Innovative Approaches to Mitigate the Societal Consequences of Russia’s War of Aggression against Ukraine within EU Countries (closed)

Please note that we do not assess the operational capacity of the potential coordinator at the application stage. This assessment is done after the submission of applications, thus, prior to submission of an application, the assessment of the operational capacity of a potential coordinator is left at applicant’s discretion.  

Nevertheless, we strongly recommend to self-assess if an entity meets all the criteria set for the operational capacity, as they are stipulated in the Section 7.2 of the Call Conditions. Moreover, we recommend having a look at the Annex 5 of the Call Conditions. It is a mandatory annex that shall be submitted together with an application. This annex provides information about the projects which were managed by the coordinator within the past 5 years and certify coordinator’s sufficient experience in managing/coordinating consortium projects. 

Self- assessment check list 

As stipulated in the Section 7.2 of the Call Conditions, the coordinator must have sufficient experience in project management/coordination. Only those projects, which: 

– had involved partners (an applicant/ coordinator and co-applicant) from no less than two different countries and 

– had lasted at least 12 months or had the total budget of more than EUR 200 000 will be taken into consideration.  

Please note that in line with the Call Conditions, consortia projects which will be taken into account for the assessment of the operational capacity of the coordinator, should have been funded from EU or national funds (footnote 54 in the Call Conditions). The are no explicit requirements in the Call Conditions stating that the coordinator should have managed specifically European projects funded under the programs of the European Commission.

In line with the information provided in Annex 4 to the Call Conditions, the ‘Declaration certifying the professional competences and appropriate qualifications of the coordinator’s project team’ should certify professional competences, appropriate qualifications and a very good command of English (C1 level or higher) of coordinator’s project team (i.e., members of the coordinator’s team who will be involved into the implementation of project activities) to carry out the required tasks. The declaration should include, inter alia, job specifications, main tasks envisaged, and outputs related to the subject of the project (including, but not limited to the tangible outputs). 

The overarching aim of the declaration should be to justify that coordinator’s project team have the competences and appropriate qualifications to carry out the tasks which are envisaged for them in the project. 

The term “national funds” in this context does not specify whether the funds need to originate solely from the public administration of a respective country. The funds may come from private or public sources. 

Please note that the operational capacity is one of the eligibility criteria. If it is not satisfied, the application will be deemed ineligible, no further assessment will be undertaken, and the application will be rejected.  

We would like to underline that, in line with the Section 7.2 of the Call Conditions, the coordinator must have sufficient experience in project management/coordination. Managing a specific activity in a consortium does not fulfil the eligibility criteria, as they are defined in in the Section 7.2 of the Call Conditions. 

The are no explicit requirements in the Call Conditions stating that the consortia projects, which are used to justify coordinator’s operational capacity, should have involved specifically partners from the EU.

Additionally, we would like to draw you attention that in the Annex 5, only information about completed (i.e., excluding still ongoing) projects shall be presented, as only completed projects will be considered for the assessment of the coordinator’s operational capacity.

Both conditions must be met: 1) partnership from no less than two different countries and 2) requirements set for the duration or the total value of the project.

In line with the Call Conditions, the consortia projects should have involved partners from no less than two different countries. The are no explicit requirements in the Call Conditions stating that the consortia projects should have involved specifically partners from the EU.

The payment of the grant will consist of prefinancing payment (-s) and a final payment (payment of the balance). The number of pre-financing payments will depend on the duration of the project.  

For projects lasting up to 12-months:  

– a prefinancing payment of 70% of the grant after the signature of the Grant Agreement and the final payment are foreseen.  

For projects lasting between 12 and 18 months, two prefinancing payments and the final payment are foreseen:   

– The first (initial) prefinancing payment of 50% of the grant after the signature of the Grant Agreement;   

– The second prefinancing payment of 30% of the grant after the approval of the first periodic report.   

Where the spending of the previous prefinancing will be less than 70%, the amount of the next prefinancing payment will be reduced by the difference between the 70% ceiling and the amount used. Spending will be determined based on the completion of WPs, i.e. a WP is only considered completed when all the activities are implemented and all deliverables are achieved. 

– The final payment.  

Please note that a financial risk assessment will be carried out during the financial capacity assessment. In the case of acceptable risks, the frequency and the amounts of the foreseen prefinancing may be adjusted.   

– Beneficiaries will have to report regularly to the Granting Authority on the progress of the project in accordance with the timing and conditions stated in the Grant agreement. The reporting will take place via the electronic system, using the templates provided there. There will be two types of reporting in the system: Continuous reporting module - active for filing continuously since the start of the project and Periodic reporting – active for filing at the end of a reporting period.  

The Periodic report is the pre-condition for receiving payments (a second prefinancing and the final payment), i.e., the beneficiaries must provide reports to request payments, in accordance with the schedule and modalities set out in the Grant agreement. Specific reporting periods will be defined in the Data Sheet of the Grant Agreement. Generally, in the case of a project with 18 months’ duration, a periodic report is submitted after 12 months of project implementation and then the final report – after completion of project activities. Please note that it is not a rule and frequency of the reporting will be determined case by case (i.e., individually for each project) and will be detailed in the Grant agreement. 

The periodic report includes a technical and financial part. The technical part, inter alia, includes description of the work carried out during the reporting period. The financial part of the periodic report includes status for work packages (WPs) completion of all work packages filled in by the Coordinator. The financial statement must detail the lump sum contributions, i.e., it must contain the lump sum contributions for the work packages that were completed during the reporting period. Lump sum contributions which are not declared in a financial statement will not be taken into account by the Granting Authority.  

