Kick off – VET-WindEgersund, 15.11.2011

Anne Kloster Holst

Congratulations on your project!

Agenda

• Leonardo in Norway• The role of the National Agency

• Main contract (between beneficiary and SIU)• Partnership contracts

• Payments• Budget and financial reporting• Budget categories• Changes to contracts• Reports and expected results

• Intellectual property rights - IPR • Valorisation

Lifelong Learning Programme in Norway

• National Agency: Norwegian Centre for Internationalisation in Higher Education - SIU

• Leonardo da Vinci Programme: transfer of innovation projects partnerships mobility actions

Tasks of the National Agency

Advise on• Preparation of proposal• Start-up of project• The lifespan of the project• Interim / final report• Other issues: evaluation, dissemination...

• Participates in 1st project meeting or a later meeting• Project visits and monitoring

• Analysis and approval of interim / final reports including final products

Contracts in TOI projects

National Agency Beneficiary Partner 1

Partner 2

Partner …n

Sub-contracting (possible)

Sub-contracting (possible)

Sub-contracting (possible)

PARTNERSHIP

The contract for the VET-Wind project

• Contractual period: 20.09.2011 – 19.09.2013 (24 months)

• Interim report by: 19.11.2012 reporting period 20.09.2011 – 19.09.2012

• Final report by: 19.11.2013 reporting period 20.09.2011 – 19.09.2013

Partnership contracts

• Contract between the beneficiary and each partner

• Specifies the role of the partner: rights and obligations

• Model contract from the NA

• Partnership contracts within three months of the start of the project 20.12.2011 signed pdf-copy to NA

• “Silent partners”

Payments from NA to beneficiary

• 40 % + 40 % + 20 %

• Advances/prepayments until approved final report

• Payments from beneficiary to partner defined in partnership contract

• No payment or refunds allowed to be paid into the private account of an individual

Financial reporting - principles

• Total costs/expenditure have to be reported both Leonardo grant and own fund

• All costs reported as EURO / EURO account mandatory

• All costs have to be real costs

• All costs must be supported by receipts / invoices

• VAT is eligible only if the applicant can show that he is unable to recover it

• No costs allowed outside reporting or contractual period

• Time sheets

Audits

Article 19 in the main contract:

• The beneficiary shall keep at the NA's and Commission's disposal all original documents relating to the agreement on any appropriate medium which ensures their integrity in line with applicable national legislation, for a period of five years from the date of payment of the balance

• The National Agency (SIU) or the European Commission may carry out an audit throughout the period of implementation of the agreement until the balance is paid and for a period of five years from the date of payment of the balance

Eligible costs – general criteria

• Costs must be identifiable and verifiable

• Must be connected with the project and be provided for in the estimated project budget

• Cost eligibility period 20.09.2011 – 19.09.2013

See Grant Agreement, part B – Financial provisions

Exchange rates

• First period; (1st year)Use the exchange rate the date of the first pre-payment from NA

• The rest of the project period; (2nd year)Use the exchange rate the date of the second pre-payment from NA

• When did the cost occur?

Budget categories

a. Staff costs

b. Travel and subsistencec. Equipment costsd. Subcontractinge. Other costs

f. Indirect costs

direct

costs

indirect costs

Staff costs

• Real staff costs are reported, including actual salary plus social security charges and other statutory costs

• Staff costs must be reported to the coordinator in relation to work plan (by timesheet) and in relation to products/results

Travel costs

• Travel includes 1) travel cost: travel from the point of origin to the point of destination – tickets and invoices2) subsistence: hotels, meals, local travel costs and possible daily allowances.

• Travel costs are calculated on an individual basis

• Reimbursement is based on the existing internal rules of the partner organisation actual costs or daily allowance basis.

• Costs above the daily subsistence rates are not allowed table at www.siu.no/leonardo/videreutvikling/kontrakt

• Travels not included in the WP has to be approved by the coordinator / NA

Equipment costs (max 10%)

• Equipment costs are written off according to national rules and regulations and to usage in project

• The date of the purchase is important

• Example:Equipment bought for 1500 € / 36 = 41,67 € and used for 12 months12 x 41,67 € = 500 €

Rate of use to be taken into account: if used for 50 %, then 50 % of the depreciation can be reported

500 € x 0,5 = 250 €

Note:

• Equipment related to the administration of the project is covered by indirect costs

• Leasing is a good alternative to purchase

Subcontracting costs (max 30%)

• Written subcontracting agreements are mandatory

• The subcontractor must bill the project according to the contract

• No additional expenses/fees can be added to the sums mentioned in the contract

• Subcontracting is ALWAYS billed by a company/ organisation outside the partnership

• Invoices should NEVER be paid to an individual

• Copies of agreements and bills/receipts/invoices shall be submitted with the reports

• Claims worth more than 12 500 euro must be put to tender:

< 12.500 € - invoice 12 500 € – 25 000 € 3 tenderers/offers 25 000 € – 60 000 € 5 tenderers/offers Over 60 000 € national rules apply

Other costs

• For example: participation fees to seminars announcements in newsletters books rental of meeting rooms rental of exhibition space translation

Indirect costs

• Flat rate funding, max 7 % of the total eligible direct costs please see Consolidated budget Annex II in the main contract

• No changes are possible

• Indirect costs can include for example postage, telephone, mailing, infrastructure costs, office supplies, photocopies, costs for equipment related to project administration

• The costs need not be justified by accounting documents, however evidence on how the costs have been calculated may be requested

Changes: main contract

• Partnership• Work plan• Products• Budget, distribution to the partners• Income

• Partner: notification to coordinator who assesses the situation and makes necessary amendment applications to the NA

• Coordinator: Official approval from the NA needed

Changes: project budget

• For the budget headings, except for indirect costs, changes up to 10 % are accepted without a budget amendment, but NA should always be informed.

• Changes exceeding 10 % to the budget must be requested in writing from the NA managing the project

• Budget changes must always be approved by 1) Coordinator and 2) NA if changes exceeding 10 %

Reporting

• Interim Narrative report – what’s been achieved? Documentation

- results so far Financial report

• Final Description of end products and results Documentation

- minutes of meetings, newspaper articles etc. Dissemination activities Financial report

• Final payment based on quality of end results

• NA will control the project payments

Intellectual Property Rights - IPR

• Please discuss this early in the project cyclus!

• Define clear agreements if needed and confirm in writing

• Seek legal guidance!

• NA does not involve itself in IPR issues

What about the impact?

Defining valorisation in the Leonardo programme

• Valorisation = dissemination & exploitation of results

• Dissemination = a planned process of providing information to key parties on the quality, relevance and effectiveness of the results of the project

• Exploitation = making use of and deriving benefit from results

• Dissemination is not a separate phase at the end of a project - it is an integral part of the whole project

What does valorisation include?

All partners should be involved:

• Concrete actions writing and publishing newsletters and articles presenting the project in seminars networking on local, regional and national level committing stakeholders

• Keep trackrecord of activities

• Keep copies of documents, e.g. newspaper articles, local minutes of meetings, brochures, conference papers

• Publish, up-date and advertice the project website

Reference documents

• European Commission – Call for proposals and LLP Guidehttp://ec.europa.eu/education/llp/doc848_en.htm

• Administrative and financial rules:http://www.siu.no/leonardo/videreutvikling/kontrakt Handbook for 2011 projects Staff rates 2011 Subsistence rates 2011 Contract Amendment Request Form

• The Commission guidelines for dissemination and valorisation:ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/valorisation/index_en.html

Good luck!