# C_2006102EN.01001501.xml

| 28.4.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 102/15 |
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28.4.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 102/15

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Second call for proposals for the community programme on the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture established by Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004 of 24 April 2004 (1)

1

Call identifier: AGRI GEN RES 2006

(2006/C 102/11)

1.   BACKGROUND

On 24 April 2004, the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 870/2004 (1) on the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture. The Regulation defines in Articles 5, 6 and 7 and Annex I the types of actions the Community may fund.

1

In accordance with Article 8(1) of that Regulation and after consultation of the Committee as laid down in Articles 8(1) and 15(2) of the Regulation, the Commission adopted, in December 2004, a work programme (2), setting out the objectives, the general provisions and the types of actions to be funded.

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In accordance with Articles 9 and 15(2) of the Regulation, and after consultation of the Committee, the European Commission (referred to as ‘the Commission’) invites applications in the field of genetic resources in agriculture covering the actions concerned. The actions submitted under this call for proposals (referred to as ‘the Call’) could be funded from appropriations available in the 2006 budget.

2.   OBJECTIVES, SCOPE OF THE COMMUNITY PROGRAMME AND ELIGIBLE ACTIONS

2.1.   Objectives

The main objectives of the Community programme established under Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004 are:

| — | to help ensure and improve the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture in the Community; |
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to help ensure and improve the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture in the Community;

| — | to complement and promote at Community level the work undertaken in the Member States for the conservation, characterisation, collection, and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture; |
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to complement and promote at Community level the work undertaken in the Member States for the conservation, characterisation, collection, and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture;

| — | to facilitate co-ordination in the field of international undertakings on genetic resources in agriculture. |
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to facilitate co-ordination in the field of international undertakings on genetic resources in agriculture.

2.2.   Scope

As referred to in Article 2 and specified in Annex I of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004, the Community programme applies to plant, microbial and animal genetic resources which are or could be of use in agriculture and which currently occur within the territory of the Community.

2.3.   Actions

Under this Call, the Commission may finance three types of actions for the implementation of the Community programme:

| — | targeted actions aiming at the ex situ, in situ and on-farm conservation, characterisation, evaluation, collection, documentation, development and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture; |
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targeted actions aiming at the ex situ, in situ and on-farm conservation, characterisation, evaluation, collection, documentation, development and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture;

ex situ

in situ

| — | concerted actions aiming at improving the co-ordination at Community level, mainly through the organisation of seminars and the preparation of reports, of individual (national, regional, local) actions for the conservation, characterisation, evaluation, collection, documentation, development and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture that are already being carried out in the Member States; |
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concerted actions aiming at improving the co-ordination at Community level, mainly through the organisation of seminars and the preparation of reports, of individual (national, regional, local) actions for the conservation, characterisation, evaluation, collection, documentation, development and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture that are already being carried out in the Member States;

| — | accompanying actions including information, dissemination and advisory actions. |
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accompanying actions including information, dissemination and advisory actions.

The actions co-financed under the Community programme shall have a maximum duration of four years, as specified in Article 8(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004.

3.   GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS

3.1.   How to prepare a proposal

Before applying, proposers should carefully read this Call, Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004, the work programme, the guide for proposers, especially the rules for participation, and all other relevant documentation available on the Commission's web site:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/envir/biodiv/genres/call_en.htm

Proposers shall comply with the rules for participation specified in the guide for proposers and the conditions of this Call.

Proposers must prepare and submit:

| — | one paper copy of their full application accompanied by the supporting documents signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer. These documents shall also include an application letter and the budget forms, which must also be signed by the above-mentioned legally authorised representative or proposer. Proposers should make certain that, in case of proposals with several partners, each partner signs the relevant forms also. |
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one paper copy of their full application accompanied by the supporting documents signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer. These documents shall also include an application letter and the budget forms, which must also be signed by the above-mentioned legally authorised representative or proposer. Proposers should make certain that, in case of proposals with several partners, each partner signs the relevant forms also.

| — | an electronic version of their application on CD ROM compatible with Windows XP (3). |
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an electronic version of their application on CD ROM compatible with Windows XP (3).

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Proposals must be submitted in an official language of the European Union. However, it is strongly recommended to prepare and submit the proposal in English to facilitate the evaluation by an international group of independent experts.

3.2.   When and to whom to send proposals

To be eligible, proposals consisting of the paper copy and the CD ROM must be sent by the proposer to the Commission not later than 30 June 2006 for targeted, concerted actions and accompanying actions.

The proposals must be sent by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt (the postmark on the envelope being taken as proof of the date of sending) to the following address:

| European Commission |
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| DG AGRI |
| ‘AGRI RES GEN 2006’ |
| Att: Mr Leo Maier |
| Rue de Genève 1 |
| B-1049 Brussels |

European Commission

DG AGRI

‘AGRI RES GEN 2006’

Att: Mr Leo Maier

Rue de Genève 1

B-1049 Brussels

Proposals will be rejected if they are sent after the due date as specified above, or if they are sent to other postal addresses than the one specified above. Submissions by e-mail or by fax are not permitted.

