Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

19.7.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 170/11

## III

_(Notices)_

# COMMISSION

**CALL FOR PROPOSALS**

**Preparatory and Innovative Actions 2003/b —** _**e**_ **Learning**

**DG EAC/61/03**

(2003/C 170/10)

1. **CONTEXT** **(INTRODUCTION** **AND** **BACKGROUND**
**INFORMATION)**

The Commission launched the _e_ Learning Initiative and Action
Plan to foster the adaptation of the European Union's education
and training systems to the knowledge society, through the
effective and relevant use of information and communication
technologies and the Internet for learning (e-learning).

The _e_ Learning Action Plan ( [1] ) defines e-learning as: ‘the use of
new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the
quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and
services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration’. The
term e-learning is used throughout the text of the call with this
meaning.

At the Lisbon European Council on 23 and 24 March 2000,
the Heads of State and Government set the Union the objective
of becoming ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledgedriven economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic
growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’.
The _e_ Learning Action Plan has been designed to promote the
development of e-learning in Europe by intensifying its efforts
in this area. It has four components: to support the development of proper infrastructures and invest in research, to
train European teachers and trainers, to create favourable
conditions for the development of European educational
content, services and software and to facilitate cooperation
and networking between actors.

The _e_ Learning Action Plan also aims at involving all those in
education and training, both in the private and public sectors,
in the realisation of the potential of e-learning methods and
resources for lifelong and life-wide learning.

The _e_ Learning Action Plan operates by the mobilisation of
existing resources. For the European Commission, these are
found within the existing programmes and instruments,
which are suited to the development of e-learning projects.
However, the fast evolution and changing nature of e-learning
makes it difficult to place all these projects into an existing
programme or budget line. For example, an e-learning project
could involve different disciplines, pedagogical theories, tech

( [1] ) COM(2001) 172 final, 28.3.2001, ‘The _e_ Learning Action Plan —
Designing tomorrow's education’.

nological developments and new logistics and concern a wide
range of actors.

In view of this, a special budget line was created to explore
in-depth specific e-learning issues through the funding of pilot
projects, which address the key strategic areas of the _e_ Learning
Action Plan. Their aim is to provide the basis for a wide debate
at the European level, and to encourage increased coordination
of related actions within and between Member States. They
should also provide important information and create the
basis for future community actions, including the proposed
_e_ Learning Programme ( [2] ).

1.1. **Background**

As a result of the _e_ Learning Call for Proposals in 2001, 29 pilot
projects were launched covering a wide range of e-learning
activities in schools, universities, in the work place and at
home. The projects address important issues relating to the
use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in
education and training, such as teacher and trainer training,
new pedagogical frameworks, organisational change,
educational content and services, etc., and involve a number
of innovative approaches such as virtual classrooms, collaborative learning over the Internet, virtual mobility, learning
by doing, etc.

In 2002, the Call for Proposals resulted in the launch of 16
pilot projects addressing Media Literacy and four strategic
projects addressing Quality in _e_ Learning.

Further information on these ongoing projects may be
obtained from the Commission's web site
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/elearning/index.html and
_e_ Learning portal http://elearningeuropa.info

1.2. **Introduction to the current call**

This Call for Proposals aims to build-upon and further exploit
work that is already under way in the context of the _e_ Learning
Action Plan — be it at the European, national or regional level
— through increased collaboration and valorisation.

( [2] ) COM(2002) 751 final, 19.12.2002, ‘Proposal for a Decision of the
European Parliament and of the Council adopting a multi-annual
programme (2004 to 2006) for the effective integration of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education
and training systems in Europe ( _e_ Learning Programme)’.

C 170/12 EN Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003

The overall aim is to support ongoing projects to work more
closely together, to exploit synergies, share resources and
address common issues; to evaluate, analyse and transfer the
experience, results and lessons learnt emerging from the pedagogical use of ICT in education and training in Europe; to
monitor, analyse and predict the evolution of e-learning in
Europe; and to support the development of appropriate
European, national and regional policies.

The proposals will permit a better understanding of the
strengths and weaknesses of using ICT in a learning context,
of innovative practice for their use and of the organisational
changes needed for sustainability. They will assist with the
creation and sharing of knowledge concerning e-learning,
with the identification and dissemination of good practice,
and with the codification of terms of reference. They will
provide policy makers and decision makers with essential
information needed to understand progress and plan for the
future.

Four complementary aspects are envisaged:

— in-depth analysis of **innovative practice**, regional and
local, with a view to its transfer. Identifying factors which
led to the successful integration of ICT and supporting the
transfer of experience to other contexts across Europe,

— support for collaboration between ongoing **pilot projects**,
European or regional, and for the subsequent dissemination
and exploitation of experience and results,

— measurement, analysis and **comparative analysis** of the
use of e-learning in Europe, building scenarios for the
future,

— identification and analysis of critical issues concerning
**future policy** for the pedagogical use of ICT and the
ongoing development of innovative practice,

Proposals are sought which address these aspects as outlined in
section 3.

