCiP 2100

B

T 152 312 479 655 1155 1655 2155 2155 2155 2155

SMEs – number of projects

P1 007 C

A 71 192 305 479 672 876 991 1179 1264 1264

B

T 820 1000 1180 1180 1180 1180

SMEs - Number of projects

P2 007 C

A - 16 51 67 82 97 110 152 179 179

B

T 65 130 130 130 130

SMEs - Gross direct full-time equivalent jobs created

P2 009 C

A - 259 782 960 1058 1073 1122 1532 1846 1846

B

T - 1020 1170 1320 1470 1500 1500

SMEs - Investment induced (€m)

P2 010 C

A 26.0 61.59 76.93 85.33 97.96 101.92 187.12 221.33 221.33

B

T 120 140 160 160 160 160

Tourism - Number of projects

P2 034 C

A 0 0 5 8 11 15 24 33 37 37

B

T 24

Tourism - Number of jobs created

P2 035 C

A - 27.77 35.67 51.67 51.67

B

T - 0 0 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

4

Indicator Priority SFC Code

Ind Type

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

Information Society – Number of projects

P3 011 C

A 0 5 9 10 11 11 11 11 11 11

B 0

T 11 11 11 11 11

Transport – Km of new roads

P3 014 C

A 0 0 DCiP DCiP

B

T 0 0 1.4 1.4

Transport – Km of reconstructed roads

P3 016 C

A 0 0 DCiP DCiP

B

T 0 0 2.1 2.1

Energy – Number of projects

P3 023 C

A 0 2 7 9 12 22 30 30 30 30

B

T 0 2 7 9 12 27 30 30 30 30

Annual reduction in greenhouse emissions (CO2 and equivalent, kt)

P3 030 C

A 6.1 13.4 16.8 16.8

B

T 1.5 3.0 4.5 4.5

CODE DEFINITION

SFC European Commission information system

Ind Type Indicator Type

C Core Indicator

O Output Indicator

R Result Indicator

DCiP Data Capture in Progress A Achievement B Baseline T Target

Footnotes

1. Gender based statistics are not collated for the Programme.

2. During the closure process a number of projects have been removed from the

Programme requiring revision to performance reported in previous years.

General Progress

1. During May 2016 Northern Ireland Central Government Departments

restructured. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)

merged with most of the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) to

become the Department for the Economy (DfE). The Department of Finance

and Personnel (DFP) became the Department of Finance (DoF). It should be

noted however that in terms of administrative responsibility and control, the

change in Department name did not impact on the Programme management,

audit and implementation bodies.

2. At 31 December 2015, 90% of the Programme allocation has been spent by

beneficiaries, verified, certified and included in claims to the European

Commission. The Managing Authority also plans to have the final interim

claim ready for submission by the Certifying Authority in May 2016.

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3. In addition, most of the Programme targets (where data is currently available)

have been achieved or exceeded.

4. A Closure Team has been established within the Managing Authority and

work is well advanced in preparation for closure of the Programme. The Team

Manager reports to the Closure Project Board which meets quarterly. The

Closure Team is managing the entire Programme closure process centrally.

Given that there are in excess of 2,500 projects in the Programme for which

closure checklists have to be completed this represents a major piece of work

however the centralised approach was chosen to minimise the burden on

Intermediate Bodies and ensure consistency across the Programme.

5. By 31st December 2015 the Closure Team had closed in excess of 1,400

projects and these figures continue to increase on a daily basis with the

remainder on target to be closed by the 30 June 2016.

6. A Final Implementation Report will be completed by the Programme in line

with article 67 of council regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006.

7. At the midterm evaluation 9 impact indicators were established for the

programme (4115, 4116, 4203, 4221, 4303, 4309, 4320, 4322 and 4330).

However, per ‘EVALSED: The resource for the evaluation of Socio-Economic

Development’ ‘Impact indicators have been removed from Structural Funds

programmes, except those dealing with fisheries and rural development. For

the DGs for Regional Policy and Employment and Social Affairs impact is the

contribution of the intervention to change. It cannot be monitored; it requires

evaluation.’ The managing authority did not therefore request any

management information to monitor these indicators. More properly, they

should have been removed as part of a Programme modification but this was

administratively overlooked.

Link to EVALSED: The resource for the evaluation of Socio-Economic Development:

EVALSED: The resource for the evaluation of Socio-Economic Development

8. Core Indicator 24 (Additional capacity of renewable energy production) is

included in the Programme. However, it became clear that this indicator was

not directly applicable to the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme. Much

of the activity supported under the Programme enables the private sector in

Northern Ireland to increase the production capacity of renewable energy.

However, it is indirect and the actual increases in capacity are not likely to be

realised within the lifetime of the Programme. More properly, this indicator

should have been removed as part of a Programme modification but this was

administratively overlooked.

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/guide/guide_evalsed.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/guide/guide_evalsed.pdf

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Qualitative Analysis of Performance Against Core Indicators Priority 1

(Code 004) Number of RTD Projects

The target of 1,000 projects over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed with

Invest NI, based on the anticipated number of projects to be supported under Grant

for R&D. During 2015 the actual achievement was 42, giving an overall total of 1266

to 31 December 2015.

(005) Number of Co-Operation Projects Enterprises – Research Institutions

A per annum target of 4 to 2013 was agreed based on the anticipated collaboration

projects under the Grant for R&D and Centres of Excellence. INI achieved 6 projects

in 2015, giving an overall total of 24 achieved against a cumulative target of 12 to the

end of December 2015.

(006) Research jobs created

The target of 2,155 was agreed during the Mid Term Evaluation. This represented

the baseline target of 655 to 2010 and 1,500 agreed to the end of the Programme. In

2014, 220 new jobs were created giving an overall total of 2,100 to the end of

December 2014. The 2015 outturn will be taken from the next research and

development statistics report which is due to be published in December 2016 and

will be reported in the Final Implementation Report.

(007) Number of SME projects

This indicator is based on projects supported through MIS, Interim Manager and

Design Development schemes which each have a cumulative target of 550, 250 and

380 respectively, giving a total cumulative total target of 1,180. The cumulative

achievement to end of December 2015 is 1,264.

Priority 2

(007) Number of SME projects

The reported outturn is based on the number of projects supported under Invest NI’s

Selective Financial Assistance (SFA) scheme. In 2015, 27 projects were supported

giving an overall achievement of 179 projects against a target of 130.

(009) SMEs – Gross Direct Full-time Equivalent Jobs Created

In 2015, the actual achievement based on projects supported under the Selective

Financial Assistance (SFA) Scheme was 314, giving an overall total of 1,846

achieved against a target of 1,500 to December 2015.

(010) SMEs – Investment Induced

The targets for each year are based solely on projects funded under the SFA

Scheme. Achievement in 2015, based on an exchange rate of 1.25, was €34.2m

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giving an overall achievement to the end of December 2015 of €221.33, against a

cumulative target of €160m.

(034) Tourism – Number of Projects

There were 4 new tourism projects in 2015 bringing the total number of projects

supported to 37.

(035) Tourism – Number of Jobs Created

Across tourism, a total of 51.67 jobs were created; 35.67 of which relate to the

Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience.

Priority 3

(011) Information Society – Number of Projects

The number of projects delivered by 2015 is an amalgam of the Northern Ireland

Broadband Fund 8 supported projects, Logon NI, the Next Generation Broadband

project and the NI Broadband Infrastructure Project. The projects that have been

undertaken have resulted in the deployment of extensive infrastructure into

prioritised locations and the delivery of widespread access to fixed wireless

broadband services. A total of 11 projects have been delivered against a target of

11.

(014) Km of new roads

This core indicator was introduced in the 5th programme modification and the new

road opened to traffic in September 2015. Performance of this indicator will be

reported in the Final Implementation Report when the post project evaluation has

been completed.

(016) Km of reconstructed roads

This core indicator was introduced in the 5th programme modification and the new

road opened to traffic in September 2015. Performance of this indicator will be

reported in the final implementation report when the post project evaluation has been

completed.

(023) Energy – Number of Projects Three Intermediate Bodies contribute to the current target of 30 [INI (4), DARD (10)

and DETI Energy (16) projects]. In 2015 a cumulative total of 30 projects were

achieved (INI (2), DARD (10) and DETI Energy (18)). The reduction in the

cumulative total performance reported is due to one project voluntarily withdrawing

from the Biomass Processing Challenge Fund scheme to pursue an alternative

finance route.

(030) Reduction greenhouse emissions (CO2 and equivalents, kt)

The target was set based on non condensing boilers being installed. However, NIHE

did not install non condensing boilers as part of the Boiler Replacement Scheme,

and therefore the achievement against the target is greater.

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2.1.2 Financial information (all financial data expressed in euro) Priority axes by source of funding (EUR)

Expenditure paid out by beneficiaries included in payment claims sent to the managing authority

Corresponding public contribution

Private expenditure (¹)

Expenditure paid by the body responsible for making payments to the beneficiaries

Total payments received from the Commission

Priority axis 1 – ERDF

€107,113,578 €80,334,379 €26,779,199 €214,227,156 €104,721,595


€83,580,519 €81,915,198 €1,665,320 €167,161,038 €78,285,690


€60,374,112 €60,374,112 €0 €120,748,224 €59,290,373


€2,543,577 €2,543,577 €0 €5,087,153 €2,520,626

Grand total

€253,611,786 €225,167,267 €28,444,519 €507,223,571 €244,818,284

Total in transitional regions in the grand total

0 0 0 0 0

Total in non-transitional regions in the grand total

0 0 0 0 0

ESF type expenditure in the grand total where the operational programme is co-financed by the ERDF (²)

0 0 0 0 0

ERDF type expenditure in the grand total where the operational programme is co-financed by the ESF

NA NA NA NA NA

(¹) Only applicable for operational programmes expressed in total cost. (²) This field shall be completed where operational programme is co-financed by the ERDF or the ESF where use is made of the option under Article 34(²) of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006

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Analysis of Sterling Allocation, Designation, Commitment and Expenditure Position

to 31 December 2015

To note regarding allocation, designation, commitment and expenditure

figures

The programme allocation is €565.667 made up of €213.314m Priority1, €215.649m

Priority 2, €131.037m Priority 3 and €5.667m Priority 4. For the purposes of the

table above, the sterling equivalent of these allocation figures have been calculated

using a notional exchange rate of £1 = €1.25 which is an approximate average of the

exchange rate over the lifetime of the Programme.