Proposals sent by the above-mentioned deadline but not received by the Commission within 15 calendar days after the deadline, i.e., by 15 July 2006, will not be considered eligible. Mail shall be considered to have been received on the date on which it is formally registered by the Commission. It is the responsibility of the proposers to ensure that the necessary precautions are taken to respect this deadline.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 178 of the Financial Regulation's Implementing Rules, proposals that are submitted on paper only (i.e., without the CD ROM) or are incomplete will not be accepted in the framework of the present call for proposals.

In the case of successive submissions of the same proposal, the Commission will examine the latest version received before the due date as specified above.

3.3.   Procedure and timetable followed by the Commission in dealing with the proposals

The following evaluation process is implemented as stated in the guide for proposers.

The Commission will first check the proposals against the eligibility criteria as indicated in the guide for proposers and in the guide for evaluators.

The eligibility criteria concern the correct and complete submission of the proposal (such as receipt of the proposal by the Commission on or before the deadline specified in the Call and completeness of the supporting documentation). Furthermore, proposers who are in one of the situations referred to in Articles 93 and 94 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (4) will be excluded.

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The supporting documents that shall accompany the proposal, including the supporting documents related to compliance with Articles 93 and 94 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, are listed in Annex I to this Call.

Proposals for actions to be financed under the Community programme will be selected on the basis of independent expert assessment as referred to in Article 9(5) of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004.

The selection and award criteria that will be used for this assessment are provided in Annex II to this Call, in the guide for proposers and in the guide for evaluators.

It is expected to draw up the list of beneficiaries and the amounts of the grants awarded by the end of 2006.

If the requested grant is awarded, the beneficiary will be asked to sign a grant agreement with the Commission, denominated in euro and specifying the conditions and the level of financing.

The possible start-up date of the selected actions is early to mid-2007. The starting date of the action will be specified in the grant agreement.

If the requested grant is not awarded, the proposer will be informed in writing, giving the reasons for the rejection of the proposal.

4.   FINANCING

Eligible costs are defined in the guide for proposers and the grant agreement (Article 14 of the General Conditions). The Community contribution for targeted actions shall not exceed 50 % of the total eligible cost of the action. For concerted and accompanying actions, it shall not exceed 80 % of the total eligible cost of the action.

No prefinancing is provided for the actions being awarded a grant under this Call. Contributions in kind shall not constitute eligible costs.

Selecting a proposal does not commit the Commission to granting the full amount requested by the proposer. Under no circumstances will the grant exceed the amount requested

In the budget of 2006, EUR 3,82 million are foreseen for grants. An increase of up to EUR 2,0 million may be granted at a later stage by the budgetary authorities. The indicative share for the targeted, concerted actions and accompanying actions is:

| Type of action | Indicative EU contribution as % of available funds |
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| Targeted action | 81 % |
| Concerted action | 10 % |
| Accompanying action | 9 % |

Type of action

Indicative EU contribution as % of available funds

Targeted action

81 %

Concerted action

10 %

Accompanying action

9 %

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(1)  OJ L 162, 30.4.2004, p. 18.

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(2)  Commission Decision C(2004) 5355 of 28.12.2004.

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(3)  Applications for actions should be submitted in PDF (‘portable document format’, version 3 or higher with embedded fonts) or RTF (‘rich text format’).

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(4)  OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.

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ANNEX I

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR SUBMISSION OF A PROPOSAL

| (1) | For proposers: the application letter signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer. |
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(1)

For proposers: the application letter signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer.

| (2) | For proposers and partners: duly filled in application forms (all forms and documents of Annexes 1, 2 and 3 of the guide for proposers). |
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(2)

For proposers and partners: duly filled in application forms (all forms and documents of Annexes 1, 2 and 3 of the guide for proposers).

| (3) | For proposers and partners: the declarations of financial commitment have to be dated and signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer/partner organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer/partner as appropriate. |
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(3)

For proposers and partners: the declarations of financial commitment have to be dated and signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer/partner organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer/partner as appropriate.

| (4) | For other providers of funds (excluding proposers and partners): proof of such contributions (which must consist at least of an official attestation of financing from each of the expected providers mentioning the title of the measure and the amount to be contributed). |
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(4)

For other providers of funds (excluding proposers and partners): proof of such contributions (which must consist at least of an official attestation of financing from each of the expected providers mentioning the title of the measure and the amount to be contributed).

| (5) | For proposers: the completed and dated financial identification sheet and legal entity identification sheet that have to be signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer and the partners, as appropriate. |
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(5)

For proposers: the completed and dated financial identification sheet and legal entity identification sheet that have to be signed by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer and the partners, as appropriate.

| (6) | For proposers and partners: a copy of the articles of association and the most recent general report, plus, where applicable, the organisation chart and the rules of procedure, if these are referred to in the articles of association. |
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(6)

For proposers and partners: a copy of the articles of association and the most recent general report, plus, where applicable, the organisation chart and the rules of procedure, if these are referred to in the articles of association.