2. **BUDGETARY RESOURCES**

The total available budget for this call for proposals is
approximately **EUR 9,5 million** .

3. **SUBJECTS**

The subject areas for this call are identified as priorities in the
_e_ Learning Action Plan and in the Commission's budget plans
for 2003. Proposals are invited for one or more of the
following three subjects:

1. Peer Reviews (exchange and analysis of good practice and
policy)

2. Networks of collaboration (‘clusters’ and Special Interest
Groups — SIGs)

3. Observatories (comparative analysis and, forecasting)

3.1. **Peer Reviews (exchange and analysis of good practice**
**and policy)**

3.1.1. _Scope_

The report on concrete and future objectives of the
education and training systems ( [3] ) highlighted the
importance of ‘peer reviewing’ in the field of ICT in
education and training — one of thirteen objectives
adopted by the Education Council.

In this context, peer reviewing aims at facilitating crossexamination (or study) of e-learning practices or policies
by persons directly involved in education and training
— such as Heads of schools, University rectors,
Directors of programmes, teachers, trainers or
researchers, for example. Depending of the level at
which they are conducted, these may either address
field practice (that is pedagogical practice in an
education or training context, which has been assessed
as ‘good’ and has been validated) or they may address
policy practice (that is the exchange of experience
between educational decision-makers on different
policy frameworks and options to address specific challenges or problem issues).

The aim of these peer reviews is to determine what is
_transferable_ in a good policy or good pedagogical
practice and _how this can be transferred_ to other countries,
to other regions, to other institutions. The outcome of
the peer review process should be a better understanding of how to develop good practice throughout
Europe, providing a basis for the exchange and transfer
of experience among education and training actors.

Possible examples of these two types of peer reviews
include:

Field-based peer reviews: a number of schools — which
have been validated as ‘innovative schools’ — may join
and create a ‘peer review’ network in order to carry on a
school-based evaluation of their similarities and
differences, strengths and weaknesses, assess the opportunities and risks of the integration of ICT, look at what
could be transferred, or not transferred, given the
different contexts. This example could equally apply to
further and higher education.

( [3] ) 5680/01 EDUC 18, Report from the Education Council to the
European Council ‘The concrete future objectives of education
and training systems’, 14 February 2001.

19.7.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 170/13

         Policy focussed peer reviews: exchange of information
and cooperation on specific regional or national
strategies, implementation measures, regulations or
programmes could build on the setting-up of a project
which would combine information gathering,
comparative studies, thematic workshops, study visits
with a view to feeding a cooperation network.

3.1.2. _Objectives of proposals to be considered_

Proposals responding to this part of the call will have
the following objectives:

— identify good practice and transfer methods,
ensuring an involvement of researchers with a
view to analysing the criteria for defining good
examples and, possibly, proposing relevant qualitative indicators for measuring the added-value of
ICT in the learning process,

— study transfer mechanisms that rely on physical
mobility as well as virtual mobility, considering the
value of ‘go and see’ approaches,

— reinforce targeted cooperation networks or create
new ones between people who have a long-running
experience in implementing ICT on the ground, and
among policy-makers,

— develop the capacity to identify and analyse
problems, defining possible indicators to be taken
into account in understanding the success of policy
and practice,

— analyse and document the new critical issues
identified by the actors on the ground and the
difficulties encountered in the implementation of
current policies,

— study the conditions necessary for the successful
transfer of innovative practice and policy, and for
their integration into new contexts.

In all cases, proposals will proactively support the
dissemination of regular, tangible results in the form
of reports, models, conference presentations, guidelines,
newsletters, etc. Multilingual and multicultural aspects
must be taken into account.

3.1.3. _Issues to be considered_

Proposals should address problems and issues associated
with the successful integration of ICT in education and
training, and develop our understanding of where ICT
may add value to the learning process.

(a) New educational goals and approaches.

The possible scope is quite broad: early foreign
language learning; motivating students for science
and technology; attending to special needs; intercultural dialogue; communication and collaboration
education; parents ‘ICT in education’ literacy;
learning opened to new working environments;
entrepreneurial education; autonomy centred
approaches; educational games; self-directed
learning at work; new types of partnership and
learning communities, etc.

(b) Revisiting learning approaches to traditional disciplines or basic skills.

How can ICT serve as a catalyst for the acquisition
of writing and reading skills; how does it challenge
learning processes in traditional disciplines such as
history, maths, art education, physics, etc.?

(c) Overcoming obstacles to the implementation of
e-learning and the integration of ICT, addressing
critical issues such as:

— systemic approach to getting started,

— external support and involvement (for example,
parents, local authorities, enterprise or other
educational levels),

— recognition and validation of new educational
objectives and outcomes,

— evaluation issues,

— initial education and in-service training of
teachers, educational personnel, trainers and
tutors and the updating of professional/technical
competencies,

— provision of adequate financial resources,

— dealing with new learners: ICT tools and
practices place new demands on learners,

— taking into account the characteristics of digital
information and new learning environments in
the long term.

