Call for proposals 2012 for indirect actions under the multi-annual Community programme on protecting children using the Internet and other communication technologies ( Safer Internet )  Text with EEA relevance
Date: 2012-02-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, Internet, child protection, information technology, public awareness campaign








C_2012027EN.01000501.xml










1.2.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 27/5





Call for proposals 2012 for indirect actions under the multi-annual Community programme on protecting children using the Internet and other communication technologies (Safer Internet)
(Text with EEA relevance)
2012/C 27/04
1.   In accordance with Decision No 1351/2008/EC of 16 December 2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council adopting a multi-annual Community programme on protecting children using the Internet and other communication technologies (1) (Safer Internet), the European Commission hereby invites proposals for actions to be financed under the programme.
Safer Internet is based on four actions:






(a)


ensuring public awareness;










(b)


fighting against illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online;










(c)


promoting a safer online environment;










(d)


establishing a knowledge base.




The programme is a successor of the safer Internet plus programme (2005-08).
2.   In conformity with Article 3 of the European Parliament and Council Decision, a work programme (2) was drawn up by the European Commission to serve as the basis for implementing the programme in 2012. The work programme contains further information about the objectives, priorities, indicative budget and types of actions referred to in this call notice and the eligibility rules for taking part.
3.   Information on how to prepare and submit proposals and on the evaluation process is given in the Guide for proposers (3).
This documentation can be obtained, along with the work programme and any other information relating to this call, from the European Commission using the following address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for the Information Society and Media




Safer Internet




Office EUFO 1174




Rue Alcide de Gasperi




2920 Luxembourg




LUXEMBOURG




Fax +352 4301-34079




E-mail: saferinternet@ec.europa.eu




Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet




4.   Proposals may be made for the call parts identified below. Applicants wishing to make proposals for more than one call part should make separate proposals for each part.
5.   The indicative total budget available for this call under the 2012 budget is EUR 13 422 200 of EU contribution (4).
Grants to proposals submitted in response to this call will be awarded through grant agreements.
The evaluation of proposals will give rise to a list of proposals to be funded. This list may be complemented by a reserve list of proposals of sufficient quality, to be funded in case of budget availability.
6.   The call for proposals under this work programme is open to all legal entities established in the Member States. It is also open to participation of legal entities established in EFTA States which are contracting parties to the EEA Agreement (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
It is further open to participation of legal entities established in other countries under the conditions set out in Article 2 of the Programme Decision (5), provided that a bilateral agreement is signed. If proposals submitted by legal entities from these countries are selected for funding, a grant agreement will only be signed once the necessary steps have been taken for the country concerned to join the programme through signature of a bilateral agreement. Up to date information on which countries are part of the programme is available on the programme website at http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet
Legal entities established in non-EU countries other than those referred to above and international organisations may take part in all projects at their own expense.
Exceptionally Interpol is entitled to receive funding under Action 2.1 of this call for proposals since, in accordance with the conditions set out in Annex III to the Decision adopting the safer Internet programme, is established as priority for cooperation in the field of fighting against illegal content under the 2012 work programme.
Legal entities established in Russia may take part in Action 1.1 (Safer Internet Centres) of this call for proposals under the conditions specified in the work programme. Legal entities from Russia may also take part in targeted projects, thematic networks and knowledge enhancement projects under the same conditions as entities established in Member States (but not as project coordinators).
PART I

CALL PARTS


Action lines 1 and 2:   EUROPEAN NETWORK OF SAFER INTERNET CENTRES (6)

