FAQ
Frequently asked questions from applicants and project partners on project generation and application are answered on this page. They complete or explicit the information of the programme manual.
Frequently asked questions
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The programme has rules on the minimum and maximum size of a partnership, which are at least 4 project partners from 4 countries and max. 15 project partners (including the lead partner and non-EU partners). Priority 4 projects are encouraged to limit the number of partners in the partnership to 10.
Overall, experience shows that a number between eight and twelve partners seems adequate for a successful implementation. The ideal size is determined by the objectives of the projects and the competences needed to implement it; a good balance should also be sought in terms of territory and type of partners (e.g. administrations, business support, NGOs, private sectors, etc.).
When defining the partnership, the following questions might be helpful: Which partners does the project need to be able to achieve the project objectives and results? Which partners are able to influence policies or procedures to enable that the envisaged changes in the chosen field?
What is an ideal number of partners in a project?
The programme has rules on the minimum and maximum size of a partnership. For classic projects 7 to 12 partners from at least 4 different countries of the programme area (including the lead partner and non-EU partners) shall be involved, while partnership of small-scale projects shall consist of 3 to 6 partners from at least three different countries of the programme area.
Project applicants are strongly encouraged to consider the reference values as outlined above. Deviation may be accepted in well-justified cases only.
The perfect size is determined by the objectives of the projects and the competences needed to implement it; a good balance should also be sought in terms of territory and type of partners (e.g. administrations from different levels, business support organisation, research institutes, NGOs.). When defining the partnership, the following questions might be helpful: Which partners does the project need to be able to achieve the project objectives and results? Which partners have key competencies to influence policies or procedures to enable the envisaged changes?
What is the role of observers and what is a good quality network of observers?
Observers may have different roles in a project. They may enrich the partnership with expertise in the chosen field and/or promote the project results among target groups. They may test project outputs or implement them at the end of the project. Ideally, they support the uptake of results at policy level. Therefore, not the number of observers, but their relevance within the chosen topic to achieve the envisaged results is important. Observers contribute on a voluntary basis and are not eligible to ERDF support. Moreover the participation of observers has no impact on the assessment and scoring of project applications.
Where can I get information on projects that have already been funded?
There are several possibilities to find co-financed Interreg projects, which were implemented already in former periods or which are still running that you can check on similarities or synergies: On EU-wide level the Interact database keep.eu includes projects from the running funding period 2014-2020 as well as from previous funding periods (2000 – 2006, 2007 -2013).
All websites of Alpine Space projects 2014 – 2020 can be accessed via an overview on the programme website 2014-2020, where you can search by priorities, topics and location of partners.
You can find the main outputs achieved by projects in the period 2014 – 2020 in our project outputs library.
If you would like to check especially Alpine Space projects from 2007 – 2013 the programme offers an overview on previous projects including their outputs and results which can be found on the following website: http://www.alpine-space.org/2007-2013
In order to boost EU-wide policy learning and capitalisation on practices from regional development policies, the Interreg Europe developed The Policy Learning Platform, a space for continuous learning where the policymaking community in Europe can tap into the know-how of experts and peers.
How many work packages can we foresee in the AF?
For small-scale projects, only one WP shall be inserted.
For classic projects, it is recommended to foresee about three WPs. Only in well justified cases more than three (but with a maximum of five) WPs shall be set up. It should be considered that each WP is linked to a separate project-specific objective.
What is the difference between an output and a deliverable?
Outputs are products delivered by the partnership as a result of the activities conducted during the project implementation. They must answer the needs of the target groups and, at the same time, demonstrate durability and transferability beyond the project partnership. Equally important is the fact that project outputs should be measurable and contribute to the programme output indicators. In the Alpine Space programme three different types of project outputs have been defined: all of which are fully described in the programme manual.
On the other hand, a project deliverable is a side product that contributes to the development of an activity whose purpose is to support the completion of an output, either on its own or in combination with other activities. Each activity should include one or more deliverables (e.g. analysis report, feasibility study, etc.) that contribute to the achievement of project outputs. All small steps of a single activity, such as stakeholder meeting documentations, working groups etc., do not need to be listed as separate deliverables, but should be aggregated into one deliverable, e.g. a qualitative report describing the stakeholder involvement.
What is the relation or difference between an output and a result?