3.1.4. _Types of activities_

A broad range of activities may be included in proposals
addressing this part of the call, provided that two
important conditions are met:

(1) the activities are embedded into a coherent
framework;

(2) the added-value of the activities is clear in relation
to broadening European cooperation for the chosen
theme(s) or in the given field(s), considering the
issues listed above, and taking into account
cultural and linguistic differences as well as
different educational models.

C 170/14 EN Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003

Expected activities include:

— analytical work related to the drafting of reports,
synthesis and other relevant terms of references or
shared resources,

— study visits, joint workshops, seminars and
conferences,

— cooperation and dissemination activities, including
information and communication materials, web
pages, video clips, animation of electronic fora and
the diffusion of key outcomes and deliverables,

— translation of materials which deserve diffusion
towards other languages than the ones used by the

proposers.

In addition to the minimum requirement for participation (see section 5), the European coverage should
be further reinforced by a broad participation of other
nationalities than the ones which actually carry out the
project, either from the same ‘peer group’ or from other
groups in the educational sector, research or beyond
education.

Examples of such cooperation frameworks may be
found under the Arion ( [4] ) action of the Socrates
programme, although the current call is seeking to set
conditions and funding for more in-depth analysis and
reporting on good and bad practices, with a view to
systematic transfer at European level.

3.2. **Networks** **of** **collaboration** **(‘clusters’** **and** **Special**
**Interest Groups — SIGs)**

3.2.1. _Scope_

The _e_ Learning Action Plan aims to coordinate e-learning
actions across Europe at the Community, the national
and the regional level. It is felt that only by trying to
align these various activities can we hope to achieve the
critical mass, the economies of scale and the synergies
necessary to achieve significant impact. This applies not
only to policy development, but also to the work being
done within the thousands of e-learning projects
currently being undertaken throughout Europe.

As Europe seeks to integrate ICT into education and
training, to transform the way we learn and to
understand how e-learning can best be used, a number
of common issues are arising and practitioners are faced
with similar problems again and again. How does the
role of teachers and trainers change in the new learning
paradigms? What pedagogical approaches are best suited
to e-learning? How can we assure quality in e-learning

and how can it be assessed? How should human
resource policies change to support e-learning and the
broader use of ICT in schools? How should technical
standards be used and what is the impact of using
open standards? How do we assess non-formal
e-learning in a work context and take account of
informal learning, etc. The issues are many and varied,
but often recurring. A major challenge, therefore, is to
create the right conditions for the various actors
involved in e-learning to collectively address these
issues in a way that is timely, effective and relevant.

Proposals responding to this part of the call will
establish, support and facilitate networks of collaboration. More specifically, they will support:

— special interest groups (SIGs) on key subjects relating
to e-learning, of real importance to Europe,

and/or

— working groups of closely related e-learning projects
(‘clusters’).

**Special Interest Groups (SIGs)**

SIGs ( [5] ) are groups of actors, involved in the use of ICT
for education and training, with a common interest,
which agree to work together over a period of time
to discuss ideas, exchange experience, analyse
information, share resources, agree recommendations,
etc. They are often quite informal in nature, involve
highly motivated people and are autonomous. Nevertheless, they usually require support for communication
between the participants, for the organising and running
of face-to-face meetings, for secretarial and other
logistical support, etc.

SIGs are likely to involve actors from different backgrounds, different cultures and different learning
contexts, reflecting the diverse and multidisciplinary
nature of e-learning. They might address topics
specific to a particular sector — such as virtual
classrooms in schools, to a particular discipline —
such as training of university lecturers in e-learning,
or to a particular stage of the lifecycle — such as
encouraging the take-up of research results. Alternatively they might address issues of a more transversal
nature — such as: the management of intellectual
property rights for e-learning; open-source and public
domain content; pedagogical approaches; frameworks
for public-private partnerships, etc. An important issue
for proposals, therefore, shall be the essential processes
necessary to establish the subjects for the SIGs and the
participants to be involved.

( [4] ) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/socrates/arion/index.html ( [5] ) Sometimes referred to as Communities of Practice.

19.7.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 170/15

**Project Clusters**

In addition to supporting actors from various backgrounds and contexts to work together in SIGs, there
is a specific need to support groups of e-learning
projects to work together in close collaboration
(project ‘clusters’).

A cluster is a group of ongoing projects which agree to
work together in order to share resources, cooperate on
pieces of work, carryout joint events, coordinate
communication activities, etc. Clusters are usually
formed according to the nature of the individual
projects — examples could include: a cluster of
projects addressing e-learning in the medical profession,
or internet based projects for schools, or projects
addressing learning regions, etc. Clusters are often
long-term relationships, accompanying the projects
throughout their duration.

Proposals will identify possible clusters, find relevant
ongoing projects, convince them to join and support
them in the process of working together. It is essential
that the decision to join such a cluster is taken
voluntarily by the projects concerned and that the
cluster is seen as adding value to the work of the
projects. Carried out effectively, clustering can result in
real positive cooperation and a more effective use of

resources.

