2007-2013 Programmes : Project Eligibility
The Lowlands and Uplands Programmes are governed by a common set of principles:
Eligibility of Expenditure - National Rules on Eligibility of Expenditure apply to both ERDF and ESF projects and differ from those issued in previous Programme periods. Projects applying for European funding must be discrete and additional to the core functions of organisations. Spending must be closely accounted for and there are changes to the treatment of some costs, such as in-kind contributions and staffing costs.
Eligibility of Applicants - As a general rule, only public sector bodies are eligible to apply for grant. All organisations must now Register before making an application to confirm their eligibility status.
Eligible Activities - these are detailed in the ESF and ERDF Operational Programmes. Chapter 4 in each of these documents specifies the eligible activities under each Priority.
Minimum Project Size - For Lowlands and Uplands Scotland, eligible projects must have minimum annual average eligible projects costs of £200,000. Applicants could consider grouping projects with complementary activities or in different areas into one application to meet this threshhold.
Multi-annual funding - Applicants can apply for funding for up to three years for revenue projects, although continued commitment will depend on applicants demonstrating progress in the implementation of their projects. Capital projects, as before, should be for the costs of providing the infrastructure/facilities.
Application Rounds - One application round per year is planned. Calls for applications and the subsequent appraisal process will run concurrently for all Priorities under both the ESF and ERDF Programmes.
Additionality - Grants will be subject to additionality and complement funding from other sources. The projects must likewise be additional to existing activities.
Evaluation - Projects will be subject to on-going evaluation. Programmes will now have to meet expenditure targets set by the European Union to ensure activities contribute to the Lisbon goals for employment and economic growth. For the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland 75 per cent of targets must be spent towards Lisbon targets.
Match funding - The rules concerning match funding have changed. Once match funding has been confirmed at application stage and this has been approved there cannot be any changes to this confirmed match funding. In the event of the project under spending this will result in a reduction to the European Structural Funds grant. In some circumstances, where there are substantial project under spends, the confirmed match funding will be sufficient to cover project expenditure and the European Structural Funds grant could be de-committed in full.
Private sector match-funding - In the early stages of the Programme period private sector match-funding was not eligible for Structural Funds support. However, from 2010 a change to the ERDF Programme was agreed by the European Commission to allow private sector match-funding to used in calculating the intervention rate in a project. However, for the ESF Programme private sector funding remains ineligible.
Strategic Focus - The Programmes will focus much more on certain issues such as research and innovation. There will also be a greater emphasis on supporting strategic projects in the period 2007-2013 that will leave a long-term legacy for the Scottish economy. Project appraisal will therefore pay particular attention to the areas of strategic fit and sustainability of projects.
Policy context - Applications are expected to fit within a hierarchy of policy contexts, at European Union, UK and Scotland levels.
Partnership - The Programmes will encourage, though not insist on, a partnership approach to project development and implementation.
Horizontal Themes - Applicants will be expected to demonstrate how their projects comply with the three Horizontal Themes of sustainability, equal opportunities and social inclusion.
Geographical Targeting - For certain Priorities eligibility will be limited to particular regions. Details on geographical targeting are available under the relevant Priority section of the website. Eligible areas will be reviewed annually in advance of each round of the Programmes by the Scottish Government and update published on this website.
Publicity - Acknowledgement of European Structural Fund support for projects must be made by all applicants..
