Glossary
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Alpine Convention
Framework convention having as the main purposes the safeguard of the Alpine natural ecosystem and the strengthening of a sustainable development in the area, promoting economics and cultural interests of the resident population.
The convention is an international treaty signed by all 8 Alpine States (Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland & the EU) composed by 9 thematic protocols.
To know more about the Alpine Convention’s main bodies, activities and aims, please click here.
Alpine Space contact point
Each Partner State of the Alpine Space programme has a contact point, securing a link between the transnational and the national/regional level in the programme implementation. The contact point assists project partners during the project generation, application and implementation.
For more information on the programme management, please click here.
Alpine Space programme (ASP)
Interreg B programme of transnational territorial cooperation co-financing projects for sustainable regional development in the Alps from the European Regional Development Fund.
Application form (AF)
Binding document which describes the project (objectives, results, outputs, partnership) and gives detailed information on the work plan and financial figures. The AF has to be submitted in the second step of project application process and is assessed by the programme bodies, in order to select the projects to be funded by the programme. Once the project is approved, the AF becomes the reference document for the whole implementation of the project until its closure. The content of it may change to a certain extent during the implementation, but only according to the programme’s project modifications rules and procedures.
Assessment procedure
Is a standardised and transparent procedure carried out by programme bodies that allows selection of projects for co-financing. Assessment procedure is carried out after 1st and after the 2nd step of the application procedure. It consists of eligibility check and evaluation against the assessment criteria.
See also Selection procedure and Eligibility criteria.
Audit authority
The audit authority is one of the Alpine Space programme bodies.
To read more about the responsibilities of this body click here.
Call for project proposal
Competition round, where the programme bodies ‘call’ for project proposals. Specific Terms of References (ToRs) trace the guiding principles to be applied to the above mentioned call. The opening and closing dates of the call are decided by the programme committee. Depending on the availability of funds, it is foreseen to launch one call per year. As soon as a call is launched, it will be announced on this website.
For more information, please contact your relevant ACP or the JS.
Cooperation area
Programme’s eligible area composed of regions belonging to the 7 Partner States (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Lichtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland). To see the cooperation area map, please click here. Moreover, also activities carried out outside the cooperation area can be considered eligible.
E-monitoring system (eMS)
eMS is a programme monitoring system through which all necessary project and programme information is collected and stored. The programme bodies also use the eMS to communicate with beneficiearies electronically via a secure online portal.
Eligibility criteria
These are sets of criteria which are used by JS and ACPs to perform the eligibility check which is the 1st step of the project assessment procedure. Compliance with these criteria assures that the EoI or AF meet the basic programme and call for proposals requirements. Only if the proposal passes the eligibility check, it is further evaluated against assessment criteria. Failure to comply with any of these criteria leads to outright rejection of the application/EoI.
See also Selection procedure.
ERDF co-financing
The programme financial support provided to the project from ERDF. Combined with contribution it forms the total project budget.
European Commission (EC)
For all the necessary information, please click here.
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
An EU fund which is used to invest into several key priority areas, such as, “Innovation & Research”, “Digital agenda”, “Support of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and “Low-carbon economy”.The ERDF “aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.”*
Read more about the ERDF here.
*Source: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf/
European Territorial Cooperation (ETC)
“ETC, better known as Interreg, is one of the two goals of cohesion policy and provides a framework for the implementation of joint actions and policy exchanges between national, regional and local actors from different Member States.”* The ETC’s central goal is to promote a well-balanced economic, social and territorial development within the EU and with EU neighbour states. Interreg comprises the following fields of cooperation: cross-border (Interreg A), transnational (Interreg B) and interregional (Interreg C). Interreg is currently in its fifth programming period (2014–2020), it first started in 1990.
Read more about the ETC here.
*Source: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/de/policy/cooperation/european-territorial/
European Union (EU)
For all the necessary information, please click here.
Expression of interest (EoI)
A short version of the application form which is used at the first application stage when programmes are using two-step approach to project application. The content of it is not binding in the case of submitting the full application form in the second step, but it should not depart significantly from what was initially proposed.
Fact sheet
A document giving all the most important information about the programme main issues (e.g. projects selection, project implementation, project closure, etc). A collection of fact sheets can be found in the Programme implementation handbook (PIH).
Final project report
The last report to be submitted to the joint secretariat, either after or with the last progress report. In HIT it does not include any financial reporting.
See also Progress report.
First level control (FLC) certificate
Certificate based on expenses clearly justified and declared eligible for ERDF co-financing. Each project participant must have its expenditure certified by a designated FLCB, in the form of a FLC certificate. The FLC certificates have to be submitted together with a corresponding progress report or status report.
See also First level control body.
First level control body (FLCB)
These are institutions or departments designated by the first level control coordinating body to carry out the first level controls, verifying the legality and regularity of the expenditure declared by beneficiary. The organisation of the first level control and procedures for selection and designation of the first level control bodies are laid down in the first level control system of the Member State.
See also First level coordinating body and First level control system.