At a Community level, e-learning projects are being
funded by a variety of Commission programmes and
initiatives, including the Minerva line of the Socrates
Programme ( [6] ), the Leonardo da Vinci Programme ( [7] ),
the Framework Programmes for Research ( [8] ), the _e_ Ten
Programme ( [9] ), the _e_ Content Programme ( [10] ) and the
_e_ Learning Initiative itself ( [11] ), to mention but a few. In
addition, at a national and regional level, there are many
initiatives actively supporting e-learning projects — too
numerous to mention here.

It is envisaged that clusters will be formed from projects
funded at a Community, national or regional level.
Clusters that bring together projects from different
programmes and initiatives will be particularly
encouraged. In order to encourage a multicultural and
multilingual approach, it is envisaged that several
clusters may address the same topic, but in be based
in different regions and/or operate with different
working languages.

( [6] ) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/socrates/minerva/ind1a.html
( [7] ) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/leonardo/leonardo2_en.html
( [8] ) http:/www.cordis.lu
( [9] ) http://www.ten-telecom.org/default.asp
( [10] ) http://www.cordis.lu/econtent/
( [11] ) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/elearning/index.html and
http://www.elearningeuropa.info

3.2.2. _Objectives of proposals to be considered_

Proposals responding to this part of the call will have
the following objectives:

(a) to support the formation and management of
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on focused topics
concerning e-learning, of real importance to
Europe, involving the full range of actors from
academia, government, industry, education and
training, etc., across the full spectrum of learning
from infants to adults;

and/or

(b) to support e-learning projects in Europe — funded
at the Community, national or regional level — to
work together in ‘clusters’ on topics of common
interest, in order to promote a dialogue, share
resources, exchange experience, support benchmarking, foster the development of sustainable
European approaches and generally exploit
synergies.

In all cases, proposals will proactively support the
dissemination of regular, tangible results in the form
of reports, models, conference presentations, guidelines,
newsletters, etc. Multilingual and multicultural aspects
must be taken into account.

Proposals addressing one or more of the following
topics are particularly sought and shall be given priority:

— deployment of ICT in higher education (virtual
campuses, virtual mobility, joint e-learning developments),

— learning of maths, science and technology,

— use of learning management systems in the public
sector,

— language learning,

— digital and media literacy

— teacher and trainer education, training and support
services,

— specific needs and special education,

— take-up of research results by users,

— e-learning for SMEs,

— e-learning and enlargement of the European Union,

— educational games

C 170/16 EN Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003

— certification of non-formal and informal learning,

— quality in e-learning,

— foresight and forecasting.

3.2.3. _Types of activity_

Proposals are expected to include the following types of
activity:

— identification of possible SIGs and project clusters,
from the range of possibilities in Europe, contacting
the various programmes and initiatives in order to
obtain relevant information, and producing an
overall road-map for cooperation,

— initial contact with key actors and project leaders to
establish initial interest and commitment to
participate in SIG and cluster activities,

— practical support for the establishment and
management of the membership of clusters and
SIGs, codifying expectations and confirming the
support service to be offered by the project,

— organisation and facilitation of workshops to
support cooperation and dialogue between SIGs
and clusters,

— creation and moderation of virtual communities to
support ongoing interaction in-between the faceto-face meetings,

— support for the creation of a web presence for the
various groups, to increase awareness of their
existence and encourage membership, and to
provide a coordinated contribution to the
_e_ Learning portal (www.elearningeuropa.info),

— support for the analysis of SIG and cluster results,
and their professional dissemination at a European
level in several languages. In particular, through
participation at ongoing European e-learning
events, with additional workshops, seminars,
exhibitions, etc.,

— analysis of the operation of SIGs and clusters, of
common lessons emerging, of lessons learnt and of
recommendations for policy makers. Production and
dissemination of summary reports, to promote the
work of the proposal and the achievement of the
_e_ Learning Action Plan objectives,

— etc.

The above list is not meant to be exhaustive and
proposals will be judged on the extent to which they
present a clear set of activities, in the context of an
overall methodology for achieving the objectives of
the call, which are innovative and creative.

3.3. **Observatories (comparative analysis and forecasting)**

3.3.1. _Scope_

Proposals responding to this part of the call will focus
on observation, analysis and forecasting of e-learning, its
use and its likely evolution, providing relevant
information for policy making and for European
education stakeholders. They should build upon
existing expertise and on previous projects of this type
supported by the Minerva line of the Socrates
Programme ( [12] ), the Information Society Technologies
(IST) priority of the Framework Programme for
Research ( [13] ) and the _e_ Learning Initiative itself ( [14] ).

The observation actions will systematically obtain and
disseminate high quality, relevant information
concerning ongoing e-learning activities in Europe.
This is likely to involve one or more of the following
stages:

_Identification_ of relevant sources of information,
including ongoing actions which warrant closer expert
scrutiny. This could lead to outputs such as ‘yellow
pages’ of who is doing what, inventories, catalogues
and guides of existing results, etc.

_In-depth study_ of ongoing actions, by relevant experts,
with a view to obtaining a deeper understanding of
the implications of using ICT for education and
training, in terms of pedagogy, psychology, sociology,
organisational issues, etc. This could involve, for
example, additional work on top of existing trials,
pilots, and experiments.