As illustrated on the chart above, the Programme has been over-committed. Also,

additional expenditure has been recorded in excess of the priority allocations and

designations. This is recognised best practice in terms of programme management

and is done in recognition that there will be inevitable slippage within a number of

projects and Programmes. Additionally, this will enable management of any

irregularities that might emerge in order to protect the ERDF position. The Managing

Authority is proactively monitoring the situation and will work closely with the

Member State throughout the Programme closure period. Any adjustments required

to bring this closer to the agreed allocation amounts will be handled through national

budget adjustments. It is however intended to over-declare at closure in order to

ensure that there is sufficient eligible expenditure included to cover any unforeseen

issues that might emerge.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

Programme Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4

Allocation

Designation

Commitment

Expenditure

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2.1.3 Information about the breakdown of use of the Funds

Part B: Indicative breakdown of Community contribution by category in the operational programme

Commission reference No: 2007UK162PO003

Name of Programme: The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007-2013.

Date of the last Commission decision for the operational programme concerned: 03/11/2015

Combination of codes of dimensions 1 to 5

Code Dimension 1

Code Dimension 2 Form of finance

Code Dimension 3 Territory

Code Dimension 4 Economic Activity

Code Dimension 5 Location

Amount

(€)

02 02

1 1

1 5

06 06

UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05

5,642,105 3,038,056

03 03

1 1

1 5

06 06


2,645,310 1,424,397

04 04

1 1

1 5

06 06


49,392,561 26,595,995

06 06

1 1

1 5

06 06


1,617,201 870,800

08 08

1 1

1 5

06 06


3,312,535 1,783,673

09 09

1 1

1 5

06 06


44,560,819 23,994,287

10 10

1 1

1 5

10 10


12,867,236 6,928,511

14 14

1 1

1 5

10 10


12,221,235 6,580,665

15 15

1 1

1 5

10 10


1,465,726 789,237

22 22

1 1

1 5

11 11


7,129,611 3,839,022

39 39

1 1

1 5

21 21


32,061 17,263

40 40

1 1

1 5

21 21


0 0

41 41

1 1

1 5

21 21


629,552 338,990

42 42

1 1

1 5

21 21


3,525,888 1,898,555

43 43

1 1

1 5

21 21


5,235,277 2,818,995

52 52

1 1

1 5

11 11


11,701,711 6,300,921

53 53

1 1

1 5

21 21


0 0

57 57

1 1

1 5

22 22


20,021,173 10,780,632

85 85

1 1

1 5

17 17


1,560,887 840,478

86 86

1 1

1 5

17 17


280,848 151,226

Total 282,833,439

This table reflects the indicative amounts noted against the categories of expenditure included in the Operational Programme at 31 December 2015.

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Part C: Cumulative breakdown of allocations of the Community contribution by category in the annual and final report on implementation

Commission reference No: 2007UK162PO003

Name of programme: The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007-2013.

Date of the last Commission decision for the operational programme concerned: 03/11/2015.

Combination of codes of dimensions 1 to 5 Code Dimension 1

Code Dimension 2 Form of finance

Code Dimension 3 Territory

Code Dimension 4 Economic Activity

Code Dimension 5 Location

Amount

(€)

02 02

1 1

1 5

06 06


5,391,761 2,903,256

03 03

1 1

1 5

06 06


3,017,474 1,624,794

04 04

1 1

1 5

06 06


62,065,450 33,419,858

06 06

1 1

1 5

06 06


1,426,393 768,058

08 08

3 3

1 5

06 06


3,598,015 1,937,392

09 09

1 1

1 5

06 06


53,216,669 28,655,130

10 10

1 1

1 5

10 10


14,682,032 7,905,710

14 14

1 1

1 5

10 10


8,974,729 4,832,546

15 15

1 1

1 5

10 10


1,194,041 642,945

22 22

1 1

1 5

11 11


5,808,075 3,127,425

39 39

1 1

1 5

21 21


29,250 15,750

40 40

1 1

1 5

21 21


0 0

41 41

1 1

1 5

21 21


516,026 277,860

42 42

1 1

1 5

21 21


2,886,740 1,554,399

43 43

1 1

1 5

21 21


6,684,895 3,599,559

52 52

1 1

1 5

11 11


10,617,577 5,717,157

53 53

1 1

1 5

21 21


0 0

57 57

1 1

1 5

22 22


16,812,674 9,052,979

85 85

1 1

1 5

17 17


1,478,898 796,330

86 86

1 1

1 5

17 17


253,178 136,327

Total 305,621,352

This table reflects the amounts recorded on the programme database against the categories of

expenditure included in the Operational Programme at 31 December 2015. These figures represent

over commitment to ensure that the value of the programme is maximised.

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2.1.4 Assistance by targets groups

The Programme is implemented on a region-wide basis and is not focussed

on specific groups or areas.

2.1.5 Assistance repaid or re-used

Intermediate Bodies continue to populate the Programme database with

irregularity and withdrawal/recovery information. The Managing Authority

ensures that this information is accurate and is kept up-to-date.

2.1.6 Qualitative Analysis

See narrative under section 2.1 above.

2.2 Information about compliance with Community Law

The Audit Authority‘s review of expenditure claimed from the Commission in

any year is formally reported to the Commission by 31 December in the

following year in an Annual Control Report.

The Audit Authority reported sample and projected error rates of 0.26% and

0.83% respectively in the Annual Control Report (ACR 2015). These error

rates are well within the Commissions materiality threshold.

The Managing Authority continues to work with the relevant Intermediate

Bodies to maintain this level of control.

2.3 Significant problems encountered and measures taken to overcome

them

2.3.1 There were no significant problems encountered in 2015.

2.4 Changes in the context of the Operational Programme implementation (if

relevant)

The Northern Ireland (NI) economy has generally continued to move into

economic recovery mode throughout 2015. This was particularly evident in the

labour market where the number of jobs increased in every quarter of 2015,

adding an average of almost 1,000 jobs per month (11,580 over the year). In

addition, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits decreased in

eleven of the past twelve months, with the number falling by 9,500 in total

over the year. As demonstrated in Figure 1 this resulted in a narrowing of the

gap between the UK and NI claimant count rate over the period.

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Figure 1: NI vs. UK Claimant Count Rate

Source: Claimant Count, NomisWeb

In 2015, economic output performance was mainly positive. For instance, on a

rolling annual basis production output in 2015 increased by 1.8% compared

with 2014. Over the same time period, services output increased by 1.3%

and construction output increased by 11.4%.

The business base grew in 2015 compared with 2014, with the number of

VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses in NI increasing by 0.6% (the first

increase since 2008). The number of businesses operating in NI that were

foreign owned (i.e. not UK owned) also increased slightly over the year to

reach 885 as of March 2015. A range of unofficial business surveys have also

suggested that businesses were experiencing growth and renewed

confidence in 2015.

NI has also continued to see some positive trends in its research and

development (R&D) performance. There was an increase in both higher

education expenditure (21%) and government expenditure (29%). However

business expenditure in R&D declined by 5% over the year albeit it is still 25%

above the level of such expenditure in 2009. Further positive news was that

the total number of companies spending on R&D increased from 534 in 2013

to 657 in 2014.

It is worth noting however that while there has been a largely positive

sentiment coming from both official and independent sources over the year to

2015, NI’s economic performance has been at a slower rate compared to the

UK.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Cla

iman

t co

un

t ra

te

UK NI

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For example, although economic inactivity levels have been falling in NI, and

are currently at 26.8% (working age population) in the final quarter of 2015,

this remains significantly above the UK level (21.8%). In addition, in 2014

labour productivity in Northern Ireland, as measured by output per hour, was

only 81% of the UK average with the gap widening when compared with the

previous year.

Additionally, the number of employee jobs in NI at the end of 2015 was 0.3%

below its mid-2008 jobs level while the UK had 3.5% more employee jobs

over the same period.

In terms of total annual economic activity in Q4 2015 in NI, as measured by

the NI Composite Economic Index, this was almost 1% higher than the same

quarter for 2014. As evidenced in Figure 2, over the same time period,

economic output in the UK, as measured by GDP, has grown at a faster rate -

by over 2%.

Figure 2: Yearly growth in Economic Output/Activity Levels (Q4 2015 - Q4 2014)

Source: Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index, NISRA

2.5 Substantial modification pursuant to Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No

1083/2006

As at 31 December 2015 no modifications under Article 57 of Regulation (EC)

No 1083/2006 have been detected.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

NI UK

% C

han

ge in

Eco

no

mic

Act

ivit

y/O

utp

ut

Leve

ls

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2.6 Complementarity with other instruments

To ensure complementarity with other Structural Funds Programmes and

financial instruments, the Monitoring Committee includes representation from:

The Managing and Certifying Authorities from both the European Regional

Development Fund and the European Social Fund within the Department

for the Economy;

The Managing Authority for the Peace III and Cross Border Territorial Co-

operation Programmes for Northern Ireland (the Special EU Programmes

Body);

The Managing Authority for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural

Development (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural

Affairs);

The Managing Authority for the European Fisheries Fund (the Department

of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs);

The rural development sector, Local Government, Community and

Voluntary sector, Trade Unions, Business, Education, Research and those

representing equality and environmental interests; and

Representatives from the main NI political parties.

Steps taken by the Managing Authority and Programme Monitoring

Committee to ensure quality and effectiveness of implementation

Managing Authority

The Managing Authority has been working closely with the Intermediate

Bodies to ensure that the Programme is implemented effectively. During

2015, the existing suite of guidance documents was reviewed and updated

and meetings with the Intermediate Bodies to monitor progress, address any

areas of concern and share best practice took place during 2015.

The Managing Authority has put in place a system for carrying out additional

management verification checks on the work of the Intermediate Bodies to

ensure that they are implementing the Programme in line with requirements

and are conducting their own verifications on projects to the required

standard.

The Managing Authority continuously reviews Programme progress and

where necessary takes proactive action to align the Programme to ensure that

maximum impact and benefit is derived. As necessary, changes required to

16

the Operational Programme document are brought for consideration to the

Programme Monitoring Committee prior to submission to the EC.