Together with the periodic report, documentation supporting the achievement of deliverables will have to be submitted. 

– WP is only considered completed when all the work has been carried out, and all deliverables have been reached.  Payments for partially completed work packages are possible only at the end of the project, as part of the final payment. This should mean that if a certain WP has not been completed by the submission of the periodic report, such WP cannot be declared as completed and respectively, lump sum linked to it cannot be paid.  

– The Call Conditions stipulate: Where the expenditure of the previous prefinancing is less than 70%, the amount of the next prefinancing payment will be reduced by the difference between the 70% ceiling and the amount used. The example below may help you to understand how this requirement is applied in practice: 

Example. A project with 18 months’ duration and EUR 500 000 grant is being implemented. A project promoter received the first pre-financing amounting to 50% of the total grant (EUR 250 000). During the assessment of the periodic report, it was concluded that only 60% of the first prefinancing was used (EUR 150 000). The amount of the second prefinancing will be reduced, by deducting the unspent sum of the first prefinancing payment. 

The percentage will be applied to the total grant amount approved for a certain project. For example, if the total budget of the project is EUR 100 000, the total grant amount (80%) will constitute EUR 80 000. The maximum amount of the first prefinancing could be EUR 40 000. 

Costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence have to be calculated using unit costs fixed by the authorising Decision C(2021)35. The Decision also establishes unit costs per intra-Member state travels (see point 5.2). Amounts for accommodation and subsistence costs (both for intra- and inter- Member states travels) are provided in point 5.5 of the Decision.  

As it is stipulated in Annex 1 ‘Detailed budget table’ to the Call Conditions (for more detailed information see Excel sheet ‘Cost eligibility conditions’), costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence must be calculated using unit costs fixed by the authorising Decision C (2021)35. If a particular instance of travel, accommodation or subsistence in the action is not covered by one of the unit costs mentioned in Decision C (2021)35, actual costs may be used. When unit costs are available, their use is mandatory in line with the eligibility criteria. 

The funding under this Call is a lump sum grant. Lump sum funding is a form of simplified cost options, which, contrary to reimbursement of the actual costs, removes obligation to justify actual costs incurred (i.e., lump sums shall be estimated using the same methodology as if these costs were declared under an actual cost-based grant agreements; however, project promoters will not be asked to submit the documents justifying the actual costs incurred).

The amounts of lump sums will be established for the whole project (the total lump sum) and per each work package, and, within a work package, per applicant and co-applicants individually.

Lump sums will be established on the basis of the Detailed Budget Table (see Annex 1 to the Call Conditions), submitted by an applicant. Please note that the Detailed Budget Table is part of the application, but it will not be added as an annex to the Grant Agreement. In the Grant Agreement, only the total project lump sum and the breakdown of lump sum per beneficiary and WP will be specified. 

In line with the Article 21 of the Grant Agreement, payments will be made in accordance with the schedule and modalities set out in the Data Sheet (see Point 4.2). They will be made in euro to the bank account indicated by the coordinator (see Data Sheet, Point 4.2) and must be distributed without unjustified delay (restrictions may apply to distribution of the first (initial) prefinancing payment; see Data Sheet, Point 4.2). 

A grant can be received only by the beneficiaries (coordinator and project partners).

Requirements for cost eligibility under this Call are presented in the Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions. Eligible cost categories under this Call are:  

A. Direct personnel costs: 

A.1 Employees (or equivalent) person months;  

B. Purchase costs

B.1 Travel and subsistence per travel or day 

B.2 Other goods, works and services 

C. Indirect costs. 

Thus, regranting is neither eligible activity nor eligible expenditure under this Call.

As detailed in Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions, eligible cost categories under this Call are the following ones:  

1. Direct personnel costs:  

A.1 Employees (or equivalent) person months   

1. Purchase costs: 

B.1 Travel and subsistence per travel or day 

B.2 Other goods, works and services   

1. Indirect costs 

Moreover, in order to be eligible, the costs must be:  

– in line with the applicant’s usual cost accounting practices 

– reasonable and not excessive 

– be estimated in eligible cost categories 

– comply with the applicable national and EU law 

– necessary for the activities proposed 

– related to the duration of the project.   

In line with the above-mentioned eligibility requirements, purchases of property which falls under the category ‘fixed assets’ is not eligible expenditure, as such cost category is ineligible under the Call.   

Personnel costs are eligible if they:   

– fulfil general eligibility conditions;  

– are related to the personnel working for the applicant(s) under an employment contract (or an equivalent appointing act). Please note that salary costs should not exceed the average rates corresponding to the applicant’s usual policy on remuneration and must be not significantly different from the costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the applicant; 

– are paid in accordance with national law, the collective labour agreement and the employment contract/equivalent appointing act. 

More detailed information about the eligible cost category ‘Direct personnel costs’ can be found in the Detailed Budget Table template, sheets ‘Instructions’ and ‘Cost Eligibility Conditions’. 

By signing ‘Declaration of honour for beneficiaries’, (Annex 6 to the Call Conditions – a mandatory document that has to be submitted together with an application), applicants make commitment to make co-financing contribution of no less than 20% during the implementation of the project. The applicants will not be asked to account for 20% co-financing additionally.  

Co-financing under this Call should be related to the eligible cost categories, i.e., excluding ineligible costs and contributions under this Call. A list of ineligible costs/ contributions is provided in Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions, and includes:  

1. Costs related to return on capital and dividends paid by the beneficiary;
2. Debt and debt service charges;
3. Provisions for future losses or debts;
4. Interest owed;
5. Currency exchange losses;
6. Bank costs charged by the beneficiary’s bank for transfers from the Granting Authority; 7. Excessive or reckless expenditure;
7. Deductible or refundable VAT (including VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authority);
8. Costs incurred or contributions made for the activities implemented during a suspension of the Grant Agreement; 
9. In-kind contributions by third parties;
10. Any costs incurred before the project start date and after the project end date; 12. Costs or contributions for personnel of a national (or regional/local) administration, for activities that are part of the administration’s normal activities (i.e., not undertaken only because of the grant).

Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union defines ‘in-kind contributions by third parties’ as non-financial resources made available free of charge by third parties to a beneficiary. As volunteers’ work is work provided by third parties without a remuneration being paid to them by the beneficiary, it falls under ineligible contribution under this Call.  

Lump sum funding is a form of simplified cost options, which, contrary to reimbursement of the actual costs, removes obligation to justify actual costs incurred (i.e., lump sums shall be estimated using the same methodology as if these costs were declared under an actual cost-based grant agreements; however, project promoters will not be asked to submit the documents justifying the actual costs incurred).

The Detailed budget table (Annex 1 to the Call Conditions) establishes the maximum grant amount, which constitutes 80% of the total project costs. 20% of project costs are automatically deducted from the total project costs and shall be co-financed by the applicant and co-applicants. Please note that calculations are done for each beneficiary (individual entity) and for each of their work package. To understand how lump sums and co-financing of 80% will be applied, we recommend having a look at the Detailed budget table (available here).   

By signing ‘Declaration of honour for beneficiaries’ applicants make commitment to make co-financing contribution of no less than 20% during the implementation of the project. 

By signing ‘Declaration of honour for beneficiaries’, applicants make commitment to make co-financing contribution of no less than 20% during the implementation of the project; however, the applicants will not be asked to justify 20% co-financing additionally.  

Nevertheless, please note that as it is stipulated in Section 7 of the Call Conditions, the financial capacity of the coordinator will be assessed. All the detailed information regarding the documents on the basis of which such assessment will be carried out is detailed in the Section 7 of the Call Conditions.   

Please note that in line with the aforementioned section of the Call Conditions, the verification of financial capacity shall not apply to public bodies. This shall mean that the financial capacity of the coordinator who is a public body will not be assessed. Nevertheless, the coordinator who is a public body will be required to submit the following evidence documents to the Granting Authority at the time of Grant Agreement preparation:  

– Signed Legal Entity Identification form (Public Legal Entity form: in English);   

– Official VAT (Value Added Tax) certificate or — if the legal entity is not registered as a VAT payer   

— the proof of VAT exemption (issued not earlier than 6 months from submission of application);   

– Copy of the act, law, decree, or decision that established the legal entity as a public body (or, in case of absence thereof, any other official legal document that proves this).  

Please note that the budget form (Detailed budget table, Annex 1 to the Call Conditions) establishes the maximum grant amount, which constitutes 80% of the total project costs. 20% of project costs are automatically deducted from the total project costs and shall be co-financed by the applicant and co-applicants. Please note that calculations are done for each beneficiary (individual entity) and for each of their work package.  

To understand how lump sums and co-financing of 80% will be applied, we recommend having a look at the Detailed budget table, (Annex 1 to the Call Conditions, which is available to download here).   

By signing ‘Declaration of honour for beneficiaries’, (Annex 6 to the Call Conditions – a mandatory document that has to be submitted with an application), applicants make commitment to make co-financing contribution of no less than 20% during the implementation of the project. The applicants will not be asked to account for 20% co-financing additionally.  

Please note that co-financing should be related to the eligible cost categories, i.e., excluding ineligible costs under this Call. For a detailed list of ineligible costs/ contributions, please see Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions. 

Please note in line with Section 7.2 of the Call Conditions, an applicant shall have stable, sufficient, and solid financial resources (i.e., having a strong financial capability) to maintain project activities and to contribute to finance it as necessary. Therefore, under this Call, the financial capacity of the coordinator will be assessed prior to the signature of the Grant agreement. (For more detailed information regarding financial capacity see Section 7.1 of the Call Conditions).  

As it is stated in the Call Conditions, the form of grant is a lump sum grant. The amounts of lump sums will be established for the whole project (the total lump sum) and per each work package individually. Lump sums will be established on the basis of the Detailed Budget Table (see Annex 1 to the Call Conditions), submitted by an applicant.

The Detailed Budget Table shall contain only costs that would be eligible for actual costs and shall exclude costs that are ineligible under this Call. Requirements for cost eligibility under this Call are presented in the Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions.

Requirements and conditions related to the costs category ‘B. Purchase costs’ can be found in the Detailed budget table (Annex 1 to the Call Conditions), excel sheet ‘Cost Eligibility Conditions’: 

– General eligibility conditions are described under the point 2.1; 

– Specific eligibility conditions for the cost category ‘B. Purchase costs’ can be found under the point 3.1.2. 

We would like to bring to your attention the following requirement – ‘Purchases between beneficiaries are not accepted. No project participant shall be contracted as a service provider neither by the Coordinator, nor by any other project Beneficiary (to avoid any conflict of interest in the procurement of services and goods). Any expenses based on such contracts shall be deemed ineligible.‘

This Call does not specify the maximum percentage for costs under the ‘B. Purchase costs’ category. 

Eligibility of specific expenditure shall be assessed based on the eligible cost categories and general cost eligibility requirements under the Call.  Additionally, applicants should justify that the planned expenditure is necessary for the implementation of the planned activities, while planned activities relate to eligible activities, as they are described in the Call Conditions, and contribute to the objectives and outputs of the Call – transferring or scaling up of social innovation. 

