Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)
Unit A1 – COSME
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
European Strategic Partnerships for smart specialisation investments
COS-CLUSPARTNS-2017-03-02
Questions and Answers
Ver. 30.01.2018
Questions received after 1 March 2018 17h CET will not be answered anymore.
Submission deadline: 8 March 2018 at 17h00 Brussels time
INDEX
A. Introduction and background
B. Objective(s) – Theme(s) – Activities - Outputs
C. Timetable
D. Budget available and funding of actions
E. Admissibility Requirements
F. Eligibility Criteria
G. Exclusion Criteria
H. Selection criteria
I. Award criteria
J. Legal commitments
K. Administrative Review Procedures
L. Financial provisions
M. Reporting requirements
N. Publicity
O. Data Protection
P. Procedure for the submission of proposals
A. Introduction and background
A.1 Question:
On page 5 the call for proposal makes reference to the “High-Level Expert Group on Clusters”. Could you please specify if this refers to the “Thematic Group Clusters atEnterprise Europe Network(EEN)”?
Answer:
No, the “High-Level Expert Group on Clusters” is not related to the Enterprise Europe Network. As mentioned in the call text, the set-up of the High-Level Expert Group on Clusters was announced in the Renewed EU Industrial Policy Strategy. The Expert Group will be established in 2018 with the purpose to provide recommendations on how to better use clusters as a strategic tool of industrial policy. It will be supported by the work of the European Cluster Policy Forum under the European Observatory for Clusters and Industrial Change.
B. Objective(s) – Theme(s) – Activities - Outputs
B.1 Question:
If a deliverable relates to activities undertaken throughout the whole project period (e.g. report on communication activities of the project), can it be indicated that this deliverable will be delivered in month 25 even if the project duration is 24 months? What would be the correct way to indicate it?
Answer:
In such case the deliverable will be due in the last month of the project duration, as all project related activities have to be finalised before the end date of the project (with the exception of the final report).
B.2 Question:
Are the thematic areas not yet covered by RIS3 limited to Industrial Modernisation as the call for proposal suggests?
Answer:
As explained in section 2.2 on pages 10 and 11, the focus of this call is to encourage the partnering process in relation to the key divers of industrial modernisation and examples for what falls under this term are given in the texts. Questions about the focus of applicant consortia or topics cannot be answered in advance. This is the task and sole responsibility of the Evaluation Committee, which is only meeting after the submission of proposals.
C. Timetable
D. Budget available and funding of actions
E. Admissibility Requirements
F. Eligibility Criteria
F.1 Question:
We have submitted a proposal in the "Call for proposals "Clusters Go International in the Defence & Security sector "COS–CLUSINT-2017-03-6".
We are thinking to submit a proposal also in the "Call for proposalsEuropean Strategic Cluster Partnerships for smart specialisation investments COS-CLUSTPARTNS-2017-03-02".
In the "Call for proposals" document, we read that "Consortia must verify and declare through their coordinator that none of their members participates in another proposal within this call for proposals. If such case is detected by the funding body, it will lead to the exclusion of the organisation concerned from all respective proposals."
Our question is: is it possible to present 2 proposals (one for each of the 2 above mentioned calls) or not?
Answer:
As per the call for proposals, section 6.2 "Eligible consortia", the consortia must verify and declare through their coordinator that none of their members participates in another proposal within this call for proposals. If such case is detected by the funding body, it will lead to the exclusion of the organisation concerned from all respective proposals. The respective consortia affected by the exclusion of (a) partner(s) must still fulfil the eligibility criteria as stipulated in sections 6.1 and 6.2 in order to be considered eligible.
This paragraph relates only to the call for proposals COS-CLUSPARTNS-2017-03-02 and not to other calls.
F.2 Question:
The call for proposals reports that applicants must be established in EU Member States and countries participating in the COSME programme (p.21), on the footnote n°70 at point c. there is a link to the updated list of eligible third countries participating to COSME.
About Southern Neighborhood Countries listed below is not clear if Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia are considered eligible or not according to the following sentence reporting that no formal expression of interest has been received from Southern countries.