Programme Monitoring Committee

The last full PMC for the Sustainable Competiveness Programme (SCP) was

held in November 2014. The PMC for the Investment for Jobs and Growth

Programme (IGJ) has responsibility for monitoring the closure of this

Programme. The IGJ PMC met in May and November 2015 and a progress

report on the SCP was tabled covering finance, the annual control report and

progress on closure.

There are standard formal mechanisms in place to enable the PMC to

effectively oversee the work of the Programme:

The Annual Implementation Report must be approved by PMC before it

can be submitted to the European Commission;

The annual report on the implementation of the Communication Plan

must also be approved;

A Programme Progress Report is presented at each PMC meeting to

provide an update on the key implementation issues since the previous

Monitoring Committee meeting; and

The Programme Working Groups (Equality, Environmental and

Evaluation) formally reported to each PMC.

Working Groups

There were 3 working groups operational under the Programme, reporting

separately to the Programme Monitoring Committee:

Environmental

Equality

Evaluation

By 2014 the requirement for the working groups to meet had diminished and

in 2015 no meetings took place. The monitoring committee decided that the

working groups had fulfilled their remit and due to closure being the main

focus for the remainder of the Programme, the working groups were

disbanded.

2.7 Monitoring and Evaluation

Staff in the Managing Authority, Certifying Authority and all Intermediate

Bodies have received full database training and work is ongoing to keep the

database up to date with the relevant application, financial, monitoring and

verification information. Management verification checks examine the

consistency and accuracy of data being recorded.

Formal reporting against the agreed Programme indicators takes place

through this Annual Implementation Report each year. A Performance

Measurement Framework was agreed following on from the Programme’s Mid

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Term Evaluation and the indicators agreed through that process now provide

a much better tool for monitoring the results of the activities being supported

through the Programme. The relevant data can be found under the core

indicator and respective priority sections of this report.

2.8 National performance reserve (where applicable and only for the Annual

Implementation Report submitted for 2010) Not applicable.

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IMPLEMENTATION BY PRIORITY

3.1

PRIORITY 1

SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION

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3.1.1 ACHIEVEMENT OF TARGETS AND ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRESS Information on the physical and financial progress of the priority

Indicator PMF SFC Code

Ind Type 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

RTD Projects 1.1 4101 O

A 34 210 453 610 727 938 1073 1224 1266 1266

B

T 100 250 450 650 850 1000 1000 1000 1000 1,000

Total planned investment in respect of supported RTD projects (£m)

1.2 4102 R

A 12.2 53.9 184.9 309.6 348.1 412.4 459.5 516.7 529.9 529.9

B

T 75 150 225 300 375 450 450 450 450

Number of R&D Collaborations to be produced

1.3 4103 R

A 0 0 3 6 7 8 12 18 24 24

B

T 4 8 12 12 12 12

Number of research jobs supported

1.4 4104 R

A 425 1015 1330 1642 1783 1783

B

T 500 1,000 1500 1500 1500 1500

Number of companies to engage in R&D for the first time

1.5 4105 R

A 11 37 71 114 149 242 291 328 337 337

B

T 80 160 235 310 435 560 560 560 560

Number of SMEs receiving assistance for development of MIS

1.6 4111 O

A 33 130 222 301 382 516 577 658 696 696

B

T 470 550 550 550 550 550

Total planned investment in Management Information Systems in supported businesses (£m)

1.7 4112 R

A 2.89 8.11 12.69 16.74 20.40 25.46 27.52 30.88 32.74 32.74

B

T 24 28 28 28 28 28

Number of Interim Manager projects supported

1.8 4113 O

A N/A N/A 21 43 58 73 73 85 85 85

B

T 150 200 250 250 250 250

Investment leveraged from the private sector (£m)

1.9 4114 R

A 0.24 0.49 0.68 0.87 0.87 1.01 1.01 1.01

B

T 0.52 1.04 1.56 2.08 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6

Number of Proof of Concept projects supported

1.10 4117 O

A N/A 54 81 81 86 89 97 137 146 146

B

T 100 100

% of proof of concept projects to proceed to development of commercialisation roadmap

1.11 4118 R

A N/A 50 54 54 56 56 55 66 67 67

B

T 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60

Number of Design Development Programmes facilitated

1.12 4119 O

A 3 5 5 12 20 24 28 35 38 38

B

T 3 5 15 26 34 38 40 40 40 40

Number of SMEs participating in the Design Development Programme

1.13 4120 R

A 38 62 62 135 232 287 341 436 483 483

B

T 52 104 156 208 260 320 380 380 380 380

20


Ind Type 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

Number of events provided by NISP Connect Programme

1.14 4121 O

A 29 76 121 182 216 216

B

T 25 50 75 75 75 75

Amount of private sector pro-bono support leveraged for the NISP Connect programme (£m)

1.15 4122 R

A 0.247 1.011 1.713 2.664 2.874 2.874

B

T 0.3 0.6 0.9 0.9

CODE DEFINITION

PMF Performance Measurement Framework



C Core Indicator

O Output Indicator

R Result Indicator


21

ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE AGAINST PRIORITY 1 INDICATORS

(4101) RTD Projects

The target of 1,000 projects over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based

on the anticipated number of projects to be supported under Grant for R&D. During

2015 the actual achievement was 42, giving an overall total of 1266 to end

December 2015.

(4102) Total planned investment in respect of supported RTD projects (£m)

A target of £450m over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based on

anticipated R&D projects. £13.2m was achieved in 2015 giving an overall total of

£529.9m to the end of December 2015.

(4103) Number of R&D collaborations to be produced (to include GRD, CoE

and CC)

A per annum target of 4 to 2013 was agreed based on the anticipated collaboration

projects under the Grant for R&D and Centres of Excellence. INI achieved 6 projects

in 2015, giving an overall total of 24 achieved against a cumulative target of 12 to the

end of December 2015.

(4104) Number of research jobs supported

A target of 1,500 jobs was agreed for the period from 1 January 2011. In 2015, 141

jobs were promoted giving an overall total of 1783 against a cumulative target of

1,500 to the end of December 2015. Invest NI had overestimated the long term

damage to the Research and Development environment, which influenced the target

set. However the launch of the ‘Boosting Business’ campaign has driven the positive

results of the target.

(4105) Number of companies to engage in R&D for the first time

A target of 560 companies over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based on

the anticipated numbers of offers to companies participating in research and

development activities for the first time. In 2015, the actual achievement was 9

giving an overall total of 337. The shortfall against the target is due to the prevailing

economic climate which led to reluctance to undertake R&D for the first time.

(4111) Number of SMEs receiving assistance for the development of

Management Information Systems

Actual achievement in 2015 was 38. To the end of December 2015 an overall total

of 696 has been achieved against the cumulative target of 550.

22

(4112) Total planned investment in Management Information Systems in

supported businesses (£m)

A target of £28m over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based on

anticipated MIS projects. In 2015, the planned investment achievement was

£1.86m, giving an overall total of £32.74m.

(4113) Number of Interim Manager projects supported

In total Invest NI has supported 85 projects through this scheme against a target of

250. Companies have focussed on other areas during the economic downturn and

are also availing of other assistance. Invest NI has not funded this scheme through

ERDF since April 2014. Therefore the target has not been met.

(4114) Investment leveraged from the private sector (£m) through the Interim

Manager Programme

An overall target of £2.6m was agreed, based on anticipated projects under the

Interim Manager scheme. There were no additional projects supported in 2015 as

Invest NI has not funded this scheme through ERDF since April 2014. The

cumulative total remains at £1.01m. Therefore, the target has not been met.

(4117) Number of Proof of Concept (PoC) projects supported

During 2015, 9 PoC projects were supported. In total 146 projects had been

achieved to the end of 2015 against the target of 100.

(4118) % of Proof of Concept projects to proceed to development of

commercialisation roadmap.

By the end of 2015 67% of supported projects had proceeded to development of

commercialisation stage against at overall target of 60%.

(4119) Number of Design Development Programmes facilitated

In 2015, 3 Design Development Programmes had been facilitated giving an overall

total of 38 against a cumulative target of 40.

(4120) Number of SMEs participating in the Design Development Programme

An overall Programme target of 380 was agreed. Actual achievement is 2015 was

47, bringing the overall achievement to 483 by the end of December 2015.

(4121) Number of events provided by NISP Connect Programme

In 2015 the NISP Connect Programme provided 34 events (in the period January to

March), bringing the total to 216 against a cumulative target of 75 to the end of 2015.

This is substantially above the original target. Once the Programme was established

it became clear that the original target significantly underestimated the demand for

NISP CONNECT events and the Programme has responded with additional events

to meet demand.

23

(4122) Amount of private sector pro bono support leveraged for the NISP

Connect Programme (£m)

Against a cumulative target of £0.9m, NISP Connect achieved pro bono support of

£2.874m. The success is due to the willingness of the Northern Ireland business

community to participate in activities across all NISP Connect programmes.

24

OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTED UNDER PRIORITY 1

This priority focuses on three key areas:

- Increasing the level and quality of R&TD;

- Exploiting the commercial opportunities of the R&TD base; and

- Promotion and mainstreaming of innovation.

The aim of the support provided is to assist businesses to grow and improve their

productivity / capability, hence benefiting the sustainability of the business. Support

to date has directly resulted in strengthening and accelerating the growth of locally

based business ventures.

Priority one is largely implemented by Invest NI through a wide range of schemes as

outlined below. In addition, the NISP Connect Programme is implemented through

DETI’s Innovation Policy Unit.

INVEST NI

A total of 23 Invest NI schemes have been formally designated under Priority 1 by

the Managing Authority. Of these 23 schemes, one (EU Directorate) was withdrawn

by the Intermediate Body and one (E-Business) was superseded by the introduction

of the ICT Awareness and Management Information schemes. Following a review of

INI activities within the Programme, 5 schemes (BITP, Collaborative Networks,

Energy – Carbon Trust, HEIF and Mini KTP) were withdrawn from the Programme.