| (7) | For proposers (except public bodies): Declaration on honour signed and dated by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer, drawn up in accordance with the model provided in the guide for proposers,






  (a) | stating that the proposer is not in one of the following situations:






  — | they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations, |
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(7)

For proposers (except public bodies): Declaration on honour signed and dated by the legally authorised representative of the proposer organisation or, in case of a natural person, by the proposer, drawn up in accordance with the model provided in the guide for proposers,

(a)

stating that the proposer is not in one of the following situations:

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they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations,

| — | they have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata, |
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they have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata,

| — | they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify, |
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they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify,

| — | they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the contracting authority or those of the country where the contract is to be performed, |
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they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the contracting authority or those of the country where the contract is to be performed,

| — | they have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests, |
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they have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests,

| — | following another procurement procedure or grant award procedure financed by the Community budget, they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations; |
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following another procurement procedure or grant award procedure financed by the Community budget, they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations;

| (b) | stating that the proposer has paid its contributions to the social security body; |
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(b)

stating that the proposer has paid its contributions to the social security body;

| (c) | stating that the proposer has paid his/her taxes and dues to the tax authorities in the country where the proposer is established; |
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(c)

stating that the proposer has paid his/her taxes and dues to the tax authorities in the country where the proposer is established;

| (d) | stating that the proposer is not involved in proceedings relating to bankruptcy, judicial settlement, liquidation or composition with creditors. |
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(d)

stating that the proposer is not involved in proceedings relating to bankruptcy, judicial settlement, liquidation or composition with creditors.

| (8) | For proposers (except public bodies): a recent excerpt of the proposer's enrolment in the professional register provided for under the legislation of the Member State in which they are established. |
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(8)

For proposers (except public bodies): a recent excerpt of the proposer's enrolment in the professional register provided for under the legislation of the Member State in which they are established.

| (9) | For proposers and partners: dated and signed form relating to conflicts of interest drawn up in accordance with the model provided in the guide for proposers. |
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(9)

For proposers and partners: dated and signed form relating to conflicts of interest drawn up in accordance with the model provided in the guide for proposers.

| (10) | For proposers (except public bodies) and partners (except public bodies): balance sheets and annual accounts for the last three financial years for which the accounts have been closed. |
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(10)

For proposers (except public bodies) and partners (except public bodies): balance sheets and annual accounts for the last three financial years for which the accounts have been closed.

| (11) | For proposers (except public bodies) requesting a grant equal or higher than EUR 300 000: an external audit report, produced by an approved auditor, certifying the accounts for the last closed financial year and giving an assessment of the financial viability of the proposer. |
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(11)

For proposers (except public bodies) requesting a grant equal or higher than EUR 300 000: an external audit report, produced by an approved auditor, certifying the accounts for the last closed financial year and giving an assessment of the financial viability of the proposer.

| (12) | For proposers and partners: curriculum vitae of the staff who will carry out the proposed action. |
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(12)

For proposers and partners: curriculum vitae of the staff who will carry out the proposed action.

| (13) | For proposers and partners: references relating to any other actions completed in the relevant field. |
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(13)

For proposers and partners: references relating to any other actions completed in the relevant field.

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ANNEX II

1.   Selection criteria:

| — | Technical capacity:
  Proposers and partners must demonstrate that:






  — | they have the necessary technical skills of direct relevance to the action proposed; |
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Technical capacity:

Proposers and partners must demonstrate that:

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they have the necessary technical skills of direct relevance to the action proposed;

| — | they have at least three years experience in dealing with the subject(s) proposed. |
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they have at least three years experience in dealing with the subject(s) proposed.

| — | Financial capacity:
  Proposers and partners must demonstrate that:






  — | they have the adequate solvency, based on the last three closed balance sheets/annual accounts, to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the measure is being carried out and to participate in its funding. |
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Financial capacity:

Proposers and partners must demonstrate that:

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they have the adequate solvency, based on the last three closed balance sheets/annual accounts, to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the measure is being carried out and to participate in its funding.

| — | Compliance with the scope of the Community programme, as referred to in Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004. |
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Compliance with the scope of the Community programme, as referred to in Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004.

| — | As specified in Annex I of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004, the genetic resources concerned by the proposal currently occur within the territory of the Community. |
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As specified in Annex I of Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004, the genetic resources concerned by the proposal currently occur within the territory of the Community.

2.   Award criteria:

Eligible proposals will be evaluated in the light of the following criteria:

| 1. | Relevance of the action to the objectives of the Community programme; |
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1.

Relevance of the action to the objectives of the Community programme;

| 2. | Technical quality of the proposed work; |
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2.

Technical quality of the proposed work;

| 3. | Quality of the management of the action; |
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3.

Quality of the management of the action;

| 4. | European added value and potential impact of the action; |
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4.

European added value and potential impact of the action;

| 5. | Quality of the coordination between the proposer and the partners; |
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5.

Quality of the coordination between the proposer and the partners;

| 6. | Mobilisation of resources for the action. |
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6.

Mobilisation of resources for the action.

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