Danube Transnational Programme 2nd Call for Proposals

Date de clôture : 6 juin 2017  
APPEL À PROJET CLÔTURÉ

1. Introduction

The Danube Transnational Programme is launching the second call for proposals for its priorities 1, 2 and 3. The Programme offers financial support to transnational projects contributing to the development of a more innovative, better accessible and sustainable Danube Region. The programme has been designed under the territorial cooperation goal of the European Union. In practice, the programme combines financing from the EU structural funds - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the EU external funds – Instrument for Pre- Accession Assistance (IPA II) and European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI).

2. Objectives and priorities

Danube Transnational Programme supports the policy integration in the Danube area through projects addressing key challenges and opportunities of the region. The strategic vision is “policy integration” in specific fields of action below the EU-level (not duplicating efforts in policy integration at the EU-level e.g. TEN-T) and above the national level. Transnational projects should influence national, regional and local policies (policy driver).

In order to achieve a higher degree of territorial integration of the very heterogeneous Danube region, the transnational cooperation programme will act as a policy driver aiming to tackle the common challenges and needs deriving from specific policy fields. Therefore, transnational cooperation is expected to deliver tangible results through the development and practical implementation of policy frameworks, tools and services. To this end, the programme looks to promote concrete pilot investments.

The Second call for proposals is open to the Specific Objectives 1.2, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 3.2, restricted to specific topics for the other SOs, and closed for SO 4.1, according to the following table:

Specific Objectives:
Restriction for the 2nd Call for Proposal:

SO 1.1 Open: restricted to commercialisation of research results and technology transfer; cluster policies and transnational cluster cooperation based on smart specialisation approaches; management of intellectual property rights for supporting innovation
TOT 7,016,115.42 EUR

SO 1.2: Open (unrestricted)
TOT 14,552,145.78 EUR

SO 2.1: Open: restricted to flood prevention (monitoring / early warning systems; preventive solutions) and/or water quality management (e.g. harmonised monitoring and assessment systems and solutions, measures to reduce nutrient and hazardous substance pollution, more efficient waste water treatment solutions)
TOT 3,562,460.58 EUR

SO 2.2 Open (unrestricted)
TOT 10,989,513.66 EUR

SO 2.3 Open (unrestricted)
TOT 5,167,872.25 EUR

SO 2.4 Open (unrestricted)
TOT 6,832,850.10 EUR

SO 3.1: Open: restricted to multi/ inter-modality (especially inclusive but not limited to rail and air transport), transport safety (inclusive of ITS, if applicable), IWT fleet modernisation, connectivity of rural areas and improvement of public transport
TOT 6,506,903.87 EUR


SO 3.2: Open (unrestricted)
TOT 5,280,803.34 EUR

S0 4.1: CLOSED

In the restricted Specific Objectives, only the topics addressed and outlined in the table above will be considered for financing, based on the quality assessment.

3. Funds allocated for the call and co-financing

The programme will allocate up to 50,834,974.48 EUR of ERDF, 4,420,498.53 EUR of IPA and 4,653,192.00 EUR of ENI to the second call for proposals. The maximum EU contribution to the projects is 85% (for ERDF, IPA and ENI project partners).

4. Timeframe

The call will be open from 09.05.2017.

The AF and its annexes have to be submitted to the Joint Secretariat by 15:00 Central European Time on 06.06.2017 through this link: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/calls/calls- for-proposals/second-call-for-proposals/dtp-second-call-for-proposals-application-form.

5. Duration of projects

The duration of projects must not exceed 36 months. This limit applies for the operative phase of the project and does not comprise the preparation phase.

6. LP principle

Each project has to appoint a lead partner who is responsible for preparation and submission of the application form. In case of approval of the project, the lead partner takes over the full responsibility for management, communication, implementation, and coordination of activities among the involved partners. The lead partner bears legal responsibility for the whole partnership. The lead partner is also the link between the project and the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat (MA/JS) of the Programme.

The following institutions can be lead partners:

 Local, regional, national public bodies/ bodies governed by public law (including EGTCs in the meaning of Article 2(16) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013)

 International organisations  Private non-profit bodies

Lead Partners have to be located in an EU Member State of the Programme Area.

7. Eligible partners

The following institutions are eligible to apply:

 Local, regional, national public bodies/ bodies governed by public law officially registered in the Programme Area (including EGTCs in the meaning of Article 2(16) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 registered in one country the programme area)

 International organisations
Private bodies (including private enterprises registered in a EU Member State of the programme area)

Availability of ENI funds for partners from Moldova and Ukraine will be under the condition that the revised DTP Cooperation Programme is officially adopted by the EC and the Financing Agreements between the concerned countries, the EC and the MA/JS are signed.

Compliance of the control systems of the partner states and conclusion of Financing Agreement for IPA/ENI countries are conditions for the reimbursement of the partners of the approved projects.

8. Partnership requirements

The Programme covers 14 countries, 9 of them EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany-Baden Württemberg and Bayern, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and 5 non-member states (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine). As a general rule, EU financing is only provided to project partners located in the Programme Area.

Each project has to involve at least three financing partners from three different countries of the programme area: the Lead Partner and at least two project partners. Out of these financing partners, at least one, the Lead Partner, has to be located on the territory of an EU Member state of the Programme area.

Applicants located outside the programme area but within the EU are not eligible to apply for funding as project partners in the 2nd call.

9. One step procedure

The second call of the Danube Transnational Programme is organised according to a one-step procedure. Applicants are requested to submit electronically, through the programme website, the Application Package, including a fully developed Application Form (AF), which will contain in-depth information about the content and it will be the basis for the selection of the project proposals.

The following documents, part of the Application Package, are compulsory to be submitted:

 Application Form
 Declaration of co-financing (for all ERDF/IPA/ENI partners)  State aid declaration (for all ERDF/IPA/ENI partners)
 Partnership Agreement
 Declaration for International Organisations (only if applicable)  ASP declaration (only if applicable)

The application and selection procedure is detailed in PART 5 of the Applicants Manual.

Application process:

•   The Application Form, composed by a PDF, an Excel document and its annexes, part of the Application Package, can be downloaded here and have to be submitted through this link.

•   All selected proposals will go through a condition clearing exercise, where, among other requirements to be fulfilled, the final project data will have to be inserted in the DTP electronic data exchange system (eMS).

10. Programme Language

The official language of the programme is English. Therefore, all communication between applicants and the MA/JS is carried out in English. Information in application forms as well as official correspondence must be treated accordingly.

11.Relevant documents

The following official programme documents are to be read before the submission of a proposal:

 Danube Cooperation Programme;
 Applicants Manual;
 Guidelines for the Application Form.

The programme provides tools (e.g. project idea and partner search tool) to facilitate the generation of project and to support applicants in the project development process. For general advice on the Programme matters, please contact: danube@interreg-danube.eu.