Call for proposals — EACEA/32/2015 — Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 3 — Support for Policy Reform — Civil Society Cooperation in the field of Youth
Date: 2015-10-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, cooperation in the field of education, financial aid, higher education, non-governmental organisation, student mobility, youth employment, youth exchange scheme, youth policy








C_2015338EN.01000501.xml










13.10.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 338/5





CALL FOR PROPOSALS — EACEA/32/2015
Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 3 — Support for Policy Reform
Civil Society Cooperation in the field of Youth
(2015/C 338/05)

INTRODUCTION

Cooperation with civil society organisations in the fields of education, training and youth is essential to create a broad sense of ownership in relation to lifelong learning strategies and policies, and to take into consideration stakeholders' ideas and concerns at all levels. It is important for raising awareness about the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs, the Strategic Framework for European cooperation in Education and Training (ET2020), specific policy agendas such as the Bologna process in Higher Education or the Bruges-Copenhagen process in Vocational education and training (VET), as well as the EU Youth Strategy. It is vital for securing the active involvement of stakeholders in the implementation of policy reforms in the different countries, for promoting their participation in the Erasmus+ Programme and other European programmes and for disseminating policy and programme results and good practice through their extensive membership networks.
1.   Aims and objectives

The objective of the present Call is to provide structural support, referred to as operating grant, to European non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) and EU-wide networks active in the field of youth and pursuing the following general aims.






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Raise stakeholder awareness of European policy agenda in the field of youth, in particular the EU Youth Strategy.










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Increase stakeholder commitment and cooperation with public authorities for the implementation of policies and reforms in the field of youth, such as of the country-specific recommendations issued in the framework of the European Semester.










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Boost stakeholder participation in the field of youth.










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Boost stakeholder involvement in the dissemination of policy and Programme actions and results and of good practice among their membership and beyond.




These aims should be clearly embedded in the work plans, activities and deliverables of the applicant organisations.
Furthermore, the organisations active in the field of youth that will be supported under this Call are expected to carry out activities that aim to:






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promote the employability of young people, notably through activities that foster the development of competences and skills through non-formal education,










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foster the empowerment of young people in society, and foster their participation in the decision-making processes,










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contribute to the personal, socio-educational and professional development of young people in Europe,










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contribute to the development of youth work at European, national, regional or local levels,










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contribute to the debate on/development of policy issues affecting young people and youth organisations at European, national, regional or local levels,










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promote intercultural learning, the respect of diversity, and the values of solidarity, equal opportunities and human rights among young people in Europe,










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promote the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities in society,










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contribute to the implementation of the Declaration on promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education adopted in Paris on 17 March 2015 for example by mainstreaming the promotion of civic education, intercultural dialogue and democratic citizenship in their work programmes.




2.   Eligibility

2.1.   Eligible applicants

This Call is open to two categories of bodies: European non-governmental organisations (ENGO) and EU-wide networks (informal network).
In the context of civil society cooperation in the field of youth, the following definitions apply:








Category 1



:


A European non-governmental organisation (ENGO) must:






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operate through a formally recognised structure, composed of a) European body/secretariat (the applicant) legally established for at least 1 year in a Eligible Country on the date of submission of the application and b) national organisations/branches in at least 12 Eligible Countries having a statutory link with the European body/secretariat,










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be active in the field of youth and run activities that support the implementation of the fields of action of the EU Youth Strategy,










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involve young people in the management and governance of the organisation.









Category 2



:


An EU-wide network (informal network) must:






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be composed of legally autonomous non-profit organisations active in the field of youth and running activities that support the implementation of the fields of action of the EU Youth Strategy,










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operate through an informal governance setting, composed of a) an organisation legally established for at least 1 year on the date of submission of the application in a Eligible Country with functions of coordination of and support to the network at European level (the applicant); and b) other organisations established in at least 12 Eligible Countries,










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involve young people in the management and governance of the network.








2.2.   Eligible countries

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






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EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom,










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the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which form part of the European Economic Area (EEA): Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,










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candidate countries for which a pre-accession strategy has been established, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions laid down in the framework agreements concluded with those countries with a view to their participation in EU Programmes: former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey.




3.   Activities

The applicant bodies must present a consistent work plan integrating non-profit making, youth-led activities which are suitable of pursuing the objectives of the Call.
Notably:






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non-formal and informal learning and activity programmes targeted at young people and youth workers,










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activities for the qualitative development of youth work,










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activities for the development and promotion of recognition and transparency tools in the field of youth,










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seminars, meetings, workshops, consultations, debates of young people on youth policies and/or European matters,










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consultations of young people feeding into the Structured Dialogue in the field of youth,










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activities for the promotion of young people's active participation in democratic life,










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activities for the promotion of intercultural learning and understanding in Europe,










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media and communication activities and tools on youth and European matters.




Neither Erasmus+ national agencies nor organisations having overwhelmingly Erasmus+ national agencies as members (2/3 or more) are eligible organisations under this Call.
4.   Funding arrangements

The present Call for proposals offers the opportunity to apply for Annual Operating Grants.
Annual Operating Grants focus on short term cooperation at European level. Applications must contain a detailed 12-month work programme (annual work programme) for 2016 together with the information needed to calculate the grant.
The total budget allocated in the year 2016 for the Civil Society Cooperation in the field of Youth is EUR 3 800 000 and it is divided as follows:






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EUR 3 200 000 — reserved for beneficiaries who signed the Framework Partnership Agreements Civil Society Cooperation in the field of Youth in 2015 and therefore not available for this call,










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EUR 600 000 — available for applicants submitting proposals for annual operating grant under the present Call.




The maximum annual operating grant will be EUR 35 000.
By way of indication:






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bodies under category 1 (ENGOs) exclusively dedicated to youth will account for about 70 % of the budget available,










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bodies under category 1 (ENGOs) having a broader scope but including a section dedicated to youth will account for about 10 % of the budget available,










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bodies under category 2 (EU-wide networks) exclusively dedicated to youth will account for about 20 % of the budget available.




The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.
5.   Award criteria

The quality of eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria (1):






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relevance (maximum 30 points),










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quality of the work plan's design and implementation (maximum 20 points),










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profile, number of participants and countries involved in the activities (maximum 20 points),










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impact, dissemination and sustainability (maximum 30 points).




To be considered for funding, proposals must score:






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at least 60 points overall, and










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at least half of the maximum points in each of the award criteria mentioned above (15 points for the criteria ‘Relevance’ and ‘Impact, dissemination and sustainability’, 10 points for the criteria ‘Quality of the work plan's design and implementation’ and ‘Profile, number of participants and countries involved in the activities’).




6.   Submission of applications

Applications must be submitted using an online grant application form (eForm). The eForm is available in English, French and German at the following Internet address: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/documents/eforms_en and must be duly completed in one of the official languages of the EU.
The eForm duly completed must be submitted online by 26 November 2015, 12.00 (midday, Brussels time) and include the relevant annex (2):






1.


Declaration on honour




Compulsory additional annexes (3) must be sent by email to the Agency by the same deadline.
7.   Additional information

Applications must comply with the provisions contained in the Applicants' Guidelines — Call for proposals EACEA/32/2015, available on the internet at the following address:
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/civil-society-cooperation-in-field-youth-eacea322015_en


(1)  For more details on the award criteria please refer to Section 9 of the Applicants' Guidelines.

(2)  Any other administrative document required in the Applicants' Guidelines must be sent by email to the Education, Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency by 26 November 2015 (midday, Brussels time) at the following email address: EACEA-YOUTH@ec.europa.eu

(3)  For more details on the annexes to submit please refer to Section 14 of the Applicants' Guidelines.