Please read section A2 of the programme manual. An output is the product that is achieved with a set of activities contained in a workpackage. Result (indicators) measure the direct effects of project outputs with particular reference to their direct addressees (i.e. project beneficiaries and target groups). The result is the uptake of the output by organisations. It is an indication that the output (solution) that was developed is being used, was adopted and contributes to the implementation of policies, ultimately leading to a change on the ground.
What is to be understood as “jointly developed solution”?
The programme has selected the following two output indicators that shall capture the achievements of its co-funded projects: “pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects (RCO84)” and “jointly developed solutions (RCO116)”. Jointly developed solutions are products that shall have an implementation-oriented character. To give you an indication, you can see what is meant by solutions, when reading through the indicative actions listed under priority / specific objective of the Interreg Programme, your project is contributing to. Solutions can be tool-boxes, instruments, models, concepts/methods, action plans, roadmaps, processes…
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Persona (an archetypal user for whom the product or service is being designed)
What target figure should I put when I plan pilot activities? Should the figure correspond to the n° of pilot activities I plan in my project?
The definition suggests that “pilot actions” under RCO84 must be jointly developed and jointly implemented. This means that you should count the concept the project consortium has jointly developed and the pilot activities deriving from it, which are being implemented in the territory, as ONE “pilot action jointly developed and jointly implemented”. You should not count each single pilot activity implemented by single partners.
What should I do if I plan an output that does neither fit into the category “pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects (RCO84)” nor “jointly developed solutions (RCO116)”?
If the output (product) you have planned to achieve with activities in a work package is no “pilot action” and no “solution”, and therefore does not fit the categories RCO84 and RCO116, you should select “other”. This could for instance be the case if you intend to develop outputs, which have a more strategic character, such as strategies, policy briefs or recommendations for instance.
Does the lead applicant have the responsibility to collect and upload national requirements in the JEMS?
No, it is not in the responsibility of the lead applicant to collect at project level the information requested on national level. Consequently also any related documents should not be uploaded in the JeMS. If there are any national requirements, these shall be addressed directly by the single project partner to the relevant Alpine Space contact point.
Does the programme co-finance infrastructure?
No, infrastructure investments cannot be co-financed.
How to allocate the activities and budget related to project management and communication to the single work packages?
As regards the activities related to project management and communication, these shall be described in section C.7 and C.4 of the application form. Communication activities have to be detailed at WP level (“communication objectives and target groups”); while project management is to be addressed at project level only.
Concerning the budget allocation, there is no splitting of the total budget to the single work packages foreseen. Consequently, the budget related to project management and communication needs to be allocated to the respective cost categories and reporting periods only.
Which rules do apply if a private project participant intends to contract an affiliated organisation?
Chapter B.3 of the programme manual (“eligibility rules”) says that expenses of organisations contracted via in-house-procurement can be considered as eligible as long as based on verified actual and eligible costs without any additional fees charged. The respective expenses shall be reported in the cost categories they would normally belong to if directly incurred by the beneficiary. The present eligibility rules therefore apply in full to organisations contracted via in-house procurement too (i.e. staff costs calculation for an employee of such an organisation is the same as the one for an employee of the project partner; flat rates selected by the beneficiary in the approved application form to cover costs in single cost categories do also apply one-to-one for the in-house-procured party). The same rule shall apply to contracts concluded between public bodies falling outside the scope of the EU public procurement directive (Article 12 (4) of Directive 2014/24/EU).
Consequently, it has to be considered, that the eligibility rules are also linked to the different simplified cost options selected. Travel and accommodation costs as well as any office and administration costs of “in-house procured” contracted parties can only be considered on the basis of the defined flat rates. If in addition any other simplified cost options have been selected on the level of the contracting partner (such as 20% flat rate for staff costs or 40% of other costs), these do also apply for the “in-house” procured party.
What should I do if my project is planning to use background intellectual property rights (IPR)? Is it possible to regulate this in the Partnership Agreement (PA)?
The PA is provided to applicants as a standard template. It is nonetheless possible to add IPR regulation in it. Please do however always consult the Managing Authority (MA) before implementing any changes: the MA will confirm on a case by case basis if the changes you propose are fine. In this case, the draft PA should be sent at the latest 10 days before project submission deadline at the address js@alpine-space.eu.
For any other information regarding the PA you can also consult the “Partnership agreement guidance” which you can find in the “Application Kit” under the Project applicants’ webpage.