Grant for Research & Development

The Grant for Research & Development programme (R&D) was launched in

December 2008 and supersedes several legacy R&D programmes i.e. SMART,

START, Compete, Product and Process Development (PPD) and Centres of

Excellence.

The programme provides streamlined, transparent and accessible support for

research & development and technological innovation at all stages of company

development.

During the period 1 January to 31 December 2015, Invest NI approved 42

applications from companies wishing to receive grant assistance, resulting in over

c£3.7m in grant assistance being offered to companies.

25

Business Information Centre (BIC)

Invest NI’s Business Information Centre (BIC) is designed to improve business

growth by providing companies with specialised guidance. This guidance covers a

number of areas including:

technical issues, such as intellectual property, product/process control and

development;

environmental requirements; and

engineering and manufacturing issues.

During the period 1st January to 31st December 2015, the Business Information

Centre (BIC) dealt with:

1,135 Enquiries

1,413 Visitors

As well as through internal meetings, BIC is promoted through regional clinics.

Brochures and sector guides are disseminated internally, and to other bodies such

as Belfast Central Library.

There is a permanent display in the Invest NI HQ foyer, to attract visitors to Invest NI

into the Centre, and there is a plaque within the Business Information Centre itself

which declares that INI has received ERDF funding.

Groups welcomed into the Business Information Centre have included graduates

from the Export Sales and Marketing Academy, and Fashion students from Belfast

Metropolitan College.

BIC resources were also promoted at events such as the ARISE programme (28th

May) where an information session was delivered to a group of 15 young

entrepreneurs, and the Ballymena NEED Step Up to Export Programme (25th

February).

Design Development Programme (DDP) Invest NI’s Design Service supports businesses by helping them to build better

knowledge, skills and capability in relation to design. Demand for design is high with

a total of 483 businesses availing of Invest NI’s Design Service which included

Regional Design Clinics, Collaborative Design Programmes and Design Advice visits

47 businesses participated in the Design Development Programmes that have been

delivered throughout 2015.

In March 2015, an evaluation was published for the Scheme covering the period

September 2008 to April 2014.

Link to the evaluation:

http://secure.investni.com/static/library/invest-ni/documents/design-service-

evaluation-march-2015.pdf

http://secure.investni.com/static/library/invest-ni/documents/design-service-evaluation-march-2015.pdf

http://secure.investni.com/static/library/invest-ni/documents/design-service-evaluation-march-2015.pdf

26

Northern Ireland Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP)

Industrial symbiosis engages traditionally separate industries and other

organisations in a collective approach to competitive advantage involving the

physical exchange of materials or by-products together with collaboration on the

shared use of assets, logistics and expertise.

From 1st January 2015 to 31st March 2015 the Industrial Symbiosis Service carried

out 38 company visits collectively.

By applying the principles of industrial symbiosis to their resource streams and

availing of a range of resource efficiency support provided by Invest NI NISP has

achieved;

potential diversion of 134,633 tonnes of waste from landfill; and

businesses involved have achieved £336,074 in cost savings and £521,016 in

additional sales.

E-BUSINESS SCHEMES

There are two schemes under this heading, ICT Awareness and Management

Information Systems (MIS). Their objectives are to increase the usage of ICT by

businesses in Northern Ireland. The ICT Awareness and advisory services highlight

the best use of ICT and help scope ICT projects, whilst the MIS scheme provides

financial support to companies wanting to implement software based ICT solutions.

ICT Awareness

The ICT Awareness scheme received Programme support until 2012.

Management Information Systems

Businesses throughout Northern Ireland continue to face a wide range of

challenges on a daily basis. The Boosting Business campaign was developed

by Invest NI in direct response to the continuing impact of the economic

downturn which in turn has increased demand for both small and large

projects within MIS. The result is that the MIS scheme progressed strongly,

with an encouragingly significant increase in the number of large investments

compared to earlier years. Invest NI has supported 696 projects for

businesses in Northern Ireland through ERDF, with 38 offers in 2015.

Interim Manager Programme The Interim Manager Programme was established in August 2004 with the purpose

of providing a short-term (normally 60 days in a six month period) experienced

management resource for client companies. In April 2009 the programme was

aligned to the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) and it became eligible

for ERDF (for SMEs only) in June 2009. A total of 85 projects have been supported

throughout the Programme period.

27

Proof of Concept The objective of the Proof of Concept (PoC) Programme is to encourage and support

the pre-commercialisation of leading-edge technologies emerging from our

universities, research institutes and NHS Boards. It is designed to develop

research/technologies to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or 4 or “proof of

concept” stage, and ultimately, to position projects for commercialisation and

industry adoption.

Demonstrating proof of concept involves adding commercial value to a discovery by

generating evidence that the technology actually works and could lead to a

commercially viable product, service or process. Proof of concept activities are

aimed at progressing the discovery to a stage where (a) additional external

investment in the intellectual property (IP) is possible or (b) an industry partner or

licensee might agree to license the discovery. During 2015, 9 PoC projects were

supported giving a total of 146 projects supported by the Programme.

Subtitling software 'BLIS' - where imagination meets engineering

Financial Engineering – Co-Investment Fund

Invest NI’s Co-Investment Fund aims to support early stage technology within

businesses which will have the potential to compete in global markets. The primary

objective of the Co-Investment Fund is to support new and innovative existing

businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity.

Clarendon Fund Managers Ltd delivers the Co-investment Fund (‘Co-Fund NI’), a

£16million equity fund that co-invest with business angel/private led investor deals.

Nine deals were completed in 2015. During this period the total ERDF investment

amount was £919k, which leveraged over £1.27m of private match. Typically the

Fund expects to invest in deals valued between £250,000 and £450,000, and will

invest at up to 45% of the total deal value with an expectation of 55% leverage.

INNOVATION POLICY UNIT Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) CONNECT DETI’s Innovation Policy Unit was formally designated in January 2011 as a second

Intermediate Body for Priority 1 to deliver a "Connect" Programme focused on

technology led start up ventures and on the commercialisation of science,

technology and research & development. Effectively the NISP CONNECT

Programme ‘connects’ prospective entrepreneurs with a network of highly

experienced business people in Northern Ireland and further afield so that they can

access the resources and knowledge required to bring their products to market.

During 2015, NISP ran 34 events and workshops with 708 participants.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/blis-where-imagination-meets-engineering-1.2340485

28

PRIORITY 2

SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

29

3.2.1 Achievement of targets and analysis of the progress

Information on the physical progress of the priority


Ind Type

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

NI Screen projects supported

2.1 4201 O

A 13 25 43 54 76 76

B

T 11 21 31 31 31 31

4.65:1 ratio achieved in value of direct spend achieved through the NI Screen Fund relative to ERDF contribution

2.2 4202 R

A 3.65 3.6 6.57 3.57 4.35

B

T 4.65

Calls to Go For It Helpline 2.3 4204 O

A 10,369 21,383 37,862 46,774 54,453 - - - - 54,453

B

T 10,369 21,383 37,862 46,774 55,000 - - - - 55,000

Number of follow-up meetings attended following calls to the Go For It helpline

2.4 4205 R

A 7,750 13,720 20,661 25,946 31,097 - - - - 31,097

B

T 6,000 12000 18000 24000 30000 - - - - 30,000

Number of SMEs supported

2.5 4206 O

A 16 51 67 82 97 110 152 179 179

B

T 10 30 50 70 90 110 130 130 130 130

Number of jobs promoted 2.6 4207 R

A 259 782 960 1058 1073 1122 1532 1846 1846

B

T 1,200 1,350 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500

Amount of investment committed in Letters of Offer to (SFA) supported projects (£m)

2.7 4208 R

A 25.30 60.10 75.52 83.63 96.10 100.66 175.91 206.22 206.22

B

T 120 140 160 160 160

Number of (LED) projects supported

2.8 4209 O

A 86 142 150 150 150

B

T 100 100

Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs to develop their export focus

2.9 4210 R

A 15 39 41 41 41

B

T 20 20

Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs in business improvement activities

2.10 4211 R

A 73 118 122 122 122

B

T 100 100

Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs in innovation

2.11 4212 R

A 13 34 38 38 38

B

T 12 12

Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs in entrepreneurship

2.12 4213 R

A 56 84 88 88 88

B

T 70 70

Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs through collaborative activities

2.13 4214 R

A 20 36 38 38 38

B

T 10 10

Number of tourism projects developed

2.14 4215 O

A 0 0 5 8 11 15 24 33 37 37

B

T 24

30

Indicator PMF Code Ind

Type 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

Amount of additional investment leveraged from Programme contribution (£m)

2.15 4216 R

A 9.25 9.25 9.25 10.04 13.28 13.28

B

T 9.25

Excellence “BREEAM” rating achieved by the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre

2.16 4217 R

A 1 1 1 1 1

B

T 1 1 1 1 1

Number of promotional campaigns

2.17 4218 R

A 5 8 11 14 17 21 22 22

B

T 3 6 9 9 9 9 9

Generate a return in investment from promotional activities of £1:£4

2.18 4219 R

A 1:6 1:16 1:12 1:23 1:22 1:26 N/A*

B

T 1:4 1:4 1:4 1:4

Achieve industry awards for promotional campaigns

2.19 4220 R

A 1 3 7 7 15 15 15

B

T - - - - - - N/A

*Figures are annual, not cumulative, and therefore no total recorded.

CODE DEFINITION




C Core Indicator

O Output Indicator

R Result Indicator

DCiP Data Capture in Progress A Achievement B Baseline T Target No annual target set

31

Analysis of Performance against Priority 2 Indicators

(4201) NI Screen projects supported

In 2015, a further 22 projects were supported, bringing the overall achievement to 76

against a cumulative target of 31. NI Screen has not been supported under the 2007-

2013 ERDF Programme since April 2015. However, overall the target set has been

surpassed due to the success of NI Screen attracting indigenous and new projects to

Northern Ireland.

(4202) Leverage additional direct spend

This is an annual target and not cumulative and is based on direct spend achieved

through the Screen Fund. For 2015 the ratio achieved was 3.57:1. Across the period

that this indicator has been reported against, an average direct spend ratio of 4.35:1

has been achieved.

(4204) Number of calls to Go For It Helpline

This enterprise promotional and development activity was funded under the

Programme until December 2011 and reported 54,453 calls against a cumulative

target of 55,000.