7.   Action 1.1: INTEGRATED NETWORK: SAFER INTERNET CENTRES
The programme promotes the set up of Safer Internet Centres all across Europe to coordinate activities and to bring together a variety of stakeholders to ensure action and facilitate transfer of knowledge.
All Safer Internet Centres will develop awareness raising material, organise campaigns and information sessions for children and young people, parents, carers, social workers and teachers to enable children and young people to make responsible use of online technologies.
The awareness actions will address issues related to harmful content, contact and conduct as defined in Section 3.1.3 of the 2012 work programme. They will also address the opportunities and risks of services using new distribution forms, such as peer-to-peer services, broadband video, instant messaging, chat-rooms, social networking sites and access to content and interactive information and communication brought about by the rapid take-up of the Internet, mobile phones and game consoles by children. They will take into account the related issues of protection of privacy and personal data, consumer protection, information, and network security (viruses/spam).
In addition, the Safer Internet Centres should also include (a) hotlines where the public can report illegal content and/or (b) helplines where parents and children can obtain advice on how to deal with harmful contact (grooming), harmful conduct (cyberbullying), harmful content and uncomfortable or scary experiences related to their use of online technologies.
The tasks of the Safer Internet Centres are set out in further detail in the work programme.
This call part (Action 1.1: INTEGRATED NETWORK: SAFER INTERNET CENTRES) will be open only for proposals for setting up a Safer Internet Centre in the following countries: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the netherlands, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, United Kingdom and Russia (7).
The call for proposals may also be opened for countries which have signed a bilateral agreement or where negotiations have been opened.
Funding at 50 % of eligible costs, which may be increased up to 75 % for public bodies, SMEs and non-profit organisations.

Action line 2:   FIGHTING AGAINST ILLEGAL CONTENT AND HARMFUL CONTACT AND CONDUCT ONLINE
8.   Action 2.1.: TARGETED PROJECT: ENHANCING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES' IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
The programme invites proposals for a single targeted project to:






(a)


complement the existing International Child Sexual Exploitation database (on images) by setting up an international child pornography database with video images and by deploying it (area 1);










(b)


set up a set of search tools (for content tracking) apt for the different protocols of Peer2Peer networks and establish an international Peer2Peer database; deploy the tools by connecting EU Member States and other countries (area 2);










(c)


develop a pilot to test trusted hash code/fingerprint series for preventing re-uploading of identified child sexual abuse material (area 3).




Targeted projects will receive up to 50 % of eligible costs (which may be increased up to 75 % for public bodies, SMEs and non-profit organisations);

Action line 3:   PROMOTING A SAFER ONLINE ENVIRONMENT
9.   Action: 3.1.: THEMATIC NETWORK: PROMOTING POSITIVE ONLINE EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Programme invites to set up a thematic network for promoting positive online experiences for young children with the following tasks:






(a)


exchange good practices, issues and challenges in provision of content to young children, including the business model and make recommendations to enhance production and dissemination of positive content across Europe (including localisation). This activity will include a discussion forum gathering producers and providers in a dialogue on online content for children;










(b)


discuss feasibility and requirements of a safe browser for kids/collation of white lists including suggestions on moderation and rating of website for children. Requirements should take into account accessibility needs of disabled children. Please note that new or enhanced technical solutions in this area will not fall under this thematic network. They will be explored by a knowledge enhancement project (see Section 6.2 of the work programme);










(c)


make proposals for the roll over of a European wide competition;










(d)


provide a report with overview on the market for positive content for children in Europe.




Funding at 100 % of a reduced set of eligible costs (direct costs of coordinating and implementing the network) for thematic networks.

Action line 4:   ESTABLISHING A KNOWLEDGE BASE
10.1.   Action 4.1: KNOWLEDGE ENHANCEMENT PROJECT: INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT ON YOUNG PEOPLE OF CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGY
Proposals are invited for a knowledge enhancement project to investigate through a quantitative and qualitative methodology how the changing conditions of access and use (mobile devices) bring greater or lesser risks to children’s safety.
Knowledge enhancement projects will be funded at 100 % of direct eligible costs (as defined in the model grant agreement), but without indirect costs (overheads).
10.2.   Action 4.2: KNOWLEDGE ENHANCEMENT PROJECT: IDENTIFYING CHILD FRIENDLY SEARCH/BROWSER TOOLS
Proposals are invited for a knowledge enhancement project to identify the technical capability for being able to find content suitable for children and make it available through child-friendly search/browser tools.
Knowledge enhancement projects will be funded at 100 % of direct eligible costs (as defined in the model grant agreement), but without indirect costs (overheads).
PART 2

