Hercule II — Call for proposals 2013 — Training part
Date: 2013-04-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, continuing vocational training, corruption, fraud, invitation to tender








C_2013124EN.01000301.xml










30.4.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 124/3





HERCULE II
Call for proposals 2013 — Training part
2013/C 124/03
1.   Objectives and description

This notice of call for proposals is based on Decision No 878/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2007 establishing a Community action programme to promote activities in the field of the protection of the Community's financial interests (Hercule II programme) (1).
This call relates to the activities under Article 1(a)(b) of the Hercule II Decision, which consists of the organisation of training, seminars and conferences to support the fight against fraud, corruption and other illegal activities as well as the development and implementation of fraud prevention and detection policies.
The Hercule II annual work programme for 2013 which combines the priorities as well as the resources available for 2013 was adopted on 7 February 2013 (2).
2.   Eligible applicants

Proposals eligible for funding can be submitted by the following applicants:






—


all national or regional administrations of a Member State, an acceding country or a candidate country which promote the strengthening of the EU's actions in the field of the protection of the EU's financial interests,










—


all research and education institutes that have had legal personality for at least 1 year and are established and operating in a Member State or in a country outside the Union that promote the strengthening of the EU's action in protecting its financial interests,










—


all non-profit-making bodies that have had legal personality for at least 1 year and are legally established in a Member State or a country outside the Union that promote the strengthening of EU action to protect the EU's financial interests.




Applicants from countries outside the European Union must reside in:






1.


acceding states;










2.


EFTA/EEA countries, in accordance with the conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement;










3.


candidate countries associated with the European Union on the basis of the conditions stipulated in the association agreements or their additional protocols on participation in European Union programmes concluded or to be concluded with those countries.




3.   Eligible dates

Applications must fulfil the following criteria:






—


being sent (dispatched) no later than Wednesday 29 May 2013,










—


submitted in writing, using the official application form (without alterations) published on the OLAF website and including all supporting documents requested (see check list below),










—


drawn up in one of the official languages of the European Union.




Failure to comply with those formal requirements will lead to the rejection of the application.
These activities must relate to a project starting on or after 27 September 2013 at the earliest, and finishing on or before 31 August 2014 at the latest.
4.   Eligible actions

The organisation of training activities with the aim to ensure the expansion of the knowledge base, the exchange of information and the identification and dissemination of good practice:






—


training in the form of conferences, seminars, colloquia, meetings, symposia, e-learning, round tables and staff exchanges,










—


exchanges of best practices (including on fraud risk assessment).




The activities are eligible for funding up to 80 % of the eligible costs.
5.   Award criteria

Only projects which have satisfied the requirements of the eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria will be considered for further evaluation by the evaluation committee on the basis of the award criteria.
In the evaluation of a project for which EU funding is requested, special attention will be paid to the clarity and precision of the budget estimate submitted, the transnational character of the activity and the level of detail of the programme.
Grants will be awarded from the available budget, in order of priority and on the basis of the following award criteria:






—


consistency of the proposed activity with the objectives of the Hercule II programme,










—


transnational character and European Union added value,










—


degree of preparation and organisation of the project, and the clarity and precision of its objectives, design (including timetable) and planning,










—


proportionality between the proposed activity's costs and benefits,










—


feasibility of the proposed activity, i.e. the practical prospects of carrying it out using the proposed resources,










—


cost-effectiveness: the project's costs should be consistent with its objectives — its cross-sector and cross-border aspects will be taken into consideration,










—


complementarity between the proposed activity and the other activities for which grants are awarded,










—


compatibility with the work carried out or planned in connection with the European Union's policy priorities for preventing fraud against the EU budget (especially the fight against corruption, enlargement of the Union),










—


possibility that the results can be used (e.g. through targeted distribution) to enhance cooperation and effectiveness in the field of fraud prevention.




If several projects have equal merit in the light of the above award criteria, OLAF will:






—


endeavour to ensure a fair geographical distribution of all the projects,










—


give priority to applicants who have not already received a grant from OLAF in previous years for a similar measure (subject, target audience),










—


give priority to measures relating to the various sectors of investigation most frequently covered by OLAF's investigations (Structural Funds, direct expenditure, external aid, customs and agriculture)




6.   Budget

A budget of EUR 1 000 000 is available for the proposals submitted in 2013.
The contribution will take the form of a grant.
The Commission reserves the right not to allocate all the funds available.
7.   Further information

The website http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/funding/training/index_en.htm includes all necessary details (types of activities supported, targeted beneficiaries, budget, documents).
Question and/or requests for additional information in relation to this call have to be sent by e-mail to: Olaf-anti-fraud-training@ec.europa.eu
8.   Deadline for submission of applications

Two copies of the grant application form and of all requisite documents must be sent by post (registered mail) (date of postmark serving as evidence of timely delivery) or by courier services (date of deposit slip serving as evidence of timely delivery) to the following address on or before the deadline (29 May 2013):
By post or courier services (two copies):

HERCULE II — Training — Call for proposals 2013






European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)




Unit D.5 — Hercule, Pericles and Euro Protection




Office JII 30 — 09/41




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË




Or delivered by hand (two copies), in person or by an authorised representative (date of acknowledgement of receipt by the Commission serving as evidence of timely delivery) to the following address:





Main entrance of the building of the European Commission's Central Mail Department




Avenue du Bourget/Bourgetlaan 1




1140 Bruxelles/Brussel (Evere)




BELGIQUE/BELGIË




http://ec.europa.eu/oib/buildings_en.cfm




This service is open from 08.00 to 17.00 from Monday to Thursday and from 08.00 to 16.00 on Friday; it is closed on Saturday, Sunday and Commission Holidays.
With the following message:

HERCULE II — Training — Call for proposals 2013






European Commission — OLAF




Unit D.5 — Hercule, Pericles and Euro Protection




Office JII 30 — 09/41




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË




One grant application form (Word format), and one budget form (Excel format), in original format (no PDF), and all requisite documents must also be sent by electronic mail, in zipformat, to the following address on or before 29 May 2013.
Olaf-anti-fraud-training@ec.europa.eu
Please note that incomplete and unsigned forms and applications submitted after the closing date will not be taken into consideration for evaluation. Applicants are advised to keep proof that they sent their applications by post before the deadline.


(1)  OJ L 193, 25.7.2007, p. 18.

(2)  C(2013) 612 final of 7 February 2013.