(4205) Number of follow up meetings attended following calls to the Go For It

helpline

This enterprise promotional and development activity was funded under the

Programme until December 2011 and reported 31,097 against a cumulative target of

30,000.

(4206) Number of SMEs supported under Selective Financial Assistance

Scheme (SFA)

The reported outturn is based on the number of projects supported under Invest NI’s

Selective Financial Assistance (SFA) scheme. In 2015, 27 projects were supported

giving an overall achievement of 179 projects against a target of 130.

(4207) Number of jobs promoted under Selective Financial Assistance Scheme

(SFA)

In 2015, the actual achievement based on projects supported under the Selective

Financial Assistance (SFA) Scheme was 314, giving an overall total of 1,846

achieved against a target of 1,500 to December 2015.

(4208) Total Planned investment (£m)

In 2015, over £30.3m was committed in letters of offer giving an overall achievement

of £206.22m to the end of December 2015 against a cumulative agreed target of

£160m for the Programme.

Local Economic Development (LED)

(4209) Number of LED Projects Supported

(4210) Number of LED based projects that support SMEs to develop their

export focus

32

(4211) Number of LED projects that support SMEs in business improvement

activities

(4212) Number of LED projects that support SMEs in innovation

(4213) Number of LED based projects that support SMEs in entrepreneurship

(4214) Number of LED based projects that support SMEs through collaborative

activities

A total of 150 projects have been approved up to 31st December 2015 by both Invest

NI and DETI against a target of 100.

41 projects have been approved which aim to support SMEs in developing

their export focus against a target of 20;

122 focus on business improvement activity against a target of 100;

38 innovation projects have been approved against a target of 12;

88 aim to encourage entrepreneurship against the cumulative target of 70;

and

38 projects have a collaborative aspect against a target of 10.

All projects aim to encourage the growth of businesses within council areas.

(4215) Number of Tourism projects developed

There were 4 new tourism projects in 2015 bringing the total number of projects

supported to 37.

(4216) Additional investment leveraged beyond ERDF national public match

(£m)

Additional leverage relates to the total additional investment in Tourism projects. A

total of £13.28m additional investment was leveraged across the Giant’s Causeway

Visitors Experience (GCVE) and TDS projects, including the Belfast Waterfront. Prior

to 2014 only the GCVC additional investment had been available.

(4217) Achieve ‘BREEAM’ rating for the Giants Causeway Visitors Centre

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment

Methodology) is the world’s foremost environmental assessment method and rating

system for establishing the sustainability of buildings, with 250,000 buildings having

certified BREEAM assessment ratings. The Giant’s Causeway Visitors Centre

achieved an ‘excellent’ rating.

(4218) Number of Tourism promotional campaigns

The reason for this indicator significantly exceeding target is that the Managing

Authority agreed to fund a further 3 years of the Programme activity. Additionally, the

marketing activity for the Giro d’Italia and the Irish Open was included. By end of

2015, 22 campaigns had been supported through the Competitiveness Programme.

(4219) Generate a return on investment from promotional activities of £1:£4.

A return on investment of £1:26 was generated in 2015. The hotel sector, domestic

market and attractions all reported increases during a year which saw NI host the

Irish Open.

33

(4220) Achieve Industry Awards for NITB Promotional Campaigns

To end of 2015 TNI achieved 15 industry awards for ERDF supported campaigns:

CIM Awards 2010 – Best online marketing programme

Travel & Tourism Awards – Marketing Initiative 2011

Nokia Digital media awards – MTV – Best use of Facebook application

PANI Digital Media Marketing Awards Integrated Campaign – Silver Award

PANI Digital Media Marketing Awards Best use of Social Media – Gold Award

Travel & Tourism Awards Marketing Initiative – Our Time Our Place

Campaign

CIM Awards Best Brand Development

NI Travel and News: NI Marketing Initiative 2014

CIM: Best use of digital marketing

CIM: Chairs award

UTV Business Eye Awards: UTV Tourism/Hospitality Project of the year

Chartered Institute of Marketing: Best use of digital for Giro d’Italia

Charted Institute of Marketing: Chairs award for Giro d’Italia marketing

Northern Ireland Travel News best marketing initiative for Giro d’Italia

UTV Business Eye – Best use of online video

34

OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTED IN PRIORITY 2 INVEST NI

The Invest NI element of Priority 2 focuses on two key areas – expanding the private

sector and creating a world class business climate in Northern Ireland. Support

received under this Priority covers Selective Financial Assistance (SFA) and NI

Screen. In addition, since September 2011, Invest NI has undertaken responsibility

for the Local Economic Development (LED) Measure.

SELECTIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

SFA is designed to accelerate the growth of new and established companies through

innovation and export. This will lead to job creation, improvement of workforce skills,

productivity improvements, an increase in locally-based businesses and expansion

of Northern Ireland’s private sector.

The main aim of SFA is to achieve higher levels of growth leading to long-term stable

jobs. The purpose of the assistance which can be provided includes:

(a) Promoting the development or modernisation of an industry or of any

industrial undertaking;

(b) Promoting the efficiency of an industry or of any industrial undertaking; and

(c) Creation, expansion or sustainability of productive capacity in an industry

or in any industrial undertaking.

Due to the changes in State Aid requirements, which came into place on 1st July

2014, support to SFA capital projects has been significantly reduced and only a

small number have been supported through ERDF since April 2014. In 2015, and

additional 27 SMEs received support through the SFA scheme.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Up until September 2011, LED projects were administered by DETI. From

September 2011 Invest NI assumed responsibility for LED and for 24 of the DETI

approved projects which at the time had not completed.

In total 150 projects from local councils have been approved to December 2015.

There were no additional projects approved in 2015 but all projects approved prior to

2015 continue to progress with a large proportion of them successfully completing by

June 2015.

NORTHERN IRELAND SCREEN

ERDF funding for this scheme under EUSCP ended on 31st March 2015. NI Screen

supported 22 projects in the period from January to March 2015.

35

TOURISM NORTHERN IRELAND (Tourism NI)

Please note that NITB has changed its trading name to Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI). Tourism Development Scheme

The scheme, which is administered by TNI, provides grant support to the tourism

industry for tourism products, amenities and infrastructure.

Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre

Representing one of the largest projects supported in the 2007-2013 Programme,

with an ERDF investment of £13.4m, Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition

Centre (BWCEC) will provide state-of-the-art, world class conference and exhibition

facilities at the Waterfront. It officially opened on 29 April 2016. More than 30

international and national events have been confirmed over the next 3 years,

including the BBC Good Food Show and the Royal College of Nursing. The first

conference is the annual International Surgical Congress of the Association of

Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland will attract 2,000 delegates generating £2.2m

for Belfast through bed nights, transportation and other visitor spend. Without the

significant ERDF financial support, this project would not have been achieved as

neither Belfast City Council nor TNI had the financial resources to commit to the

project.

The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience completed in 2012 and by the end of

2015, a further 11 schemes have been supported bringing the total value claimed

from the Commission for TDS to over £19.5m (ERDF).

Promotional Activity in Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland Markets During 2015 NITB delivered 1 spring marketing campaign which included marketing

the Irish Open. It generated 108,000 overnight/day trips taken or booked and

generated £10.4 million in revenue.

New Technology Platform The New Technology Platform Project (NTP) was initiated in March 2012 with the

aim to support the tourism industry and the marketing of Northern Ireland inside NI

and within the Republic of Ireland by increasing the use of social media and email for

marketing purposes, thus reducing reliance on external organisations support for

digital marketing and web development. TNI are introducing a number of integrated

systems and the supporting infrastructure needed to run them.

The various strands of the project went live throughout 2015. This has enabled TNI

to increase its marketing potential via third party organisations displaying up to date

TNI data. Additionally, the original target of having 10 organisations using the TNI

tools for their website has grown to 45. The original project timeline was expanded to

36

allow for current digital trends that were not present at the outset of the project. This

has meant that although targets have been achieved, there will be greater

opportunities to come as industry and visitors engage with the new tools available.

37

PRIORITY 3

IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY AND PROTECTING AND ENHANCINGTHE ENVIRONMENT

38

3.3.1 Achievement of targets and analysis of the progress Information on the physical and financial progress of the priority


Ind Typ

e

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

EREF – Number of renewable energy projects

3.1 4301 O

A 1 2 2 2 2

B

T 4

EREF – Total planned investment in renewable energy projects (£m)

3.2 4302 R

A 7.995 22.26 22.26 22.26 22.26

B

T 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 8.0

BPCF – Number of renewable energy projects supported

3.3 4304 O

A 5 10 10 10 10

B

T 10

BPCF – Percentage of supported projects to have started to install the renewable energy biomass technologies by 2013

3.4 4305 R

A 100 60 100 100 100

B

T 50

BPCF – Additional investment leveraged from the private sector (£m)

3.5 4306 R

A 3.4 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3

B

T 3.0 3.0

BPCF – Number of projects achieving > 10% of total energy requirements from renewable energy resoucres

3.6 4307 R

A 0 0 0 10 10

B

T 10

BPCF – Number of projects achieving >35% carbon saving over conventional fossil fuel use

3.7 4308 R

A 0 0 0 10 10

B

T 10

Energy Division – Number of renewable energy projects supported

3.8 4310 O

A 0 2 7 9 12 16 18 18 18 18

B

T 0 2 7 9 12 16 16 16 16 16

Energy Division – Number of renewable energy facilities projects to have been awarded development rights by the Crown Estate by December 2012

3.10 4312 R

A 3 3 3 3 3

B

T 2

Energy Division – % of total electricity generated sourced from renewables

3.11 4313 R

A 12.54 13.6 17.35 19.05 25.4 25.4

B 3.8

T 12 20

39


Ind Type

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

Energy Division - Increased awareness of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures

3.12 4314 R

A See Narrative

B

T

Invest £16.5m in Telecoms infrastructure to support next generation broadband services

3.13 4315 O

A 0 0 0 8.251 12.788 16.359 16.359 16.359 16.359 16.359

B 0

T 16.5

Number of exchanges upgraded

3.14 4316 R

A - - - - 169 169 169 169 169 169

B 0

T 166 Number of cabinets to be upgraded across NI by 2013

3.15 4317 R

A - - - - 1,265 1,265 1,265 1,265 1,265 1,265

B

T 1,265

Km of additional fibre optic cable provided across the region

3.16 4318 R

A - - - - 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000

B

T 3,000

Number of new next generation retail communications providers to be attracted to NI by 2013

