European Union - Delegation of the European Commission to the USA

ACADEMIC RESOURCES

Application Deadline: June 20, 2005

EU-US Policy Research and Debate

Call for proposals for the 2005-2007 period

The Delegation of the European Commission in Washington, DC, invites proposals from think tanks and other policy-oriented, non-governmental organizations based in the United States or the EU for activities that encourage policy research and debate about EU-US relations.

Proposed activities should engage EU and US policymakers, research analysts and media in considering the expanding number of bilateral, regional and international issues addressed by the transatlantic partnership. In this context, the increased capability and coherence of the EU as an international actor is of particular relevance, as are EU and US and other global and regional efforts to meet the new security challenges facing the international community.

Activities may also seek to encourage better understanding of EU and US policies, as well as enhanced cooperation and sharing of best practices, in sectors such as the environment, energy, agriculture and other social and economic policy issues.

Applicant proposals should aim to reach concrete recommendations on how to develop further the transatlantic relationship and make suggestions for taking the relationship forward. The recommendations should cover the following aspects and should be disseminated widely to EU and US policymakers:

increase awareness of issues on which EU and US can further cooperation;
new areas for cooperation or areas where renewed impetus is needed; and
handling issues on which EU and US policies diverge.

Activities may target broad audiences or specific groups. They may include:

conferences, seminars and workshops;
policy research and briefing papers;
briefing sessions, fellowships and study tours targeting opinion-makers, such as Congressional and Administration staff and journalists; and
other activities that facilitate greater understanding of the EU and EU-US relations and productive dialogue across the Atlantic amongst policymakers and analysts.

Activities should result in outcomes which can be measured, for example, by the number and quality of events organized, the number and quality of participants, the production and dissemination of recommendations and information products and any indicators of impact on policy formulation and outcomes.

Institutions selected will receive funding in the form of a subsidy towards approved costs between October 1, 2005 and August 31, 2007. An estimated 6 grants of up to €200,000 each will be awarded. Applicants may vary the level of project expense during the grant period but should strike a good balance of activities across the 2 years covered, with no more than 60% of project costs budgeted for either year. Applicants must provide a minimum cost share of at least 50% of eligible project costs. The European Commission is allocating up to €1.2 million to this program.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

All applicants should provide the following:

official grant request letter, dated and signed;
completed narrative proposal form and completed and signed Grant Application Form together with the required supporting documents indicated in the annex to the Application Form. NB: In the event that a grant is awarded, the same individual signing the Grant Application Form must also sign the Grant Agreement and have the authority to commit the applicant institution legally to the terms of that Agreement;
curriculum vitae of individual(s) responsible for the project;
list of principal related projects undertaken in the last 3 years (Part A, Section 3B of the Application package);
signed Applicants’ Declaration (Part B, Section 15 of the Application package);
completed, signed and stamped Legal Entity Form (Part E of the Application package);
completed, signed and stamped Financial ID form (Part F of the Application Package); and
itemized budget of project costs and revenues, in euro¹ sufficiently detailed to allow identification and monitoring of the operations involved; and drawn up using the model in Part B, Section 13 of the Grant Application Form.

Successful applicants should also be prepared to provide electronic copies of their Grant Application form and itemized budget of project costs and revenues.

The Grant Application Form and Model Grant Agreement may be downloaded from the Washington Delegation website. Those who cannot access the internet may request materials from Despina Manos by e-mail at despina.manos@cec.eu.int or at the address below.

These materials should be sent by registered mail (including by private express mail contractors) to:

Despina Manos
Political, Academic, Justice & Home Affairs
Delegation of the European Commission
Third Floor
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037

Applications must be postmarked no later than June 20, 2005.

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must:

demonstrate status as a legal person, to be documented by Articles of Incorporation or other proof of legal status;
provide a signed Applicants’ Declaration (Part B, Section 15 of the Application package) verifying that the applicant is not in one of the situations described²;
propose activities which occur in their entirety between October 1, 2005 and August 31, 2007; and
submit properly completed applications and all required supporting documentation as requested above.