_Analysis_ of results, comparing and contrasting
experiences, to prepare high-quality information which
is focused, concise and targeted. Such work is likely to
employ facilitators, journalists, researchers and other
professionals expert in helping people to reflect on
their experiences and express their conclusions. Studies
which have proved to be successful in one country
could be extended to include other countries for the
purpose of comparison.

( [12] ) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/socrates/minerva/ind1a.html
( [13] ) http:/www.cordis.lu/fp6 and http:/www.cordis.lu/ist
( [14] ) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/elearning/index.html and
http://www.elearningeuropa.info

19.7.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 170/17

_Dissemination_ of timely, relevant and focused
information, in a professional manner, to targeted
audiences such as teachers and trainers, decision
makers, service providers, politicians, the wider
research community, etc.

3.3.2. _Objectives of proposals to be considered_

The objective for proposals responding to this part of
the call is the provision of well structured and dynamic
observation networks, accompanying the _e_ Learning
Action Plan and the proposed _e_ Learning Programme.
Proposals shall combine and exploit existing data
sources, statistical and academic, in order to provide:

(a) regular reports on key issues for the deployment of
e-learning in Europe, such as, for example,
broadband usage for education, evolving pedagogical
practice, e-learner satisfaction or equipment
evolution and trends;

(b) ‘ad hoc’ reports on issues requiring more detailed
analysis or coverage.

4. **REQUESTED PROPOSALS CHARACTERISTICS**

Proposals must address one or more of the subject areas
specified in section 3. Where more than one subject is
addressed, it should be possible to distinguish the work
relating to the different subjects in the proposal (through
distinct work packages, deliverables, cost items, etc). The
Commission reserves the right to select proposals for funding
based upon a reduced coverage of subjects.

Proposals should contain an explicit commitment from each
member of the consortium via a signed letter of motivation
indicating the partner's reason for being involved in the
proposal.

Proposals must explicitly show that they:

— have a **balanced partnership** in terms of European
geographical coverage and expertise in the domain of
education and training,

— respect **Europe's** **cultural** **and** **linguistic** **diversity**,
producing results in several languages (as appropriate),

— attempt to **involve new players** whilst **building-upon**
**and further developing** existing actions at a Community
or regional level,

— proactively **support** **the** **dissemination** **of** **regular,**
**tangible results** in the form of reports, models, conference
presentations, guidelines, newsletters, video clips, etc.

—
**provide added European value** through their work and
that the need for community funding is clearly justified.

The proposals must contain precise information on the
following points:

— an overall summary of the proposal (objectives, approach,
expected outcomes, consortium details, contact
information) (maximum one page),

— objectives, approach and methodology,

— detailed work plan and time schedule (e.g. Gantt chart),

— description of the deliverables (what, when, for whom, in
what languages and disseminated how),

— distribution of work amongst the partners and their responsibilities,

— planned use of resources and budgetary information.

5. **WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS?**

Proposals may involve organisations from the public and
private sectors which have interest, expertise, and European
experience in e-learning matters concerning any of the
subjects listed above, and meet the eligibility criteria (see
point 7.1.).

6. **PROPOSAL DURATION**

The duration of each proposal will be between 12 and 24
months. Eligibility of costs (see point 10.1.1.) for Commission's
subvention will only start from the signature of the contract,
which is expected by the end of 2003.

7. **ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA**

Only proposals submitted on the official application form,
completed in full and signed, and received by the specified
closing date will be considered (see section 11).

Proposals should be submitted by a single organisation (the
applicant) representing a consortium of at least two partners
(including the applicant). The consortium must involve **organi-**
**sations** from at least **two different countrie** s from the
**European Union** or the EEA countries of **Iceland**, **Liech-**
**tenstein** and **Norway** . Of these, at least one partner must
be from the European Union. Proof of participation must be
provided in the form of participation letters from each partner
institutions (original signatures required). These letters must
also indicate the reasons for each partner to participate in
the project and certify that they have read and fully agreed
to the content of the proposal.

The projects must be non profit-making.

C 170/18 EN Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003

7.1. **Eligibility of applicants**

The coordinating/promoting institution and the other organisations involved must possess a legal identity. Both the coordinating/promoting organisation and the partner organisations
must be established in one of the following states: one of the
15 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.

Applicants must certify that they are not in one of the
situations listed in Article 93 and 94 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European
Communities ( [15] ), as detailed in point 7.2.

7.2. **Exclusion criteria**

Applicants will be excluded from participating in this call for
proposals if, at the time of the grant award procedure, they are
in one of the following situations:

(a) 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 for in national legislation or regulations;

(b) they have been convicted of an offence concerning their
professional conduct by a judgement which has force of _res_
_judicata_ ;

(c) they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct
proven by any means which the authorising officer can
justify;

(d) 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 authorising officer or those of the country where the
contract is to be performed;

(e) they have been the subject of a judgement 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 interest;

f) 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;

(g) are subject to a conflict of interest;

(h) are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the
information required by the authorising officer as a
condition of participation in the call procedure or fail to
supply this information.