3.17 4319 R

A 0 0 0 0 14 24 24 25 25 25

B 0

T 20

Number of projects assisted under the broadband fund developing generating or making use of innovative broadband technologies in offering next generation broadband products in rural locations across NI

3.18 4323 O

A 0 2 5 7 8 8 8 8 8

B 0

T 8

Number of rural areas where the accessibility of next generation services has been enhanced through ERDF assisted broadband fund projects

3.19 4324 R

A 0 0 0 58 132 132 132 132 132

B 0

T 100

To lever at least £2m additional investment from the private sector

3.20 4325 R

A 0 0 0.193 0.378 1.087 1.136 1.136 1.136 1.414 1.414

B

T 2.0

Investment in a broadband guidance programme for SMEs (£m)

4326

O

A 0 0.027 0.937 1.685 2.402 3.123 3.674 3.674 3.674 3.674

B 0

T 3.9

Number of ICT Demonstration Centres to be developed

3.21 4327 R

A 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

B

T 2

40


Ind Typ

e 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total

Number of teams of broadband advisors to be established

3.22 4328 R

A 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

B

T 1

Number of broadband action plans to be delivered to participating SMEs by 2013

3.23 4329 R

A 0 0 883 3117 6344 8795 10497 10497 10497 10497

B

T 9,500

Programme amount to be invested in telecoms infrastructure to improve highspeed broadband services (£m)

5301 O

A 4.86 9.873 9.873

B

T 14.3

Number of exchanges upgraded

5302 R

A 5 153 153

B

T 50

Number of cabinets upgraded

5303 R

A 165 405 405

B

T 200

Additional fibre optic cable provided (km)

5304 R

A 315.42 846.01 846.01

B

T 500

Number of next generation retail communications providers attracted

5305 R

A 29 30 30

B

T 7

Amount to be invested in upgrading public transport buses to Euro Standard V (£m)

4331 O

A 11.6 22.1 25.004 29.193 29.193

B

T 11.6 14 14 29.19 29.19

Number of Euro I standard buses upgraded

4332 R

A 42 53 129 144 144

B

T 42 53 107 144 144

Programme amount invested in upgrading the A2

5306 O

A 17.871 17.871 17.871

B

T 17.871 17.871

Return journey time is reduced by 15 minutes

5307 R

A 0 DCiP DCiP

B

T 15

300 construction jobs 5308 R

A 125 300 DCiP DCiP

B

T 300

Number of boilers replaced 6301 O

A 6118 7440 8520 8520

B

T 3094 7219 8250 8250

Average annual household energy saving (kwh)

6302 R

A 21.17 46.62 58.28 58.28

B

T 6 12 18 18

CODE DEFINITION




C Core Indicator

O Output Indicator

R Result Indicator


41

Analysis of Performance against Priority 3 Indicators

(4301) Number of renewable energy projects

Invest NI did not approve any new projects under this scheme in 2015. A cumulative

total of 2 renewable energy projects have been supported to the end of December

2015.

(4302) Total planned investment in renewable energy projects

Invest NI exceeded this target due to the success of the two EREF projects

approved to date. To date, £22.26m of planned investment was achieved.

(4304) Number of renewable energy projects supported

Since AIR 2014, 1 project withdrew from the scheme voluntarily .Consequently, there

are now 10 projects remaining within the scheme. A target of 10 projects over the

lifetime of the Programme was agreed. In Tranche 1 (T1) Department of Agriculture

and Rural Development has supported 5 biomass projects and in Tranche 2 (T2) 5

biomass projects. The Biomass Processing Challenge Fund closed in November

2014.

(4305) Percentage of supported projects to have started to install the

renewable energy biomass technologies by 2013

At the end of December 2013 60% of projects supported had started installation. At

the end of 2015, all 10 projects (100%) within the scheme had commenced

installation.

(4306) Additional investment leveraged from the private sector (£m)

Over £3.4m has been invested by the private sector on 5 projects under T1 and

further investment of £4.9m on 5 projects under T2. In total, £8.3m will be invested

by the private sector. The target of £3m leverage for additional private sector

investment has been exceeded due to the higher than expected number of large

scale projects coming forward. The reduction from 2014 is due to the withdrawal of 1

project. Note: ‘Investment’ is determined from anticipated private sector investment

from Letters of Offer.

(4307) Number of projects achieving >10% of total energy requirements from

renewable energy resources

In order to provide a meaningful interpretation of the data, an amendment to this

indicator was made at the last Operational Programme Modification in 2015. The

previous iteration of the indicator did not support how the information was collated.

The technical agents who check the biomass processors have confirmed that all 10

biomass projects are obtaining more than 10% of their energy requirements from

renewable energy resources.

(4308) Number of projects achieving >35% carbon saving over conventional

fossil fuel use

In order to provide a meaningful interpretation of the data, an amendment to this

indicator was made at the last Operational Programme Modification. The previous

iteration of the indicator did not support how the information was collated. The

42

technical agents who check the biomass processors have confirmed that all 10

biomass projects are achieving more than 35% carbon saving over conventional

fossil fuel use.

(4310) Number of renewable energy projects

DETI Energy Division did not initiate any further projects in 2015, therefore the total

number of projects remains at 18 against a target of 16.

(4312) Number of renewable energy facilities projects to have been awarded

development rights by the Crown Estate by December 2012

1 wind project and 2 tidal projects have been awarded offshore development rights.

(4313) % of total electricity generated sourced from renewables

The Strategic Energy Framework target of 12% of total electricity consumption from

renewable by 2012 has been met and the target of 20% by 2015 was exceeded –

achievement was 25.4%.

(4314) Increased awareness of renewable energy and energy efficiency

measures

Sustainable Energy Campaigns: Post advertising campaign research is carried out

annually after each campaign and reports by the Government Advertising Unit and

the appointed marketing agency (Navigator Blue) and their specific research partner

(Millward Brown) are available for the 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 campaigns.

The effectiveness of these campaigns is also monitored by numbers visiting the

specific Energywise page on the NI Direct website

(https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/energy-wise).

The 2013/2014 analysis has reported good progress on an effective media

promotion in terms of TV and radio and print media advertising and also the outdoor

advertising campaign on buses and billboards. The tracking surveys Millward Brown

have demonstrated the campaign is continuing to increase awareness of the

Energywise branding both within the non domestic and domestic sectors.

(4315) Programme amount to be invested in telecoms infrastructure to support

next generation broadband services (£m)

The target of investing £16.5m in infrastructure for the delivery of next generation

broadband services relates solely to the Next Generation Broadband Project which

completed in 2012. The final spend on the project was £16.359m due to the

contractor paying penalty fees of £141k for delays in meeting milestones.

(4316) Number of exchanges upgraded

The target to upgrade exchanges relates solely to the Next Generation Broadband

Project which completed in 2012. In total 169 exchanges were upgraded under the

project to allow for the delivery of fibre-based, Broadband Enhanced Technology

(BET) and bonded DSL services, exceeding the target by 3.

43

(4317) Number of cabinets to be upgraded across NI by 2013

The target to upgrade 1,265 cabinets relates solely to the Next Generation

Broadband Project which completed in 2012. The target was achieved. Additionally,

the project acted as a catalyst for the contracted provider to upgrade additional

cabinets under its own investment resulting in a further 1,201 cabinets being

upgraded to deliver next generation services.

(4318) Km of additional fibre optic cable provided across the region

The target around deployment of fibre-optic cable also relates to the Next Generation

Broadband Contract which completed in 2012. The contractor (BT) has advised that

the project led to more than 3,000km of cable being deployed through ERDF support

and private investment leveraged. Additional cable was also provided under the

Broadband improvement project. In total more than 3,800 Km of fibre optic cable has

been supported or leveraged under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme.

(4319) Number of new next generation retail communications providers to be

attracted to NI by 2013

The target to attract new next generation retail providers also relates to the Next

Generation Broadband Project. By the end of December 2013, 24 providers had

signed up to deliver the services available on a wholesale basis under this project.

By 31 December 2014, 25 providers had signed up and this figure did not change in

2015.

(4323) The number of projects, assisted under the Broadband Fund,

developing, generating, or making use of innovative broadband technologies

in offering next generation broadband products in rural locations across

Northern Ireland

The Broadband Fund supported 8 projects and achieved this by 2011. There has

been no change since this time as the Fund has been closed.

(4324) The number of rural areas where the accessibility of next generation

services has been enhanced through the ERDF assisted Broadband Fund

projects

With regard to the target to increase accessibility to next generation services in 100

remote rural areas, under the terms of the Next Generation Broadband Project, the

target was exceeded by 2011 with some 132 rural areas targeted for fibre-to-the-

cabinet services.

(4325) To lever at least £2m additional investment from the private sector

The target to lever at least £2m (rounded from £1.97m) of private sector investment

relates to the NI Broadband Fund. A total of £1,973,393 had been expected to be

levered from the private sector under the 8 projects supported through this fund.

Target achieved.

(4326) Investment in a broadband guidance programme for SMEs (£m)

The target to invest £3.9m in broadband guidance to SMEs relates to the Logon-ni

Programme. The programme ended in November 2013 having realised investment

44

of £3.674m. This is below target and is due to savings made with regard to

marketing and expert advice.

(4327) Number of ICT demonstration centres to be developed

The target to establish 2 ICT demonstration centres relates to the Logon-ni

Programme and has been met through the creation of a fixed demonstration centre

in Omagh, Co Tyrone and a mobile demonstration centre which travels the length

and breadth of Northern Ireland delivering ICT advice to SMEs. The programme

ended in November 2013.

(4328) Number of teams of broadband advisors to be established

The target to establish 1 team of 10 broadband advisers relates to the Logon-ni

Programme and has been met in full. 1 team of 10 advisers was established in 2009

and delivered the Programme until its closure in late 2013.

(4329) Number of broadband action plans to be delivered to participating SMEs

by 2013.