All the costs that are not directly linked to the performance of the project shall be covered from indirect costs. The definition of indirect costs is provided in the footnote 53 of the Call Conditions: 

Indirect costs are costs that cannot be identified as specific costs directly linked to the performance of the project. Indirect costs are general administrative costs – overhead costs incurred in connection with the eligible direct costs for the project. They can include maintenance, stationery, photocopying, postage, telephone and fax costs, heating, electricity or other forms of energy, water, office furniture, insurance, and any other expenditure necessary for the successful completion of the project. 

For more detailed information regarding the assessment of the eligibility of certain expenditure under the Call and some practical examples, we recommend having a look at slides from Q&A session of 2024-04-18, which have been uploaded to the section Support to applicants. 

Under this call activities under coordination/management WP should be performed solely by the coordinator, thus only costs incurred by the coordinator can be claimed under this WP. Other applicants should not seek direct costs reimbursement for activities related to the coordination/management WP. Management activities implemented by other beneficiaries could be covered by indirect costs. 

Travel expenses, under the budget category ‘B1. Travel and subsistence’, can be budgeted for all personnel who are directly involved in the implementation of the project, i.e., the costs are incurred by beneficiary’s employees who are participating in the project and implement activities. (Please see Section 2.2 of the Call Conditions for more detailed information regarding eligible activities and outputs). 

Therefore, travel and subsistence costs for consortium members attending the planned consortium meetings can be claimed; however, such costs should not be included under the management/coordination work package. We advise including such expenditure under another work package (s), for example, under a work package related to transnational cooperation at the consortium level. 

Legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States are eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners.

Personnel costs are eligible if they:    

– fulfil general eligibility conditions;   

– are related to the personnel working for the applicant(s) under an employment contract (or an equivalent appointing act). Please note that salary costs should not exceed the average rates corresponding to the applicant’s usual policy on remuneration and must be not significantly different from the costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the applicant;  

– are paid in accordance with national law, the collective labour agreement and the employment contract/equivalent appointing act. 

Eligibility of expenditure shall be assessed based on the eligible cost categories and general cost eligibility requirements under the Call. Ineligible costs and contributions are listed under Section 3.3. of the Call Conditions and include:  

1. Costs related to return on capital and dividends paid by the beneficiary;
2. Debt and debt service charges;
3. Provisions for future losses or debts;
4. Interest owed;
5. Currency exchange losses;
6. Bank costs charged by the beneficiary’s bank for transfers from the Granting Authority; 7. Excessive or reckless expenditure;
7. Deductible or refundable VAT (including VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authority);
8. Costs incurred or contributions made for the activities implemented during a suspension of the Grant Agreement; 
9. In-kind contributions by third parties;
10. Any costs incurred before the project start date and after the project end date;
11. Costs or contributions for personnel of a national (or regional/local) administration, for activities that are part of the administration’s normal activities (i.e., not undertaken only because of the grant).

As it is stipulated in Section 2.1 of the Call Conditions, the Call will support transnational projects which aim at transferring or scaling up of relevant social innovations. The footnote 37 in the Call Conditions provides the definitions of ‘transferring’ and ‘scaling up’, as they are used under this Call: 

• ‘transfer’ refers to the implementation of social experimentation in other contexts (either territorial or to a different sector);  
• ‘upscaling’ refers to the implementation on a larger scale, i.e. expanding the scope of small-scale new solutions to an upper level (from local to regional, national, and/or European levels) to reach a higher number of beneficiaries. 

Please note that we do not assess the eligibility of the project idea at the application stage. Project ideas are assessed after the submission of applications, thus, prior to submission of an application, the assessment of the eligibility of the project idea is left at applicant’s discretion. Nevertheless, we would like to draw you attention to certain aspects of this Call, which might be particularly relevant in self-assessment of your project idea under this Call:  

– As stated in Section 2.1 of the Call Conditions, this Call will support transnational projects which aim at transferring or scaling up of relevant social innovations. It will focus on two main objectives: integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine and/or 2) mitigation of the consequences of the crisis on Member States’ societies and their public services.   

Please note that if a project aims to contribute to the first objective, project activities should be directed at integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine. However, it by no means excludes the development of solutions that can also benefit other groups of refugees.  

– Eligible outputs and activities are detailed in the Section 2.2 of the Call Conditions. We recommend studying this Section to assess if the activities planned under your project align with eligible activities and outputs, as they are described under this specific Call.  

– As stated in the Section 6 of the Call Conditions, legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States are eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners. International organisations and EU-wide networks can only participate in a project as associated partners without the right to charge costs or claim contributions. Please also note that only consortia are eligible under this Call and to be considered eligible, the consortium must include an applicant (the coordinator) and at least one co-applicant. The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different EU Member States.  

– We would also recommend studying the award criteria against which project proposals will be assessed (for more detailed information please see the Section 8.5 of the Call Conditions). For example, one of the award criteria is ‘Relevance’, which, inter alia, includes the assessment of the extent to which the project contributes to the objectives and outputs of the Call (as they are described in Chapter 2 of the Call Conditions), including the key focus areas of the Call (as they are described in Section 1.3 of the Call Conditions), and fostering transnational cooperation aimed at transfer and upscaling of social innovation. Please note that it is at the applicant’s discretion to justify how a project contributes to the objectives and outputs of the Call and provide such justification/explanation in the Application.   

The Call aims to promote the implementation of social innovations in other contexts or implementation on a larger scale.  

When consulting applicants, we adhere to the principle of equal treatment, thus, we cannot assess specific examples at this stage. The assessment of applications will take place after the deadline for submission of applications.   

However, we can refer you to the initiatives already implemented and published on the ESFA website here, as well as useful information in the FAQ section. 

