# C_2014455EN.01001001.xml

| 18.12.2014 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 455/10 |
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18.12.2014

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 455/10

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Call for proposals EACEA/30/2014

Erasmus+ Programme

Key Action 3: Support for policy reform — Initiatives for policy innovation

Policy experimentation in school education sector

(2014/C 455/08)

1.   Description, objectives, and priority themes

Description, objectives, and priority themes

This call has as its primary purpose to encourage the relevant public authorities to submit proposals for testing innovative policy ideas and reforms in the area of recruitment, selection and induction of new teachers coming to the profession through alternative pathways. Such new entrants could be graduates, mid-career professionals or unemployed people with no formal training in teaching that demonstrate a concrete interest to become teachers. There is a multitude of ways to enable flexible entry into the teaching profession, including – but not limited to – mid-career certification possibilities and short-term intensive induction followed by on-the-job training with mentoring support.

The priority theme for this call is:

Strengthen recruitment, selection and induction of the best and most suitable candidates to the teaching profession by developing alternative pathways to teaching.

Strengthen recruitment, selection and induction of the best and most suitable candidates to the teaching profession by developing alternative pathways to teaching.

2.   Eligible countries

Eligible countries

Proposals from legal entities established in one of the following programme countries are eligible:

| — | the 28 Member States of the European Union; |
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the 28 Member States of the European Union;

| — | the EFTA/EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway; |
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the EFTA/EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway;

| — | EU candidate countries: Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. |
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EU candidate countries: Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

3.   Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants

The term ‘applicants’ refers to all organisations and institutions participating in a proposal regardless of their role in the project.

Applicants considered eligible to respond to this call are:

| a) | Public authorities (Ministry or equivalent) responsible for education and training at the highest level in the relevant national or regional context. Public authorities at the highest level responsible for sectors other than education and training (e.g. employment, finance, social affairs, health, etc.) are considered eligible as long as they demonstrate that they have a specific competence in the area in which the policy experimentation is to be carried out. Public authorities can delegate to be represented by other public or private organisations, as well as legally established networks or associations of public authorities, provided that the delegation is in writing and makes explicit reference to the proposal being submitted. In such case, the delegating public authorities must be involved in the proposal as partners. |
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a)

Public authorities (Ministry or equivalent) responsible for education and training at the highest level in the relevant national or regional context. Public authorities at the highest level responsible for sectors other than education and training (e.g. employment, finance, social affairs, health, etc.) are considered eligible as long as they demonstrate that they have a specific competence in the area in which the policy experimentation is to be carried out. Public authorities can delegate to be represented by other public or private organisations, as well as legally established networks or associations of public authorities, provided that the delegation is in writing and makes explicit reference to the proposal being submitted. In such case, the delegating public authorities must be involved in the proposal as partners.

| b) | Public or private organisations or institutions active in the fields of education and training. |
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b)

Public or private organisations or institutions active in the fields of education and training.

| c) | Public or private organisations or institutions carrying out activities linked to education and training in other socioeconomic sectors (e.g. chambers of commerce, cultural organisations, evaluation entities, research entities, etc.). |
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c)

Public or private organisations or institutions carrying out activities linked to education and training in other socioeconomic sectors (e.g. chambers of commerce, cultural organisations, evaluation entities, research entities, etc.).

4.   Minimum partnership composition

Minimum partnership composition

The minimum partnership requirement for this call is 4 entities representing 3 eligible countries. Specifically:

| a. | At least one public authority (Ministry or equivalent) or delegated body – as described in 3.a) - from 3 different eligible countries, or a legally established network/association of public authorities representing at least three different eligible countries.
  The network or association must have a mandate from at least 3 relevant public authorities — as described under 3.a) - to operate on their behalf for the specific proposal.
  Proposals must include at least one public authority as indicated under point 3 a) from a Member State.
  Public authorities participating or represented in the proposal shall be responsible for strategic leadership of the project and for steering the policy experimentation in their own jurisdiction. |
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a.

At least one public authority (Ministry or equivalent) or delegated body – as described in 3.a) - from 3 different eligible countries, or a legally established network/association of public authorities representing at least three different eligible countries.

The network or association must have a mandate from at least 3 relevant public authorities — as described under 3.a) - to operate on their behalf for the specific proposal.

Proposals must include at least one public authority as indicated under point 3 a) from a Member State.

Public authorities participating or represented in the proposal shall be responsible for strategic leadership of the project and for steering the policy experimentation in their own jurisdiction.

| b. | At least one public or private entity with expertise in evaluation of policy impact. Such entity shall be responsible for the methodological aspects and the evaluation protocols. The proposal can involve more than one evaluation entity, as long as the work is coordinated and consistent. |
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b.

At least one public or private entity with expertise in evaluation of policy impact. Such entity shall be responsible for the methodological aspects and the evaluation protocols. The proposal can involve more than one evaluation entity, as long as the work is coordinated and consistent.

5.   Coordination

Coordination

A proposal can only be coordinated and submitted — on behalf of all applicants – by one of the following:

| a) | A public authority as described under 3.a) |
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a)

A public authority as described under 3.a)

| b) | A legally established network or association of public authorities indicated under point 3.a) |
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b)

A legally established network or association of public authorities indicated under point 3.a)

| c) | A public or private entity delegated by public authorities indicated under point 3.a) to reply to the call. Delegated entities must have an explicit endorsement in writing by a public authority as described under 3.a), to submit and coordinate the proposal on their behalf |
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c)

A public or private entity delegated by public authorities indicated under point 3.a) to reply to the call. Delegated entities must have an explicit endorsement in writing by a public authority as described under 3.a), to submit and coordinate the proposal on their behalf

Proposals must be submitted by the legal representative of the coordinating authority on behalf of all applicants. Natural persons may not apply for a grant.