Administrative and financial penalties of an effective,
proportionate and dissuasive nature may be imposed by the
Commission on applicants who excluded under the above
grounds, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 93 to
96 of the Financial Regulation (Council Regulation (EC,

( [15] ) Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002.

Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002) and Articles 133
and 175 of the Implementing Regulation (Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002).

8. **SELECTION CRITERIA**

In order to prove the applicant's technical and financial capability, the application form must be accompanied by the
following documents:

1. the profit and loss accounts and the balance sheet for the
last financial year for which the accounts have been closed,
except for public bodies;

2. the curricula vitae of the key persons responsible for the
implementation of the project within each of the partner
institutions;

3. a copy of the legally registered statutes or articles of
association as well as a copy of the official registration
certificate, except in the case of a public or semi-public
organisation. This document must be provided in one of
the 11 official EU languages;

4. declaration on the applicant's honour, completed and
signed, certifying that the applicant exists as a legal
person and has the financial and operational capacity to
complete the proposed action;

5. declaration on the applicant's honour, completed and
signed, certifying that the applicant is not in one of the
situation listed in Article 93 and 94 of the Financial Regulation ( [15] );

6. the bank details form completed by the beneficiary and
certified by the bank (original signatures required);

7. in the event that the contribution sought from the European
Commission is higher than EUR 300 000, then the certified
audited accounts (see 8.1) should be accompanied by an
opinion of the auditor who certified the accounts. This
opinion, based upon the work that was executed for the
certification of the accounts, should give the auditor's
assessment as to whether or not the applicant is solvent
and has sufficient funds to continue its activity into the
following financial period. This requirement is waived for
public bodies;

8. participation letters from the partners organisations (original
signatures as required).

Any applicant who fails to submit any of the above documents,
or who is judged, on the basis of the documents submitted, not
to have sufficient financial and technical capacity, will be
excluded.

9. **AWARD CRITERIA**

The following criteria will be used in evaluating the quality and
the organisational and budgetary aspects of the selected
proposals:

19.7.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 170/19

1. **European added value:** proposals should offer added value
for the European Union as well as national and/or regional
value. They may achieve this by supporting the transfer of
experience and knowledge across Europe, by helping to
address key issues of importance at a European level, or
by identifying the conditions for generalising results,
through, for example, their integration into national
systems or their exploitation as European products. The
need for Community financial support must be clearly
demonstrated.

2. **Relevance:** proposals should be relevant to the objectives of
the call and the chosen subject area. They must not
promote, either directly or indirectly, messages contrary to
European Union policies or be able to be associated with an
image contrary to that of the Institutions.

3. **Methodologie:** the strategy for achieving the objectives
should be clear and appropriate, with a coherent set of
activities which reflect a service mentality.

4. **State-of-the-art and innovation:** proposals should be innovative in their approach and ‘state of the art’ concerning
their use of theories, models, standards and methods.

5. **Validation:** proposals should attempt to validate the
usefulness of their results against the original objectives.

6. **Transfer,** **dissemination** **and** **exploitation:** proposals
should pay special attention to transferability aspects, such
as promotion and dissemination of the results; standardisation; sustainability and other practical aspects of wider
use; translation and localisation issues, etc.

7. **Cultural dimension:** proposals should demonstrate that
they are sensitive to European cultural and linguistic
needs, and that they facilitate intercultural dialogue.

8. **Work plan:** there should be a detailed, realistic work plan
(with clarity and correlation between the stated objectives
and the means proposed), a description of the deliverables
(what, when, for whom) and a time schedule for the
proposal.

9. **Distribution of effort, use of resources, value for**
**money:** the distribution of effort amongst the partners
should be consistent with their roles and responsibilities
in the work plan. The planned use of resources should be
clear, should represent value for money and all costs must
be eligible.

The above award criteria carry equal weighting with the
exception of (2) Relevance which has a double weighting.

10. **FINANCIAL CONDITIONS**

The Commission will only part-finance the proposal, the
Community subsidy being complementary to the applicant's
own contributions and/or national, regional or local grants.
Community grants are an incentive to carry out an action
which would not be able to be carried out without the
financial support of the Commission, and are based on the
principle of co-financing.

The subsidised project may not benefit from any other
Community funding for the same action.

10.1. **Financial contribution of the Community**

Up to 80 % of the total eligible costs of the proposal. The
Commission envisages that the proposals that it will finance
will require a Community funding of the order of
EUR 100 000-400 000.

The grant application must include a detailed provisional
budget (the model for which is included in the application
forms) showing expenditures and receipts, specifying in
particular the eligible costs towards which the Commission's
funding will contribute.

Where more than one subject is addressed, it should be
possible to distinguish the work relating to the different
subjects in the proposal.

Payment requests received from grant recipients will be
checked in terms of both expenditure and receipts to ensure
that no profit has been made. Grants allocated directly to the
project should of course appear as receipts in the budget of the
subsidised project.