The call ‘Innovative Approaches to Mitigate the Societal Consequences of Russia’s War of Aggression Against Ukraine within EU Countries’ is a stand-alone call which aims to promote the implementation of social innovation in other contexts or on a larger scale (as set out in Section 2.1 of the Call Conditions). This Call will support transnational projects which aim at transferring and/or scaling up of relevant social innovations. It will focus on two main objectives: Integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine; Mitigation of the consequences of the crisis on Member States’ societies and their public services.  

Transferring and scaling up innovative approaches is a multifaceted process, during which innovative approaches are gradually developed further, conceptualised, validated and adapted to new contexts. It relies upon the collaboration of diverse stakeholders and benefits from mutual learning and exchange of good practices. 

We would like to point out that only a consortium composed of at least two entities representing at least two different EU Member States (as set out in Section 6.2 of the Call Conditions) is eligible to apply. 

It is also important to study the award criteria set out in Section 8.5 of the Call Conditions, as justification for project partner’s choice will have to be provided in the application. 

Please note that we do not assess the eligibility of the project idea and comprehensiveness of the approach at the application stage. Project ideas and adopted approaches are assessed after the submission of applications, thus, prior to submission of an application, the assessment of the eligibility of the project idea is left at applicant’s discretion. Nevertheless, we would like to draw you attention to certain aspects of this Call, which might be particularly relevant for self-assessment of your project idea under this Call:   

– ‘Relevance’ is one of the award criteria under the Call. This criterion inter alia, includes the assessment of the extent to which the project contributes to the objectives and outputs of the Call (as they are described in Chapter 2 of the Call Conditions), including the key focus areas of the Call (as they are described in Section 1.3 of the Call Conditions), and fostering transnational cooperation aimed at transfer and upscaling of social innovation.  To score points for the award criteria ‘Relevance’, an explanation how a project will contribute to the objectives, outputs and key focus areas of the Call will have to be provided.   

– Please note that indicative outputs and activities are detailed in Section 2.2 of the Call Conditions. We recommend studying this section to self-assess if the activities planned under your project align with eligible activities and outputs, as they are described under the Call.   

– Please note that Section 2.3 of the Call Conditions presents essential elements of an application. These are the elements which should form the core of a project. We recommend studying this section to self-assess the comprehensiveness of your approach and project idea.   

– We also advise you to study the application form (the template is presented as Annex 3 to the Call Conditions and is available here). The application template contains questions which an applicant is asked to answer when filling in an application, and on the basis of this information project proposals will be assessed against the award criteria. We recommend considering these questions for self-assessment of the comprehensiveness of your approach.  

Examples of eligible activities and outputs can be found in the section 2.2 of the Call Conditions.  

As stipulated in the paragraph 1.3.1 of the Call Conditions, the Call aims to promote the transfer and/or upscaling of promising innovative approaches. Please also note that one of aspects of the award criterion ‘Relevance’ is the assessment of the extent to which the project demonstrates that it contributes to / complements the results of past activities in the field of social innovation (on national and EU level).  

There are no explicit requirements regarding the funding source of previously developed solutions on which the project will be based. Nevertheless, as stated in the Section 3.4 of the Call Conditions, there is a strict prohibition of double funding from the EU budget. In an application (section ‘Declarations’), an applicant will be asked to confirm that:

– neither the project submitted as a whole nor any parts of it have benefitted from any other EU grant;

– neither the project as a whole nor any parts of it are (nor will be) submitted for any other EU grant.

Please note that one of the key focus areas of this Call is ‘Encouraging the commitment of the local population’ (more detailed description can be found in the Section 1.3 of the Call Conditions).

Please also note that the award criterion ‘Relevance’ (for more detailed information please see the Section 8.5 of the Call Conditions), includes the assessment of the extent to which the project contributes to the objectives and outputs of the Call (as they are described in Chapter 2 of the Call Conditions), including the key focus areas of the Call (as they are described in Section 1.3 of the Call Conditions), and fostering transnational cooperation aimed at transfer and upscaling of social innovation. It is at the applicant’s discretion to justify how project contributes to the objectives and outputs of the Call.

As stipulated in the Section 2.2 of the Call Conditions, applicants should justify how the proposed activities contribute to the expected objectives of the Call: 1) integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine and/or 2) mitigation of the consequences of the crisis on Member States’ societies and their public services. Therefore, if a project aims to contribute to the first objective, project activities should be directed at integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine. However, it by no means excludes the development of solutions that can also benefit other groups of refugees.

Please also note that in line with the description of the award criterion ‘Impact’, a long-term vision and the effectiveness of dissemination of project results (i.e., a plan to maximize project results) will be assessed. It is at the applicant’s discretion to justify how project results are planned to be maximised, including the identification of all possible target groups which could benefit from the proposed solution.

As stipulated in the Section 2.2 of the Call Conditions applicants should justify how the proposed activities contribute to the expected objectives of the Call: 1) integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine and/or 2) mitigation of the consequences of the crisis on Member States’ societies and their public services. Therefore, if a project aims to contribute to the first objective, project activities should be directed at integration and social inclusion of refugees fleeing Ukraine. However, the Call Conditions by no means exclude the development of solutions that can also benefit other groups of refugees. Therefore, third country nationals could be included as part of the possible target group, as long as Ukrainian refugees remain the main target group and the project contributes to the objectives of this Call.   

Please also note that in line with the description of the award criterion ‘Impact’, a long-term vision and the effectiveness of dissemination of project results (i.e., a plan to maximize project results) will be assessed. It is at the applicant’s discretion to justify how project results are planned to be maximised, including the identification of all possible target groups which could benefit from the proposed solution.  