Answer:
These countries are not participating in COSME. However applicants from these countries can be involved in the project without receiving EU funding.
F.3 Question:
Are also SMEs and Regional Authorities eligible?
Answer:
According to section 6.1 of the callfor proposals, onlyclusterorganisationsor business networkorganizationsor technologycentresor science parks are eligible. Regional authorities and SMEs are only eligible to participate in a European Strategic Cluster Partnership if they act as a cluster organisation or business network organisation or technology centre or science park
involved in supporting the enhancement of collaboration, networking and learning in innovation clusters to stimulate innovation activities, in line with the example given in section 6.1 b) of the call for proposals.
F.4 Question:
Does a partnership who already submitted a proposal under the call for expression of interests "Towards European Strategic Cluster Partnerships for smart specialisation investments" have to present the same proposal for the COS-CLUSTPARTNS-2017-3-02 call? If yes, does it need to extend/modify the proposal in order to fulfil the requirements stated on the call?
Answer:
Only proposals that will be submitted via the participant portal for this call will be evaluated. The call for expressions of interests "Towards European Strategic Cluster Partnerships for smart specialisation investments" that was published under the European Cluster Collaboration Platform encouraged the partnering process but it did not include the option of submitting proposals. Therefore, you are free to modify or extend any information indicated in relation to the partner search expression of interest for the application to this call.
F.5 Question:
Can a member of a partnership that already presented a proposal on the call for expression of interests "Towards European Strategic Cluster Partnerships for smart specialisation investments" be part of another partnership presenting a different proposal under this call?
Answer:
Yes, it is possible. Only proposals that will be submitted via the participant portal for this call will be evaluated. What is important is that each member of a consortium verifies that within this call for proposals it does not feature in two applications, as otherwise, this organisation will be excluded from all respective proposals as highlighted in section 6.2 of the call for proposals.
F.6 Question:
Is a Cluster organized in the form of non-recognized association (according the Italian law)
eligible? This cluster will soon become a legal entity according to the new Italian Regulation.
Answer:
As stipulated in art. 6.1 of the call for proposals applicants must be a legal entity with a legal personality. This may include both profit-making or non-for-profit legal entities as well as fully or partly public or private bodies. In the case of private bodies, they must be properly constituted and registered under national law.
F.7 Question:
Is the legal entity in the form of “District” (“Distretto” in Italian) eligible for this call?
Answer:
As stipulated in art. 6.1 of the call for proposals applicants must be a legal entity with a legal personality. This may include both profit-making or non-for-profit legal entities as well as fully or partly public or private bodies. In the case of private bodies, they must be properly constituted and registered under national law.
F.8 Question:
Could any partnership of the ones in place http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/thematic-areas submit a project proposal to this call?
Answer:
The evaluation criteria indicated for this call for proposals are highlighted in section 6, which states that eligible applicants must represent a cluster organisation or business network organisation or technology centre or science park in line with the examples given therein. The teaming up of these organisations is foreseen to complement the ongoing mobilisation of interregional RIS3 partnerships of regional authorities, as explained on page 11 of the call. If any the applicant organisations have already joined an interregional RIS3 partnership, they can still apply as a member of a European Strategic Cluster Partnership for smart specialisation investments.
G. Exclusion Criteria
G.1 Question:
In section 7.4 Supporting documents a declaration on honor certifying that the applicants are not in one of the situations referred to Articles 106(1) and 107 FR is requested. Where is it possible to find the form for this declaration on honor? It is supposed to be attached to the application form (Description of the action, Technical annex 1) but the annex 1, 2, 3 of the document does not make any reference to the above mentioned articles.
Answer:
The declaration on honour is generated automatically by the application form and will be signed by the coordinator on behalf of the whole consortium during the submission process.
H. Selection criteria
I. Award criteria
J. Legal commitments
K. Administrative Review Procedures
L. Financial provisions
M. Reporting requirements
N. Publicity
O. Data Protection
P. Procedure for the submission of proposals
5