The budgets must not include any expenses that will pre-date
or post-date the indicated proposal duration period stipulated
in the contract. Please note that the starting date for the eligibility of costs cannot be prior to the signature of the contract.

Budgets must be balanced (expenditure = revenue).

The reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses will be
based upon official rates approved by the Commission.

10.1.1. _Eligible costs_

Only the following direct costs are eligible. They must
be necessary to carry out the proposal and must be in
line with normal conditions on the market. They must
be entered into the organisation's accounts, be identifiable and verifiable.

(a) **Staffing costs** for those staff working directly on
the proposal, corresponding to their actual salaries
plus social charges. Civil servants' salaries are not
eligible;

C 170/20 EN Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003

(b) **Staff travel**, accommodation and subsistence costs
related to the carrying out of the proposal;

(c) Direct costs associated with the proposal:

— the cost of holding conferences and seminars
(organisation, travel, accommodation and
subsistence costs for participants and speakers,
interpretation costs, fees),

— information and dissemination costs (publications, books, CD ROMs, videos, Internet,
etc.), translation, dissemination and distribution
costs,

— other direct costs, including charges for
financial services, associated with the proposal
(please specify);

(d) General expenditure up to a maximum of 7 % of
the total eligible costs for the action.

Where implementation of the assisted actions requires
the award of subcontracts, beneficiaries of grants shall
award the contract to the tender offering best value for
money, that is to say to the tender offering the best
price-quality ratio, in compliance with the principles of
transparency and equal treatment for potential
contractors, care being taken to avoid any conflict of
interest.

10.1.2. _Ineligible costs_

The following costs are not eligible:

(a) ongoing operational, ongoing depreciation and
ongoing equipment costs;

(b) overheads;

(c) capital investment costs;

(d) general provisions (for losses, possible future
liabilities, etc.);

(e) contingency reserves;

(f) debts owed;

(g) interest on debts owed;

(h) charges for financial services not directly linked to
the action;

(i) bad debts receivable;

(j) exchange losses, unless specifically provided for in
exceptional cases;

(k) contributions in kind;

(l) expenditure on luxuries;

(m) other costs, not directly related to project
activities.

Contributions in kind are not eligible costs (land,
immovable property whether in its entirety or in
part, durable capital goods, raw material, unpaid
charity work by a private individual or corporate
body), but are taken into account in calculating the
rate of funding granted by the Commission for the
proposal.

11. **PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS**

11.1. **Publication**

The call for proposals will be published in the _Official Journal of_
_the European Union_ and disseminated on the Internet sites of the
DG Education and Culture programmes at the following
address:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/elearning/index.html

11.2. **Application forms**

Grant requests must be made on the official application form,
in one of the 11 official languages of the European Union.
Only typed forms will be accepted. Forms can be obtained
on the Internet in the 11 official languages of the Union, at
the abovementioned address,

or by writing to the following address:

European Commission — DG Education and Culture
‘ _e_ Learning call for proposals’
For the attention of Mrs Maruja Gutierrez-Diaz
Office: B-100 03/7
B-1049 Brussels
Fax (32-2) 296 69 92.

11.3. **Submission of the application**

The application must be sent in three complete copies plus the
original and must provide comprehensive and verifiable
information with regard to the criteria listed in points 7, 8
and 9. If necessary, further information can be supplied on
separate sheets.

A diskette or a CD-ROM containing an electronic version of
the grant application is also required.

The application must be duly completed, dated and signed
(original signatures as required), and be accompanied by an
official letter from the applicant organisation as well as the
documents proving its technical and financial capacity.

19.7.2003 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 170/21

Applicants may submit an application for a grant to the
address below:

by post, for which purposes the relevant date is to be the date
of despatch by registered post, as evidenced by the postmark;

or

by hand-delivery by the tenderer in person or by an agent,
including courier-service, to the specified address, against a
signed and dated receipt;

by **22 September 2003** at the latest.

The applicant must mark on the envelope:

‘ _e_ Learning call for proposals DG EAC 61/03’
European Commission — DG Education and Culture
For the attention of Mrs Maruja Gutierrez-Diaz
Office: B-100 03/27
B-1049 Brussels.

Please note that applications only submitted via the Internet,
fax or electronic mail will **not** be accepted.

12. **EXAMINATION AND FOLLOW-UP OF THE APPLICATIONS**

Applicants will be informed of the receipt of their application
within one month.

Only applications that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be
considered for a possible grant.

All unsuccessful applicants will be informed in writing.

The selected proposals will be subjected to a detailed financial
examination, during which the Commission may request,
within a specific deadline, further information from the
persons responsible for the proposed actions.

In the event of final approval by the Commission, a financial
contract will be concluded between the Community and the
beneficiary.

The Commission will publish the name and address of the
beneficiary, the subject of the grant and the amount and the
rate of financing. This will be done in agreement with the
beneficiary and unless publication of the information may
threaten the safety of the beneficiary or harm its business
interests. In the event that the beneficiary does not agree to
this, it should attach a detailed justification, which the
Commission will consider when deciding on the award of
the grant.