The Call Conditions do not impose requirements for the transferred solution to be an intellectual property of one of the project partners. Composition of the consortium is left to the applicant’s decision. 

Eligibility of an entity to become an applicant, co-applicant or associated partner under the call ‘Innovative Approaches to Mitigate the Societal Consequences of Russia’s War of Aggression against Ukraine within EU Countries’ (the Call) will be determined taking into account the status of an entity and its compliance will the eligibility requirements set in the Call Conditions. 

Please note that at the application stage we do not assess the eligibility of a certain entity to apply under the Call. Such assessment is conducted as part of the eligibility and admissibility check. Therefore, prior to the submission of an application, the assessment of the eligibility of a specific entity to apply under the Call is left at its discretion. Nevertheless, we would like to draw you attention to certain aspects of this Call, which might be relevant for self-assessment: 

– The Call Conditions indicate that only legal entities registered in an EU Member State and established according to the law of the respective EU Member State are eligible as applicants, co-applicants and associated partners. Therefore, to be eligible to participate in a project as an applicant, co-applicant or associated partner, an organisation shall demonstrate that it is registered in an EU Member State and substantiate its legal standing, in accordance with the laws of the respective EU Member State, falling within one of the categories outlined in Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions. These categories include: Non-governmental and non-profit entities, National, local, and regional authorities, Public entities, Research and educational institutions, or Private companies. 

– The aforementioned requirement is also applicable in the case of EU-wide networks and international organisations. If an EU-wide network or international organisation demonstrates that it is a legal entity registered and established in an EU Member State, and its legal status aligns with any of the aforementioned categories (e.g., Non-governmental and non-profit organization), it may qualify as an eligible applicant, co-applicant, or associated partner under the Call. 

For example, if an entity is registered and established in Germany and under German law it is recognised as a non-governmental and non-profit organization, it may become an applicant, co-applicant or associated partner under the Call (also on the condition that other eligibility requirements set in the Call Conditions are met). 

– The status of an organisation will be determined on the basis of incorporation documents and taking into account the eligibility requirements stipulated in the Call Conditions.  

– Entities/ organisations without a separate legal entity status and, as a result of that, unable to assume rights and obligations under the Grant Agreement, are ineligible applicants, co-applicants and associated partners under the Call.  

As per the eligibility criteria outlined in the Call Conditions (Section 6.1), international organizations are limited to participating as associated partners.  

As it is stated in the Section 6.2 of the Call Conditions, an entity may participate as the coordinator only in one consortium. The limitation is imposed only regarding the participation of an entity in the role of the coordinator. 

The Call Conditions stipulate that to be considered eligible, a consortium must include an applicant and co-applicant. The members of the consortium shall represent at least 2 different Member States. The Call Conditions only provide the minimum requirements for the composition of consortia in terms of the countries or organisations involved. The Call Conditions do not impose any maximum limits on the size of a consortium.   

As it is stated in the Section 6.2 of the Call Conditions, to be considered eligible, the consortium must include an applicant (the coordinator) and at least one co-applicant. The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different EU Member States. This means that the consortium might consist of more than two legal entities.  

Selection of partners is left at applicants’ discretion; however, please note that the composition of the consortium is one of the aspects that will be assessed during the award criteria assessment. More detailed information about the award criteria can be found in the Section 8.5 of the Call Conditions. 

As it is stated in the Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions, eligible participants (applicants, co-applicants and associated partners) are legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States.

Please note that there are no explicit requirements in the Call Conditions regarding experience and professional competencies of co-applicants; however, we would like to draw you attention that in line with the description of the award criterion ‘Quality’ (for more detailed information please see Section 8.5 of the Call Conditions), a project team and rationale for the composition of the consortium will be assessed (please note that the maximum number of points for this criterion is 40, the threshold – 20 points).

The assessment of the above-mentioned criterion will be carried out on the basis of the information provided in the application form.  In the application form (Part B), an applicant, inter alia, will have to:

– describe the participants – Beneficiaries and Associated Partners (if any) and justify that each consortium member has a valid role and adequate resources to fulfil that role;

– provide information about how each consortium member will contribute to the implementation of the project and achievement of the identified objectives;

– describe how consortium members bring together the necessary expertise and complement each other.

We do strongly recommend studying the award criteria of this Call (for more detailed information please see Section 8.5 of the Call Conditions) and the application form (the template with extensive explanations can be found next to the Call documents here).

Please note in line with the Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions, only entities established and registered in the EU Member States are eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners. 

As it is stated in the Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions, eligible participants (applicants, co-applicants and associated partners) are legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States. (For a detailed list of eligible participants under this Call, please see the Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions). This shall mean that only entities established and registered in the EU are eligible participants under this Call.

As stated in the Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions - legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States are only eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners.  

In line with Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions, only entities established and registered in the EU Member States are eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners under the Call. 

The Call Conditions stipulate that to be considered eligible, a consortium must include an applicant and a co-applicant. The members of the consortium shall represent at least 2 different EU Member States. The Call Conditions do not impose the requirement to include a partner specifically from Lithuania. A partner can represent any EU Member State. 

In line with Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions, only entities established and registered in the EU Member States are eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners under the Call. 

A virtual matchmaking for this Call is planned on 5-8 March 2024. This matchmaking event aims to facilitate the search for partners and will be open to all entities who are interested in the Call and are looking for partners to form transnational consortia. 

