Financial and legal aspect in the
context of proposal preparation
Marija Šola, MSc.
Project manager
University of Belgrade
School of Electrical Engineering
Useful documents regarding to financial aspect of the project proposals
• Call Fich
• Guide for applicants
• Guide for legal and financial viability checking
• Guide to Financial Issues relating to ICT PSP Grant
Agreements
Call Fiche
• Call identifier: CIP-ICT PSP-2013-7
• Date of publication: 22 December 20121
• Closure date: 14 May 2013, at 17h00, Brussels local time2
• Indicative budget : 125.73 M€
• Funding instruments
Guide for applicants
• Guide for Applicants (Pilot A)
• Guide for Applicants (Pilot B)
• Guide for Applicants (Thematic Network - TN)
• Guide for Applicants (Best Practice Network - BPN)
• Guide for Applicants (Public Procurement of Innovative
solutions Pilot - PPI)
Guide for legal and financial viability checking
• This guide is made available for assisting participants who
are invited for project negotiation following the evaluation
of their proposal ( only for coordinators).
• Content
– VERIFICATION OF THE EXISTENCE AND THE LEGAL STATUS OF
PARTICIPANTS
– VERIFICATION OF THE OPERATIONAL CAPACITY
– VERIFICATION OF THE FINANCIAL CAPACITY: IMPLEMENTATION
RULES
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
• This source outline information useful for preparation
project proposals and the whole project duration.
• Following the positive evaluation of a proposal, the
coordinator is invited by email to commence negotiations
with the Commission for a Grant Agreement.
• Model Grant Agreement
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
• This guide is aimed at assisting beneficiaries and
coordinators during preparation and implementation
projects.
• Guide to Financial Issues relating to ICT PSP Grant
Agreements
• Content
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CORE GRANT AGREEMENT
ANNEX II – GENERAL CONDITIONS
ANNEX 1 - FINANCIAL STATEMENT - PILOT TYPE A AND PILOT TYPE B
ANNEX 2 - SUMMARY FINANCIAL REPORT- PILOT TYPE A AND PILOT TYPE B
ANNEX 3 - SUMMARY FINANCIAL REPORT – THEMATIC NETWORK
ANNEX 4 - REPORT ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EU FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Article 5 – Maximum EU financial contribution
• 5.1 - Types of reimbursement - The ICT PSP grant agreement
foresees three types of reimbursement.
– Pilots Type A and B
• The EU financial contribution for these projects is limited to 50% of the
eligible costs.
• For pilot projects selected following Call 2009 and beyond, indirect costs
must be charged on the basis of a flat-rate of 30% of the personnel costs
– Best Practice Networks
• The EU contribution for these projects is limited to up to 80% of the
eligible direct costs.
• For best practice networks indirect costs are not eligible for funding.
– Thematic Networks
• Thematic networks are financed on the basis of eligible costs actually
incurred ("thematic networks –actual costs")
• Thematic networks are financed on the basis of lump sums and flat-rates
("thematic network – lump sum")
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Article 5 – Maximum EU financial contribution
• 5.2 - Indicative breakdown of the budget and the EU
financial contribution
– Breakdown of the budget has to be included in Annex I (Description
of Work)
– Transfer of budget between beneficiaries is allowed without an
amendment of the grant agreement.
– An amendment to the grant agreement will be necessary in all cases
when the budget transfer arises from a significant change in Annex
I.
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.20 – Eligible costs – general principles
• Article II.20(1) – Eligible costs
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be indicated in the indicative breakdown in Annex I;
be necessary for the implementation of the project;
be actually incurred by the beneficiary;
be identifiable and verifiable
comply with the requirements of the applicable tax and social
legislation
• be reasonable and justified
• be incurred during the duration of the project.
• Article II.20(2) – Ineligible costs
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costs of capital employed,
provisions for possible future losses or charges,
interest owed,
exchange losses,
provisions for doubtful debts,
resources made available to a beneficiary free of charge,
value of contributions in kind,
unnecessary or ill-considered expenses
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.20 – Eligible costs – general principles
• Article II.20(3) – Costs can be charged only in one categories of costs
• The reimbursement of beneficiaries is based on their eligible direct and
indirect costs
• Costs may only be charged in one category of costs
• No cost can be taken into account twice, both as a direct and an indirect
cost, or in two different cost categories for direct costs
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.21 – Direct costs
The grant agreement foresees three categories of direct costs:
• personnel,
• subcontracting and
• other specific direct costs
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.21 – Direct costs
Article II.21(2) – Personnel costs
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Any beneficiary may include in its personnel costs "permanent employees", who have
permanent working contracts with the beneficiary or "temporary employees", who have
temporary working contracts with the beneficiary.
Personnel costs should reflect the total remuneration: salaries plus social security charges
(holiday pay, pension contribution, health insurance, etc.) and other statutory costs
included in the remuneration.
Only the costs of the actual hours worked by the persons directly carrying out work
under the project may be charged. Working time to be charged must be recorded
throughout the duration of the project by any reasonable means (e.g. timesheets).
Where it is the usual practice of the beneficiary to consider certain types of personnel
costs (such as administrative or support personnel) as indirect costs, the costs of this
personnel cannot be charged as direct eligible costs.
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.21 – Direct costs
Article II.21 (2) – Subcontracting
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The costs of subcontracting are a direct eligible cost.
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Definition of subcontracting is given in Article II.6 of the grant agreement.
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This costs have to be specified in DOW
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.21 – Direct costs
Article II.21 (3) – Other direct costs
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Travel and related subsistence costs
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The purchase cost of durable equipment - Within this framework, each beneficiary must
apply its usual depreciation system for durable equipment. Depreciation is charged in
each relevant periodic report.
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Consumables and supplies
Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements
Part C: Financial provisions
Article II.22 – Indirect costs
• Indirect costs do not apply to Thematic Networks – Lump sum, as they
are financed by lump sums and flat-rates based on scale-of-unit costs.
• For Thematic Networks – actual costs, indirect costs are calculated on a
flat-rate basis of 7% of all direct eligible costs, excluding the direct
eligible costs for subcontracting.
• Indirect costs in Best Practice Networks are not eligible for EU funding.
• The way indirect costs may be charged to grant agreeements for Pilot
Type A and Type B projects depend on the Call following which the
projects have been selected.
Frequently Asked Question
How to calculate personnel costs?
Personnel costs = Hourly rate * Actual hours worked on project
Hourly rate = Total remuneration (salaries plus social security charges) / Productiv hours
Productiv hours* = Approximately 210 workable days in a year * 7.5 = 1570
* Guide to Financial Issues relating to Grant Agreements - Page 26
Thank you very much for your attention!