The target to deliver 9,500 broadband action plans relates to the Logon-ni

Programme which completed in November 2013. At programme end, 10,497 action

plans had been delivered which is some 10.5% over target. This is accredited to

targeted advertising and very extensive cold calling campaign.

(5301) Programme amount to be invested in telecoms infrastructure to improve

highspeed broadband services (£m)

This target relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project for which a contract

was awarded to BT in February 2014. The project is being delivered in eight phases

with payment based on completion of milestones. A challenging target of £14.3m

expenditure by 31 December 2015 was established, however, due to project delays,

expenditure for milestones completed by 31 December 2015 amounts to £9.873m.

(5302) Number of exchanges upgraded

This target relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project which commenced in

February 2014 and is delivering improvements in the availability of basic and

superfast broadband services across Northern Ireland. To achieve this, a number of

technology options are being deployed, some of which require upgrades at the

exchange. The target of 50 exchange upgrades was based on initial high level plans

for the project. However, due to the nature of the project, more upgrades were

required than initially thought to ensure the project would deliver outcomes for end

users

(5303) Number of cabinets upgraded

This target relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project. The project includes

the roll-out of a number of different technology options including Fibre-to-the-Cabinet

(FTTC) and Fibre-to-the Premises (FTTP) across a number of phases. To the end of

December 2015, some 405 cabinets had been upgraded with Fibre-to-the Cabinet

technology under this project.

45

(5304) Additional fibre optic cable provided (km)

This target also relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project. In improving the

spine infrastructure to accommodate the technology upgrades, some 846.01km of

fibre optic cable was deployed by 31 December 2015.

(5305) Number of next generation retail communications providers attracted

The target for 7 retail providers to be attracted by the wholesale access to

broadband services relates specifically to the NI Broadband Improvement Project.

However, 46 Retail Service Providers are offering the services made available

through the project in the intervention areas, 16 of which had previously been

attracted under the Next Generation Broadband Project, meaning that 30 are new to

the market under the Broadband Improvement Project.

(4331) Amount to be invested in upgrading public transport buses to Euro

Standard V (£m)

The Operational modification completed in 2015 amended the target from £14m to

£29.19m, reflecting the increase in funding that the Clean Urban Transport project

had received to upgrade buses to Euro V standard. The subsequent cumulative

achievement in 2015 was £29.193m.

(4332) Number of Euro I standard buses upgraded

In 2015, the Operational Modification included an amendment to the target for this

indicator reflecting the increase in funding to the Clean Urban Transport project. The

increase in funding meant that the number of buses to be replaced increased from

50 to 144.

(5306) Programme amount invested in upgrading the A2

Funding for the A2 has been capped at £17.871m. This was reflected in a change to

the indicator target via the Operational Modification in 2015.

(5307) Return journey time is reduced by 15 minutes

The impact on journey times cannot be measured until the post project evaluation

reports later in the year, therefore this indicator is deemed ‘Data Capture in

Progress’.

(5308) 300 construction jobs

The project co-ordinators have confirmed that over the course of the project the

equivalent of 300 construction jobs were supported but this will be confirmed when

the post project evaluation reports later in the year, therefore this indicator is deemed

Data Capture in Progress’.

(6301) Number of boilers replaced

A target of 8,250 boilers replaced across the 3 years the scheme was funded within

the Programme. An additional 270 boilers were funded over and above that

expected, therefore a total of 8,520.

46

(6302) Average annual household energy saving (kwh)

As more boilers were replaced than was originally envisaged plus the type of boilers

being replaced were more efficient than the non condensing boilers which had been

planned, the energy saving achievements was far greater than anticipated with the

average annual household energy saving being 58,270 kwh.

47

OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTED UNDER PRIORITY 3 DETI TELECOMS BRANCH NEXT GENERATION NETWORKS The objective of the Scheme was achieved by April 2011 meaning 85% of NI

businesses had access to next generation broadband services of at least 2 megabits

per second. The services made available through this project have been taken up by

130,707 customers by the end of December 2015, of which 121,466 are residential

products and 9,241 are business products.

While all monies owing to the project have been paid out, the contract will continue

to be monitored until 2016 to ensure that pricing arrangements specified are

continuing to be applied and to identify any clawback due as a result of the Sharing

in Benefit arrangements set down under the terms of the contract. It should be noted

that there has been no clawback identified to date.

NI BROADBAND IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The contract for the Northern Ireland Broadband Improvement Project was awarded

to BT on 4 February 2014 and aims to provide improvements in access to a basic

broadband service (2Mbps) and to increase availability of superfast broadband

(24Mbps or more) across Northern Ireland by the end of 2015. The project is

receiving some £19.3m of public sector funding, which includes £9.873m ERDF from

the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme.

Due to difficulties encountered with regard to power supply, wayleaves etc the final

phase of the project was extended to 31 March 2016. As such, this phase could not

be supported with ERDF and was withdrawn from the Programme. Likewise,

changes to the ‘in-fill’ elements of the project could not be supported as this is now to

be delivered outside the period of the programme. Expenditure for milestones

completed by 31 December 2015 amounts to £9.873m ERDF.

The project is being delivered in eight phases with an overall completion date of 31

December 2015. By December 2015 over 40,000 premises had benefitted from the

upgraded infrastructure and it is anticipated that by completion, over 45,000

premises in total will have seen improvements to broadband access. At 31

December 2015 over 9,300 premises had taken up a fibre based broadband service

made available through this project.

DETI ENERGY DIVISION Renewable Electricity 2020 Target – Cost Benefit Review External consultants were appointed in early February 2014 to undertake a review of

the costs and benefits of achieving the 2020 target for renewable electricity. The final

report was published in 2015 and its final outcomes will feed into the ongoing

broader review of the Strategic Energy Framework.

48

A copy of the report can be accessed via the following link:

Review of the Costs and Benefits of the Northern Ireland Executive's 40% Renewable Electricity Target DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DARD) Biomass Processing Challenge Fund (BPCF) This scheme is designed to utilise cost effective and sustainable methods of

processing agricultural wastes and other agricultural biomass material to generate

renewable energy and improve business efficiency on farms.

The BPCF closed in November 2014 and there were no further Tranches. In 2015, 1

of the 11 projects that had received grant refunded the grant paid in order to receive

funding under another scheme.

Some applicants under T1 and T2, specifically for Anaerobic Digester (AD) projects,

had difficulty securing finance given the scale of investment required for such

projects.

In total 28 letters of offer were accepted for the scheme. However, the high number

of projects not proceeding to operational status was caused by several issues

outside the control of the implementing body, including issues with NIE grid

connection in that the existing electricity grid infrastructure in some areas in Northern

Ireland cannot cope with the increase in demand for grid connection and private

finance arrangements being withdrawn as the lending environment tightened.

Invest NI Invest NI has one programme designated under Priority 3 - the Environmental and

Renewable Energy Fund (EREF) with an allocation of £7m in the Programme.

EREF provided pump prime assistance to stimulate the under developed Northern

Ireland Renewable Energy market and to accelerate the development of

demonstration projects from a conceptual design stage through to actual

commissioning, seeking to bring selected projects to market more quickly than would

normally have been the case.

Two projects have been established: Tyrone Energy & Granville Eco Park.

The Tyrone Energy project had some initial technical difficulties with the waste wood

supplies, which caused delays in the plant getting to maximum capacity. Most of

these issues have now been resolved. Initially the company had intended to employ

5 operatives, however, in order to operate and maintain the plant effectively the

company has had to employ 11 staff at a higher skill level and higher salaries than

initially anticipated.

https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/deti/Review%20of%20the%20Costs%20and%20Benefits%20of%20the%20Northern%20Ireland%20Executive%E2%80%99s%2040%25%20Renewable%20Electricity%20Target%20-%20Final%20Report_1.PDF

https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/deti/Review%20of%20the%20Costs%20and%20Benefits%20of%20the%20Northern%20Ireland%20Executive%E2%80%99s%2040%25%20Renewable%20Electricity%20Target%20-%20Final%20Report_1.PDF

49

The Granville project supported through the Environmental and Renewable Energy

Fund (EREF) is to assist in the installation of an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant

through a joint venture between B9 Organic Energy Ltd (B9 Organic) and Linergy

Power Ltd (a subsidiary of Linergy Ltd). This project forms Phase 3 of an overall

closed loop system which will be installed at Linergy Ltd’s premises at Granville

Industrial Estate. Dungannon. Phase 3’s aim will be that the plant will generate

biogas for the production of electrical power. The plant encompasses a front end pre

treatment plant which pasteurizes the feed material making the process much more

efficient and a back-end waste water cleanup system. The remaining solid digestate

will feed back into the Phase 2 gasification plant. The project is considered therefore

to be an excellent fit with the overall objectives of the EREF Fund.

Department for Social Development (DSD) Boiler Replacement Scheme

The Boiler Replacement Scheme is unique to Northern Ireland and provides support

for homeowners with an income of less than £40,000 to help them replace their old

inefficient boiler which are more than 15 years old.

By replacing an old non condensing boiler with a new condensing boiler,

householders in an average three bedroom semi-detached house are saving on

average £350 per year and increased fuel efficiency of up to 30%. The average

saving increases when older boilers are replaced (figures based on RdSAP 2009

EPC assessments).

On average a householder can expect a saving of 1.8 tonnes of CO2 and annual

kilowatt savings of 6,542 for each boiler being replaced.

DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DRD) TRANSPORT DRD has been allocated £29.19m to upgrade the Translink fleet to more energy

efficient buses. By 1 April 2015, the average age of the fleet would have been 8.87

years for Ulsterbus and 9.48 years for Metro with 44 Ulsterbus buses over the age of

18. Translink has taken delivery of a total of 144 buses. The purchase of new buses

will benefit the environment through lower emissions which comply with the latest EU

emission standards. The procurement also benefited the local economy as

Wrightbus (based in Northern Ireland) were part of a successful bid to supply buses

for this contract.

ROADS DRD were allocated £17.871m for a major project to upgrade the A2 Shore Road.

The contract was awarded to Graham Construction Ltd on 30 January 2013. The

50

project involved the upgrade of 2.1km of existing road and 1.4km of new road. This

project is intended to strengthen the links between the two urban centres of Belfast

and Carrickfergus and forms part of Northern Ireland’s strategic road network. This

will allow enhanced opportunities for export by improved access to Ireland, the UK

and beyond. The road was opened to traffic in September 2015.