The event will take place on B2Match platform. The registion will be open from 27 February to 8 March 2024. The link to the event’s website: https://www.b2match.com/e/virtual-matchmaking-for-ua-call 

EU restrictive measures, mentioned in Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions apply to:  

• any person inside or outside the EU’s territory, whether they are an EU- or a non-EU-national;  
• companies and organisations incorporated under the law of a Member State (including branches of EU companies in non-EU countries);  
• governments, organisations and non-state entities of non-EU countries;  
• any business done in part of or in the whole of the EU.  

Such entities shall not be able to participate in the project in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, associated partners, or subcontractors (if any). Consolidated EU sanctions list can be found here: Consolidated list of persons, groups and entities subject to EU financial sanctions – Data Europa EU.  

Additionally, legal checks on beneficiaries and co-beneficiaries are being carried out during application assessment process. An applicant and any co-applicant shall be excluded from participating in the Call if any of them is found to be in any of the exclusion situations. Exclusion criteria are presented in Section 7.3 of the Call Conditions.  

Legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States are eligible as applicants or co-applicants and associated partners.  

Applicants, co-applicants, and associated partners can be: 

• Non-governmental and non-for-profit entities (e.g., civil society organisations, associations, foundations, social enterprises, etc.).
• National, local, and regional authorities.
• Public entities (e.g., agencies, organisations, centres, etc.).
• Research and education institutions.
• Private companies (including consultancy and service providers).

Natural persons (individuals) cannot be applicants, co-applicants or associated partners. 

As stated in Section 6.2 of the Call Conditions, only consortia are eligible. To be considered eligible, the consortium must include an applicant (the coordinator) and at least one co-applicant. The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different EU Member States.  

As stated in the Section 6 of the Call Conditions, eligible participants (applicants, co-applicants and associated partners) are legal entities established and registered in the EU Member States. (For a detailed list of eligible participants under this Call please see the Section 6.1 of the Call Conditions).

Also, as stated in the Section 6.2 of the Call Conditions, only consortia are eligible. To be considered eligible, the consortium must include an applicant (the coordinator) and at least one co-applicant. The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different EU Member States.

The consortium agreement is not mandatory, but for practical and legal reasons, it is recommended to set up consortium agreements, which allow to deal with exceptional or unforeseen circumstances. Moreover, the consortium agreement gives the possibility to redistribute the grant according to the internal principles of the consortium (for instance, one beneficiary can reattribute its grant to another beneficiary).  

Changing the name of the legal entity, while preserving its current status, staff and field of activity, should not have any serious implications regarding the eligibility of an entity to be a consortium partner. Please note that such a change, however, would inevitably lead to the amendment of the Grant Agreement (if it is signed earlier than planned changes). However, shall there be any additional changes (for example, changes in the legal status or personnel), the Granting Authority will assess the eligibility of a certain entity anew. If that was the case, an entity in question might be requested to provide some additional information/ justification. 

In this context, we find it important to stress that in line with Section 6.1. of the Call Conditions, international organisations and EU-wide networks can only participate in a project as associated partners without the right to charge costs or claim contributions. 

The list of attendees of the matchmaking of 5-8 March is available online. Those who did not register for the event, will not be able to get in touch with other attendees via the B2match platform; however, the information about the entities who are interested in the Call and are looking for partners may be found here (top right corner, section ‘Participants’). Even though no contact information is provided there, the list may serve as a good starting point who might be approached to discuss possibilities for collaboration under this Call. 

The Matchmaking for the Call on Societal Consequences of War of Aggression against Ukraine was held 5-8 March 2024; however, the participants who had registered for this event will be able to exchange messages on B2Match platform until the Call deadline.  

We would advise to take advantage of this feature of the B2Match platform to further discuss possibilities to implement a joint project or get in touch with the ones you could not meet during the matchmaking sessions. 

We are planning to host one more matchmaking event. In line with our general practice, it will be held 1-2 months by the Call deadline. Tentatively, it is scheduled for April 2024. 

The management/ coordination WP should cover the management and coordination activities implemented by the coordinator (e.g., coordination of inter-consortium activities, project monitoring and evaluation, reports, etc.). For a better understanding of eligible activities under this WP, please find below some examples of possible deliverables of the management/ coordination WP: 

– Project Management Plan 

– Project Management Report 

– Risk Management Plan 

– Risk Management Report, 

- Quality Assurance Plan 

– Quality Assurance Report 

– Report on Annual Consortium Meetings  

! Project periodic reports, which will have to be submitted to the Granting authority during the implementation of the project should not be added to the list of deliverables under the management/coordination WP.  

As it is stated in Section 2.2 of the Call Conditions, participation in mutual learning events organised by the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation to exchange knowledge and experience in project implementation with other beneficiaries is mandatory.  More detailed information regarding mutual learning events: 

• 3-4 mutual learning events are planned during the implementation of the projects. Up to 2 events will take place on site (provisionally in Vilnius and Brussels), others online. 
• Travel and subsistence costs which will be incurred as a result of the participation in these events should be included into the Detailed Budget Table, as the Granting Authority will not cover these costs separately. 
• The expected duration of such events – up to 2 days. 
• The recommended number of participants – 2 representatives per project.  
• It is recommended not to create a separate work package for these activities, but to include them under a work package related to mutual learning (if possible).  
• Please note that travel information (i.e., number of travels, participants, destination countries, travel duration) shall be presented in the application, under the relevant WP. Moreover, costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence have to be calculated using unit costs fixed by the authorising Decision C(2021)35. 

There are no strict requirements regarding the number of WPs, however, the number of the WPs should be proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project.  

In line with the annotated application template, it is recommended that among other WPs, the project includes a WP dedicated to project coordination/management and a WP dedicated to dissemination and communication. 