6.   Eligible activities

Eligible activities

Activities must start between 1 December 2015 and 1 March 2016. The project duration must be between 24 and 36 months.

The activities to be funded under this call include as a minimum:

| — | Development of field trials on the implementation of innovative measures. Appropriate attention has to be given to developing a robust evidence base and involving reliable monitoring, evaluation and reporting procedures based on recognised methodological approaches, developed by a competent and experienced policy impact evaluator in consultation with the relevant project partners. This should include (the list is not exhaustive): identifying and selecting the measure(s) to be tested, the samples and the set of actions envisaged; defining the expected impact of the measure in measurable terms and assessing its relevance with regard to the expected results, including by thoroughly searching for examples of similar policy interventions that have been conducted domestically or abroad; defining a robust methodology and indicators to measure the impact of the tested measure at national and European level. |
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Development of field trials on the implementation of innovative measures. Appropriate attention has to be given to developing a robust evidence base and involving reliable monitoring, evaluation and reporting procedures based on recognised methodological approaches, developed by a competent and experienced policy impact evaluator in consultation with the relevant project partners. This should include (the list is not exhaustive): identifying and selecting the measure(s) to be tested, the samples and the set of actions envisaged; defining the expected impact of the measure in measurable terms and assessing its relevance with regard to the expected results, including by thoroughly searching for examples of similar policy interventions that have been conducted domestically or abroad; defining a robust methodology and indicators to measure the impact of the tested measure at national and European level.

| — | Parallel implementation of the field trials in various countries participating in the project under the leadership of the respective authorities (Ministry or equivalent). A sufficiently representative number of participating entities/establishments should be involved to reach a reasonable and representative critical mass and provide a significant evidence base. |
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Parallel implementation of the field trials in various countries participating in the project under the leadership of the respective authorities (Ministry or equivalent). A sufficiently representative number of participating entities/establishments should be involved to reach a reasonable and representative critical mass and provide a significant evidence base.

| — | Analysis and evaluation: effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the tested measure, but also of the experimentation methodology, of the conditions for scalability and the transnational transfer of the lessons learned and good practice (peer learning). |
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Analysis and evaluation: effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the tested measure, but also of the experimentation methodology, of the conditions for scalability and the transnational transfer of the lessons learned and good practice (peer learning).

| — | Awareness-raising, dissemination and exploitation of the project concept and its results at regional, national and European level throughout the project duration and in the longer term, and to foster transferability between different sectors, systems and policies. |
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Awareness-raising, dissemination and exploitation of the project concept and its results at regional, national and European level throughout the project duration and in the longer term, and to foster transferability between different sectors, systems and policies.

An exploitation plan of the experimentation results through the Open Methods of Coordination in education and training and in youth, in connection with the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, is recommended.

7.   Award criteria

Award criteria

The award criteria for the funding of a proposal are:

| 1. | Relevance (20 %) |
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1.

Relevance (20 %)

| 2. | Quality of the project design and implementation (30 %) |
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2.

Quality of the project design and implementation (30 %)

| 3. | Quality of the partnership (20 %) |
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3.

Quality of the partnership (20 %)

| 4. | Impact, dissemination and sustainability (30 %) |
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4.

Impact, dissemination and sustainability (30 %)

The present call is divided in two submission/evaluation stages: (1) pre-proposal stage, and (2) full proposal stage. This approach intends to simplify the application process by requesting in the first phase only limited information on the proposal. Only those pre-proposals satisfying the eligibility criteria and reaching the minimum threshold of 60 % on the score for the award criterion Relevance will access the second phase for which applicants will be requested to submit a full application package.

Eligible pre-proposals will be assessed on the basis of the award criterion Relevance. Full proposals will be assessed on the basis of exclusion and selection criteria, and the three remaining award criteria: Quality of the project design and implementation; Quality of the partnership; and Impact, dissemination, and sustainability.

The final score for a proposal will be the total score obtained at the pre-proposal stage and the full proposal stage (by applying the weighting indicated).

8.   Budget

Budget

The total budget available for the co-financing of projects under the present call is EUR 5 000 000.

Financial contribution from the EU cannot exceed 75 % of the total eligible project costs.

The maximum grant per project will be EUR 2 500 000.

The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available for the call.

9.   Procedure for submission of proposals and deadlines

Procedure for submission of proposals and deadlines

Before submitting an application, applicants will have to register their organisation in the Unique Registration Facility (URF) and receive a Participant Identification Code (PIC). The PIC will be requested in the application form.

The Unique Registration Facility is the tool through which all legal and financial information related to organisations will be managed. It is accessible via the Education, Audiovisual, Culture, Citizenship and Volunteering Participant Portal. Information on how to register can be found in the portal under the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/education/participants/portal

Grant applications must be drawn up in one of the official EU languages and using the official application package. Please ensure you are using the correct application form for respectively the pre-proposal stage and the full proposal stage.

The application package is available on the internet at the following address:

https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/key-action-3-prospective-initiatives-policy-experimentation-in-school-education-sector-eacea-302014_en

Applications must be submitted by the following deadlines:

| — | Pre-proposals (eForm): 20 March 2015, 12:00 (midday, Brussels time) |
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Pre-proposals (eForm): 20 March 2015, 12:00 (midday, Brussels time)

20 March 2015, 12:00

| — | Full proposals (paper application form): 1 October 2015 (date of postmark) |
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Full proposals (paper application form): 1 October 2015 (date of postmark)

1 October 2015

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