Selection Criteria for Operations

The Commission will assess the applicant’s technical and economic capacity to undertake the proposed project. This assessment will be based on:

proven previous experience in the organization of activities based on the list of the principal related projects undertaken in the past 3 years;
level of expertise related to EU/US policies and the EU/US relationship;
the details of the educational and professional qualifications of the person(s) undertaking the project, as demonstrated by curriculum vitae;
financial and economic capacity enabling the applicant to perform the tasks involved in this project (stable and sufficient source of funding to maintain activity for the duration of the project), as demonstrated by annual accounts for the last year and other financial information provided in the Grant Application Form; and
evidence that the applicant is able to meet co-financing requirements; own resources confirmed by the signature of the legally authorized officer signing the Application Form, and third party resources, if applicable, are to be confirmed in writing by the officer(s) identified in Part B, Section 14 of same.

Criteria for the Award of a Grant

Proposals submitted in accordance with the submission guidelines and meeting the eligibility and selection criteria above will be evaluated according to the following criteria equally weighted:

quality of the activity proposed (maximum score 5, minimum 0);
expected impact of the proposed event(s) in promoting greater knowledge of the European Union and EU-US relations and taking forward the EU-US relationship (maximum score 5, minimum 0);
potential contribution to policy formation and development (maximum score 5, minimum 0);
cost-effectiveness in the implementation of the activity proposed and capacity to mobilize resources to complement the Commission’s grant (maximum score 5, minimum 0).

The TOTAL SCORE (sum of four criteria for maximum score of 20, minimum score of 0) of each proposal will be ranked against all competing proposals.

Questions and Award Notification

Individual applicants should submit any questions regarding the competition in writing to Despina Manos (despina.manos@cec.eu.int).
Applicants may also wish to consult the Delegation’s 2004-5 "Guide for Grant Recipients" for general guidance regarding payment, reporting and other issues. This Guide will be updated for grant recipients under this competition, to accompany award notification, with references to specific aspects of the 2005-7 competition.
Applicants will be informed whether or not their proposal has been accepted. The Commission intends to make its decisions by August 1, 2005.

Reporting Requirements

Successful applicants will be required to submit narrative and financial reports in hard-copy and electronic format both for the October 1, 2005 to August 31, 2006 and the September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007 periods. These reports will be due no later than October 30 each year.

After approval of the narrative and financial reports, an interim payment for 2005-6 and a final payment for 2006-7 will be made, based on eligible project expenditures. Grant recipients requesting a pre-financing payment at the beginning of the grant cycle (for a maximum of 30% of the Commission’s total contribution) should submit an invoice for payment once the grant agreement has been signed by both parties.

Upon request as part of their reporting, grant recipients must provide by mail to the Delegation of the European Commission in Washington, DC, certified copies of receipts and other documentation serving as proof of project expense³. Where the Commission decides to carry out an interim or ex-post evaluation and/or audit, the beneficiary is required to provide all necessary information.

Institutions not prepared to provide such documentation should not apply to this competition.

Additional important information

Nothing herein stated shall be deemed a financial commitment by the European Union or any of its component Institutions. Grants will be awarded on the basis of available funding and only after approval by the European Commission.

Grants will not be awarded for more than the amount requested, and the European Commission reserves the right to award a grant of less than the amount requested by the applicant.

The terms and general conditions of a prospective grant are specified in the Model Grant Agreement, including the rules governing which categories of expenditure are eligible. Submission of an application implies acceptance of the terms and general conditions of the Model Grant Agreement. Requests to modify the terms and general conditions of the Grant Agreement will not be considered.

Indirect (i.e., overhead) costs⁴ are eligible up to 7% of total project costs . In-kind contributions are not eligible and will not be taken into account when calculating the grant.

1 Prices must be quoted in EUR (euro) using the European Commission’s official monthly EUR to Dollar exchange rate, available on the first working day of each month at the following website: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/budget/inforeuro/index.cfm?
fuseaction=currency_historique&currency=USD&Language=en.

Those who do not have internet access or who have any questions may contact Despina Manos at the above address.

2 The European Commission may request additional evidence confirming the Declaration.

3 "Certified" means that a responsible institutional official must affirm by signed letter that any copied receipts and other documents submitted are authentic copies of the originals.

4 Any indirect costs must be included within the ceiling of €200,000, i.e., for a hypothetical proposal of €400,000 in total eligible costs (based on a €200,000 request to the European Commission and €200,000 in matching funding) a maximum of €28,000 in indirect costs could be included in the request to the Commission (7% of €400,000), with an additional €172,000 requested for activities and related costs.

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