First level control coordinating body
The Member States designate public bodies responsible for the first level control coordination. Their main tasks are to coordinate the set up and maintenance of the description of the national first control system, designation and coordination of FLCB, distribution of programme relevant information, documents and forms to FLCB, contact point in case of (eligibility) questions for FLCB and programme bodies, organisation of seminars for FLCB.
See also First level control body and First level control system.
First level control system
In order to verify the expenditure of project partners, each Member State sets up a first level control system and designate the controllers responsible for verifying the legality and regularity of the expenditure declared by each beneficiary established on its territory. These control systems are either organised in a centralised (that means a central (public) body is appointed to carry out the first level controls) or in a decentralised manner (that means that more than one body is appointed to carry out the first level controls).
See also Second level control.
Interact
As part of the Interreg Community Initiative, the Interact programme was established to provide more information and to facilitate the flow of best practices coming from the Interreg initiative.
For more information, please click here.
Interreg
Please see European Territorial Cooperation (ETC).
Joint secretariat (JS)
The joint secretariat is one of the Alpine Space programme bodies.
To read more about the responsibilities of this body click here.
Lead partner
Project participant taking the overall responsibility for the development and the implementation of a project. Each lead partner is expected to conclude the partnership agreement (with its project partners) and the subsidy contract (with the managing authority), ensure a sound cross-border/transnational project management as well as the project implementation, and transfer the ERDF payments to the single partners in due time.
See also Project participants, Lead partner, Project partner and EoI lead partner.
Managing authority (MA)
The managing authority is one of the Alpine Space programme bodies.
To read more about the responsibilities of this body click here.
Observer
Project partner participating in the project without receiving any ERDF co-funding directly. Travel and accommodation costs to project meetings and events could be covered by project participants under external experts and services. Project observers are listed in the application form with indication of involvement in project activities.
See also Project participants, Lead partner and Project partner.
Partnership agreement
Contract signed between the lead partner and all project partners containing all duties and responsibilities of each project partner before, during and after the project implementation.
Progress report
A written document describing the findings of an assessment that takes place during the project by project partners, that conveys details such as what objectives have been achieved, what resources have been expended, what problems have been encountered, and whether the project is expected to be completed on time and within budget. It consist of activity and finance part.
See also Final project report (activity part and financial part).
Project assessment
One part of the project selection process. It implies in-depth quality assessment of the project application.
See also Selection procedure.
Project idea
Is an outline of the project proposal, thus not an official submission of a project proposal. It is prepared by project applicants for the purpose of mutual understanding of their project concept, for partner search and for communication with ACPs and JS. Project ideas can be submitted through the programme website. More information can be found here.
See also Project proposal.
Programme manual
Dedicated fact sheets providing relevant information for different phases of project cycle (project generation, application, contracting and implementation). It should serve as guidance for potential partners, project participants and programme bodies. It includes also relevant forms and guidance for their completion.
Project main output
The outcome of the activities funded, telling us what has actually been produced for the money given to the project. It can be captured by a programme output indicator, and directly contributes to the achievement of the project result.
See also Project outcome.
Project main result
The immediate advantage of carrying out the project, telling us about the benefit of using the project main outputs. It should indicate the change the project is aiming for. It contributes to the programme result indicator.
See also Project main output.
Project outcome
Intended situation, which is a combination of project results, outputs and deliverables, at the end of the project or soon after.
See also Project main result and Project main output.
Project overall objective
Provides overall context for what the project is trying to achieve, and aligns to programme priority specific objective. It relates to the strategic aspects of the project.
See also Project specific objective.
Project participant
Project participants of a project are the lead partner and the project partners.
See also Project partner and Lead partner
Project partner
Partner organisations involved in the implementation of approved project. The lead partner coordinates the project partners.
See also Project applicant, Project participants, Lead partner and Observer.
Project proposal
When the project idea is officially submitted to the call of the programme via an expression of interest (EoI) form on the eMS, it becomes a project proposal. Once the project proposal is approved it becomes a project.
See also Project idea.
Project specific objective
A concrete statement describing what the project is trying to achieve. It refers to the project main outputs. It can be evaluated at the conclusion of a project to see whether it was achieved or not.
Regional policy of the EU
EU Policy whose aims are to mitigate and overcome the regional disparities of growth and development within the EU.
Second level control
Second level controls are sample checks organised by the programme at Member State level. They are carried out on a sample of operations selected by a random statistical sampling method. These controls are carried out every twelve months. The audits are performed by an external audit firm under the supervision of the audit authority and the group of auditors in the Alpine Space programme.
See also Audit authority and Group of auditors.
Selection procedure
Refers to the 1st and 2nd step of the application procedure.
See also Assessment procedure and Eligibility criteria.
Statement of expenditure
To be submitted together with the payment application to the EC by the CA.
Subsidy contract
Grant agreement between the contracting authority (managing authority) and the lead partner.
Task force (TF)
A task force (TA) is an Alpine Space programme body.
To read more about the responsibilities of this body click here.
Terms of references (ToR)
Specific rules applying to a call for project proposals. Every call for proposals has its specific terms of references setting its frame and conditions that have to be met for successful project application.