13. **SUBMISSION OF THE FINAL REPORT AND THE FINAL**

**FINANCIAL STATEMENT, AND OTHER CONTRACTUAL**

**OBLIGATIONS**

The contract between the Community and the beneficiary will
specify the amount in Euro and the terms and conditions for

funding. This contract must be signed and returned to the
Commission immediately. This agreement will only come
into effect once signed by both the beneficiary and the
Commission.

The beneficiary will receive a prefinancing payment of 40 %
within 45 days of the date when the last of the two parties
signs the agreement. Whenever the grant agreement exceeds
one year, a second prefinancing payment of 30 % will be done
within 45 days of receipt and acceptance by the Commission
of an interim report covering 12 months. The final payment
will be made within 45 days of receipt and acceptance by the
Commission of the final report and final cost breakdown. If the
final payment exceeds EUR 150 000, an external audit will be
required.

Under the terms of the funding agreement, the beneficiary
must submit a final report meant for public dissemination.
This must provide a succinct but comprehensive description
of the results of the proposal and be accompanied by copies
of any material produced (brochures, teaching material, videocassettes, multimedia supports, press cuttings, etc.), including
addresses and descriptive documentation of Internet sites or

resources.

The proposers will also be required to:

— submit a signed partnership agreement to the Commission
within 3 months of the start of the proposal,

— submit an interim report every 12 months,

— participate in the biannual ‘concertation’ meetings
organised by the Commission in Brussels, in which
similar projects are brought together to address issues of
a common interest,

— maintain a web-site promoting awareness of the proposal
and disseminating public results,

— regularly update the proposal summary, provide
contributions to the _e_ Learning portal and maintain appropriate web links.

In order to receive the second prefinancing, applicants need to
show that they have spent at least 70 % of the first one. The
Commission may require the beneficiary to lodge a bank
guarantee.

In any publication concerning the proposal, or on the occasion
of any activities for which the subsidy is used, beneficiaries
must clearly mention the support provided by the European
Union, with the following two phrases:

‘With the support of the European Commission — DirectorateGeneral for Education and Culture — _e_ Learning Initiative.’

‘The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or the opinion of the European
Commission.’

C 170/22 EN Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003

The final financial statement, to be attached to the final report,
must show actual expenditure and revenue. The beneficiary
must keep accounts of the co-financed **action** and **must**
**keep all original supporting documents for five years**
after completion of the agreement for audit purposes. After
approval of the final report, the beneficiary will receive the
final payment. An external audit of accounts by an approved
auditor may be requested by the responsible authorising officer
in support of any payment, on the basis of his analysis of risk.
The audit report must be attached to the payment request. Its
purpose is to certify that the submitted accounts are sincere,
reliable and substantiated by adequate supporting documents.

If the actual cost of the proposal turns out to be less than the
total estimated cost, the Commission will reduce its
contribution proportionally. It is therefore in the applicant's
interest to present a reasonable budget estimate.

14. **APPLICABLE RULES**

— Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25
June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the
general budget of the European Communities

http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!
prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=32002R1605&
model=guichett

— Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of
23 December 2002 (rules for the implementation of the
Council Regulation)

http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!
prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=fr&numdoc=32002R2342&
model=guichett

**CALL FOR PROPOSALS**

**Preparatory and Innovative Actions 2003/b —** _**e**_ **Learning**

**DG EAC/62/03**

(2003/C 170/11)

1. **CONTEXT (INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND**
**INFORMATION)**

The Commission launched the _e_ Learning Initiative and Action
Plan to foster the adaptation of the European Union's education
and training systems to the knowledge society, through the
effective and relevant use of information and communication
technologies and the Internet for learning (e-learning).

The _e_ Learning Action Plan ( [1] ) defines e-learning as: ‘the use of
new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the
quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and
services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration’. The
term e-learning is used throughout the text of the call with this
meaning.

At the Lisbon European Council on 23 and 24 March 2000,
the Heads of State and Government set the Union the objective
of becoming _‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven_
_economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with_
_more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’_ . The _e_ Learning
Action Plan has been designed to promote the development
of e-learning in Europe by intensifying its efforts in this area. It

( [1] ) COM(2001) 172 final, 28.3.2001, ‘The _e_ Learning Action Plan —
Designing tomorrow's education’

has four components: to support the development of proper
infrastructures and invest in research, to train European
teachers and trainers, to create favourable conditions for the
development of European educational content, services and
software and to facilitate cooperation and networking
between actors.

The _e_ Learning Action Plan also aims at involving all those in
education and training, both in the private and public sectors,
in the realisation of the potential of e-learning methods and
resources for lifelong and life-wide learning.

The _e_ Learning Action Plan operates by the mobilisation of
existing resources. For the European Commission, these are
found within the existing programmes and instruments,
which are suited to the development of e-learning projects.
However, the fast evolution and changing nature of e-learning
makes it difficult to place all these projects into an existing
programme or budget line. For example, an e-learning project
could involve different disciplines, pedagogical theories, technological developments and new logistics and concern a wide
range of actors.