Funding under this call is lump sum funding. Lump sums will be established for each WP individually, and the beneficiaries will have to report on each WP separately. A WP will only be considered completed when all the work has been carried out, and all deliverables under the respective WP have been reached. Payments for partially completed work packages are possible only at the end of the project, as part of the final payment. Therefore, we recommend the following: 

• think through the structure of the WPs: set a reasonable number of activities and deliverables within planned duration of WP.  
• consider splitting WPs with a longer duration (e.g., coordination/management WP) in line with reporting periods. In this case, relevant WPs can be completed and paid at the end of the reporting period. For example, if a duration of a project is 12 months, rather than having one management/coordination WP with 1-12 months duration, you may consider having two management/coordination WPs – one lasting from the 1st until 6th month and the other from 6th until 12th month of project implementation. Such structuring of WPs should help to ensure sufficient cash flow in project (if relevant). 

The requirement to upload key information about the project to the Social Innovation Match is applicable only to the selected projects and will have to be fulfilled by the coordinators of those projects which will be selected for funding. 

Please double check if you have completed all the steps necessary to enable macros. The instructions how to do that can be found here: SI PPT Template.pptx (esf.lt) 

Once you add beneficiaries and WPs please do not forget to press ‘Apply changes’. The template will generate additional excel sheets and parts. 

The system via which applications are filled in and submitted (eSINNIS), does not have functionalities which would allow for shared access and collaboration of several users on the same application.  

On the Call website (here) next to ‘Call documents’, you can find the application template and other mandatory annexes in word format. We recommend considering using the word version of the application (which could be circulated among partners/several employees and jointly filled in) first and once all the parts and details have been agreed on, transferring the information from the word version to the system. 

In line with the information provided in Annex 4 to the Call Conditions, the ‘Declaration certifying the professional competences and appropriate qualifications of the coordinator’s project team’ should certify professional competences, appropriate qualifications and a very good command of English (C1 level or higher) of coordinator’s project team (i.e., members of the coordinator’s team who will be involved into the implementation of project activities) to carry out the required tasks. The declaration should include, inter alia, job specifications, main tasks envisaged, and outputs related to the subject of the project (including, but not limited to the tangible outputs). 

The overarching aim of the declaration should be to justify that coordinator’s project team have the competences and appropriate qualifications to carry out the tasks which are envisaged for them in the project. 

In line with the Call Conditions: 

• an application, including the annexes to the Call Conditions and supporting documents, shall be submitted by filling in the provided forms unless specified otherwise; 
• applicants are requested to be concise and specific; 
• general profiles (qualifications and experience) of project teams should be provided under the point 2.3 of Part B of the Application. 

Therefore, prior to considering adding additional documents, we strongly advise that you check the list of mandatory documents provided in Annex 4 to the Call Conditions, and double checking if the information has not already been provided in the application or mandatory documents. 

We recommend having a look at the annotated template of application, which includes explanations and questions which are recommended to be considered when filling in a certain part of the application.  

We advise that you pay particular attention to the sections named ‘Relevance’, ‘Quality’ and ‘Impact’.  

For a list of mandatory documents, please consult Annex 4 to the Call Conditions. In line with the information provided, the ‘Declaration of honour for beneficiaries’ shall be provided by the applicant (coordinator) and co-applicants.

Application and supporting documents could be submitted in any of the official languages of the EU. 

It should be noted that the assessment of an application, including additional mandatory documents, will be caried out on the basis of their English version. The accuracy of the translation will not be guaranteed. Therefore, additionally to the original version of documents, we would recommend also including their machinery translation into English (and prior to including translated documents, double checking if the content is accurate). Moreover, it would help to facilitate the treatment of applications and speed up the assessment process. 

A consortium agreement is highly recommended, though not a mandatory document. Therefore, there are no requirements for it to be signed by all parties prior to submission of an application. 

Yes, we can provide you with the translation of Call documentation into any of the official languages of the EU. Nevertheless, we would like to bring it to your attention that documents will be translated using the machinery translation tool eTranslation, which is provided by the European Commission. The translated documents will not be edited by us and we will not take the responsibility for the accuracy of the translation. In the event of any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and any translated version of this document, the English version of the Call Conditions, which is published on our website here, shall prevail and be considered authoritative. 

We confirm that the submission of applications is open and applications can be submitted any time until the deadline of 30 May 2024. The attendance or participation in the info session that took place in February is not a prerequisite for submitting an application. The info session was designed to assist potential applicants and the attendance was not mandatory. 

Please note that the deadline for the submission of applications has been extended. Now it is May 30, 2024.  

As it is stated in the Section 8.3 of the Call Conditions, applicants are encouraged to submit application in English to facilitate the treatment of applications and to speed up the assessment process. However, applications submitted in any of the official languages of the EU will be accepted. In this case, an application should be accompanied by an executive summary in English. It should be noted that the assessment of applications will be caried out on the basis of the English version of an application. The quality of the translation will not be guaranteed, and the translation of the application may not fully reveal the content of the text in the original language, therefore, it is left at applicant’s own risk.

The slides and the video material have been uploaded to the section Support to applicants. 

The questions and answers from the info session of 2024-02-27 have been added to this Q&A section under relevant topics. 

The experience accumulated during the previous refugee crisis, together with numerous successfully implemented and ongoing EU initiatives related to the focus areas of this Call, can provide a good basis for drawing significant lessons. Innovative models with already measured impact can offer valuable insights on effective ways to address pressing societal challenges. 

Please find the possible sources of inspiration here: Sources of inspiration | European social fund agency (esf.lt)  

Material from the info session of 2024-02-27 (recording and slides) can be found here: Support to applicants | European social fund agency (esf.lt)