51

3.3.2 Significant problems encountered and measures taken to overcome

them None.

4. ERDF/CF Programmes: Major Projects (if applicable)

Not applicable. 5. Technical Assistance

Of the €282.833m ERDF allocated to the Programme, €2.833m (1%) has been allocated to Technical Assistance (Priority 4).

Financial Position at 31 December 2015 (Sterling)

Designated Committed Expenditure

Community Funding

National Counterpart

Community Funding


Community Funding


4.1.1

Preparation, implementation,

monitoring, inspection

£2.205m £2.205m £2.132m £2.132m £2.070m £2.070m

4.1.2

Evaluation, studies,

information, communication

£0.318m £0.318m £0.289m £0.289m £0.288m £0.288m

Total £2.523m £2.523m £2.421m £2.421m £2.358m £2.358m

The applications approved to date have supported the following types of activity:

Economic appraisals;

Programme-related publicity activities;

Staff required to undertake Programme management / implementation / verification activities;

Costs of DETI officials travelling to Great Britain and mainland Europe for meetings with representatives from other UK regions, Member States and Commission officials;

Evaluations;

Technical support; and

Audit.

52

6. Information and Publicity

Throughout 2015 the ERDF Managing Authority, in conjunction with the

Intermediate Bodies, was geared towards closure of the 2007-2013 Programme

and the implementation of the new Investment in Growth and Jobs (IGJ)

Programme 2014-2020. Never the less, all available opportunities to promote the

Sustainable Competitiveness Programme were taken to ensure the maximum

Programme publicity.

The Managing Authority took the opportunity to produce a publication to highlight

some of the main achievements and successes of the Programme. The

“Achievements and Successes” brochure was published by the MA and was a

co-ordinated effort by all the IBs to showcase schemes and projects and the

benefits of ERDF funding.

The brochure was issued to all attendees at the 2015 major event which was

the launch of the new IGJ Programme. The “Achievements and Successes”

brochure was used as the platform highlighting the success and benefits of

ERDF funding and was the ideal transition to the new Programme. The

brochure can be found at the following link:

http://www.jobsandgrowthni.gov.uk/downloads/Achievements_and_Successes

_Brochure.pdf

http://www.jobsandgrowthni.gov.uk/downloads/Achievements_and_Successes_Brochure.pdf


53

Belfast Conference Centre at the Waterfront During 2015, one of the largest projects supported by the programme was well

underway. The extension to the Belfast Waterfront Hall had its ‘topping out’

ceremony held in October. This represented the finishing touches being put to

the outer shell of the extended building, and with 200 days to go until the

opening, there was much excitement at what the building was promising. For

further information and pictures of the event, click on the link:

Belfast Waterfront Promises the `Wow Factor` With 200 Days To Go

A2 Shore Road Greenisland

The A2, which received a Programme allocation of £17.87, opened to traffic in

September 2015. The project involved the upgrade of 2.1km of existing road

and 1.4km of new road. This project is intended to strengthen the links

between the two urban centres of Belfast and Carrickfergus and forms part of

Northern Ireland’s strategic road network. This will allow enhanced

opportunities for export by improved access to Ireland, the UK and beyond.

Signing for the A2 Shore Road upgrade

Information on all successful beneficiaries is available on the ‘Successful

Applications’ portal, available at the following link:

http://successes.eugrants.org/

https://www.waterfront.co.uk/organise/conference-business-news/belfast-waterfront-promises-the-%60wow-factor%60-with/

http://successes.eugrants.org/

54

Further information on the communications activity in 2015 can be found in the

Communications Report (Annex A).

55

Annex A

NORTHERN IRELAND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME

2007 – 2013

ANNUAL COMMUNICATION REPORT 2015

56

Programme Communication Actions 1. Throughout 2015 the ERDF Managing Authority, in conjunction with the

Intermediate Bodies, was geared towards closure of the 2007-2013

Programme and the implementation of the new Investment in Growth and

Jobs Programme 2014-2020. Never the less, all available opportunities to

promote the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme were taken to ensure

the maximum Programme publicity.

The Programme website – www.eucompni.gov.uk

2. 2015 was the last year of the dedicated website being operational. The

website proved to be a success as the main platform for communicating with

IBs. The Managing Authority used the website to provide easy access to

guidance notes, published reports such as the Annual Implementation Report,

the programme e-Zine, logos and information and publicity. The Managing

Authority took every opportunity during 2015 to ensure the website was

promoted. It was also important not to lose the information contained on the

website and it has been made available on the IGJ Programme website –

www.jobsandgrowthni.gov.uk.

The final home page of the programme’s website – www.eucompni.gov.uk

http://www.eucompni.gov.uk/

http://www.jobsandgrowthni.gov.uk/

http://www.eucompni.gov.uk/

57

Major Event

3. In 2015, the Managing Authority hosted an event in the Titanic Building. It

covered the launch of the new Programme and successes of the 2007-2013

Programme period. Successful beneficiaries of the Sustainable

Competitiveness Programme spoke about the benefits of receiving EU

funding and networked with potential beneficiaries of the new Programme.

(L-R) Paul Brush, Head of DETI European Support Unit; Owen Lamont, Managing Director

of Equiniti; Dr Hugh Cormican, CEO Cirdan Imaging; and Kevin McCann and Willian

McCulla both of Invest NI

This event also saw the launch of the ‘Achievements and Successes’ brochure which

showcases the diverse range of projects and schemes which have been part funded

through the Programme during the 2007-13 programming period.

58

The ‘Achievements and Successes’ Brochure

Page from the ‘Achievements and Successes’ brochure showcasing part funded projects:

Cross Refrigeration Banana Ripening Room (Priority1: Sustainable Competitiveness and

Innovation) and the Giro d’Italia (Priority 2: Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneurship)

59

A copy of the brochure was given to each member at the Autumn 2015 PMC, given

to all attendees of the major event in the Titanic, a copy was posted in the Northern

Ireland Executive library and is available for download on the new Programme

website.

To see more of the projects which have been funded, click on the link:

Achievements and Successes Brochure

4. Belfast Conference Centre at the Waterfront (£29.5m)

During 2015, one of the largest projects supported by the programme was well

underway. The extension to the Belfast Waterfront Hall had its ‘topping out’

ceremony held in October. This represented the finishing touches being put to the

outer shell of the extended building, and with 200 days to go until the opening, there

was much excitement at what the building was promising. For further information and

pictures of the event, click on the link:

Belfast Waterfront Promises the `Wow Factor` With 200 Days To Go

5. Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI) (formally known as the Northern

Ireland Tourist Board (NITB))

Tourism NI again took forward highly successful promotion and marketing

campaigns throughout 2015, which were widely advertised through the media. The

ERDF logo is included in all of the Tourism NI’s visual media campaigns supported

by the Programme.

To see the TV advert for the Irish Open, click on the link:

Irish Open 2015 TV Advert

Screen shot from the Irish Open TV advert showing the Sustainable Competiveness logo.


https://www.waterfront.co.uk/organise/conference-business-news/belfast-waterfront-promises-the-%60wow-factor%60-with/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmTB758y8Ek

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ANNEX 1

Communication Outturn for 2015 – ERDF Managing Authority

Measure Target Group

Type of Action (1 to 9)

Total Expend (2012)

Indicator Outturn (2015)

Target Outturn (2014)

Comments

Programme Publications

A-H Number of Programme e-Zines published

1 2 2 Due to the focus on closure, 1 eZine was published. This was used to promote information on the new programme.

Annual Major Information Activities

A-H Number of major events participated in 2015

1 1 1 Article in the Parliament Magazine as part of the open Days week in Europe.

ERDF Promotional Materials

A-H Publicity stands at other relevant events

4 2 6 Permanent NI Science Park display; Europe Week at MA headquarters and Invest NI Headquarters; NITB series of events; Energy ‘Renewable Electricity’ workshop; ERDF seminars

ERDF Web Site A-H Number of visits to Programme website

4,623 5,000 5,200 Number of visits to Programme website taken from monthly Google Analytics

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ERDF Web Site A-H Number of unique visitors to Programme website

3,373 3,000 3,703 Number of unique users/browsers taken from monthly Google Analytics statistics

ERDF Web Site A-H Number of page views

17,939 20,000 14,233 Number of page impressions taken from monthly Google Analytics statistics

Press releases A-H Number of press releases referencing ERDF

12 50 41 The MA receives information on all press releases and monitors and advises for appropriate ERDF recognition. As the 2007-13 Programme was winding down there was more focus on the new Programme period.

Publicising the Programme

A-H Number of new case studies on website

0 5 2 The case studies are designed to showcase the benefits of ERDF funding. The focus was placed on case studies for the “Achievements and Success” brochure which featured approximately 20 case studies from across the entire Programme.

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A-H Number of new pod casts on the website

0 1 0 Due to the focus on closure the MA did not pursue an additional podcast for the website. However, Invest NI produce videos, uploaded to their YouTube channel which acknowledge ERDF funded projects.


A-H Amount of TA invested in publicity

£6,685 £2,000 £8,146 As well as maintaining the Programme website, the MA also produced an “Achievements and Successes’ Brochure showcasing the successes of the programming period. Additionally, the launch event for the new programme featured testimonies by some recipients of funding of the Programme.

Publicity Toolkits

B, D, G, H MA guidance and FAQs reviewed and updated on the website

1 At least 1 review per year

1 MA guidance, including the Operational Manual and FAQs was fully reviewed in 2015.

Networking B, D, G, H Number of attendees at ERDF funding training seminar events

0 50 45 As focus had shifted to the new Programme, no further training sessions for the competitiveness programme was taken forward.

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Networking D Participate in the UK ERDF Programmes Forum

2 At least 2 meetings per year

2 2 ERDF forums took place in 2015.


Flag flown on Europe Day (9 May) and publicise work of EU within MA HQ

Complete Flag flown 9 May and work of the EU publicised for Europe Week.

Complete The MA maintained a display at headquarters providing information on the EU.

SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME for NORTHERN IRELAND 2007 - 2013 ... · Northern Ireland 2007...

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