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The evaluation of proposals will be based on the principles of transparency and equality of treatment. It will be carried out by the Commission with the assistance of independent experts. Each submission will be assessed on the basis of the evaluation criteria, which are divided in three categories: eligibility criteria, award criteria, selection criteria. Only proposals meeting the requirements of the eligibility criteria shall be evaluated further. The description of these criteria is presented below.
11.   Eligibility criteria

On receipt, all proposals and applications will be subject to an eligibility check, to ensure that they conform to the requirements of the call, and to the submission procedure.
The following checks will be carried out:






—


receipt of proposal by the Commission on or before the deadline date and time established in the call,










—


proposal completeness. Proposals which are substantially incomplete — that is to say that the forms do not include sufficient information to identify the partners, their legal status and to evaluate the scope of the proposed project — will be excluded.




In addition, proposers must certify that they are not in one of the situations listed in the work programme which would exclude them from participation.
12.   Award criteria

In order to evaluate the relative merit of proposals received, each means to implement the programme (integrated networks, targeted and knowledge enhancement projects, and thematic networks) will have its specific set of award criteria, with specific weightings. The description of these award criteria is presented in the safer Internet 2012 work programme.
13.   Selection criteria

Selection criteria will ensure that the applicants possess the resources to co-finance the project and the professional competencies and qualifications required to complete the work successfully.
Selection criteria are applied on the basis of the information supplied in the proposal. If this identifies cases of weak financial capacity or professional competence it may necessitate compensating actions such as financial guarantees or other actions. Successful proposals called to negotiations will be the subject of a formal legal and financial validation as a requirement to the issuing of a grant agreement.
The description of the selection criteria is presented in the safer Internet 2012 work programme.
PART 3

ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS AND DEADLINE

14.   Proposals must be prepared using the forms in the Guide for proposers, and sent on paper in one (1) original and five (5) copies, accompanied by an electronic copy on CD-ROM, to the Commission at the following address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for the Information Society and Media




Safer Internet




Office EUFO 1174




Rue Alcide de Gasperi




2920 Luxembourg




LUXEMBOURG




15.   Deadline for receipt of all proposals: 29 March 2012 at 17.00 (Luxembourg local time).

Proposals arriving later than the deadline, or sent by fax or e-mail, will be excluded.
16.   Indicative evaluation and selection timetable: the evaluation will take place within two months from the closing date of this call. Applicants will be informed on the results of their application after the evaluation has taken place. The start date of projects will take into account already existing grant agreements, if applicable, to avoid overlapping of activities and also to ensure continuity of activities where this is relevant (8). Furthermore, in order to ensure continuity of certain activities, applicants may request a starting date for their action which can not be earlier than the submission date of their proposal. The Commission may agree to a starting date which precedes the date of the signature of the grant agreement at its own discretion when duly justified.
17.   In all correspondence relating to this call (e.g. when requesting information or submitting a proposal), please make sure to cite the applicable call part identifier.
In submitting a proposal, applicants accept the procedures and conditions as described in this call and in the documents to which it refers.
All proposals received by the European Commission will be treated in strict confidence.
The European Union pursues an equal opportunities policy and, in this context, women are particularly encouraged to either submit proposals or to be involved in their submission.


(1)  OJ L 348, 24.12.2008, p. 118.

(2)  Commission Decision 2011, http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet

(3)  http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet

(4)  Under the condition that the draft budget for 2012 is adopted without modifications by the Budgetary Authority.

(5)  Decision No 1351/2008/EC of 16 December 2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council published in OJ L 348, 24.12.2008, p. 118.

(6)  Action 1 of the Decision No 1351/2008/EC is ‘ensuring public awareness’; Action 2 is ‘fighting against illegal content and harmful contact and conduct online’.

(7)  If a Safer Internet Centre is selected for Russia the funding will be limited to 100 % of the costs of belonging to the network of Safer Internet Centres, unless Russia decides to join the programme through signature of a bilateral agreement.

(8)  For information on existing grant agreements please refer to the programme website http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/index_en.htm