A Guide to EU Structural Funds and ELIXIR
Table of Contents
1. Background ............................................................................................................. 1
2. EU Structural Funds and ESFRI Research Infrastructures .................................. 1
3. Overview of EU Structural Funds .......................................................................... 2
4. Suggestions and advice ......................................................................................... 4
5. Finding your managing authority .......................................................................... 4
1. Background
EU Structural Funds are a financial instrument of the European Union, which are used to reduce
economic disparities between regions. Unlike EU R&D programmes, which are administered by the
European Commission in Brussels, the responsibility for managing EU Structural Funds programmes
is devolved to Member States and sometimes also to regions within Member States.
There is a push from both ESFRI and the European Commission to use EU Structural Funds more to
support the construction and operation of Research Infrastructures. Whilst distributed Research
Infrastructures face many practical challenges in harnessing EU Structural Funds, there does exist
potential for using them for ELIXIR Nodes, particularly in the next period (from 2014 - 2020) when
improvements are expected to be approved to the Structural Funds regulation and because there is
already a drive by Member States to invest more Structural Funds on research and innovation.
All Member States and regions within the European Union are eligible for some Structural Funds.
However, in reality the amount that is available and the focus of the funding can vary greatly
depending on the GDP of that Member State or region1.
Member States are currently in the process of developing their Operational Programmes. The exact
timeline for the finalisation of these varies from country to country. However, it is important to engage
in this process now if you are to stand a chance of shaping their development and accessing the
funds once they are approved.
2. EU Structural Funds and ESFRI Research Infrastructures
The current Structural Funds programming period (2007 - 2013) is coming to an end and the
negotiation of the next programme (2014 - 2020) is already underway. A budget of €376 billion has
been proposed for EU Structural Funds in this period2, although this needs to be agreed by the
European Parliament and European Council and so may change.
The European Commission has proposed eleven ‘thematic objectives’ 3, which Member States need to
pick and choose from when developing their Operational Programmes. ‘Research and Innovation’ is
one of these eleven. In addition, Member States are being asked by the European Commission to
1
Interactive map showing regions of Europe and what Structural Funds they are eligible for in the current
period: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/index_en.htm
2
EC Proposal: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0496:FIN:EN:PDF
3
11 ‘Thematic Objectives’ are listed on page 26 of the following:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0496:FIN:EN:PDF
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concentrate funding in support of research and innovation 4. For regions that have a GDP of above
75% of the EU average then 60% of their Structural Funds have to be spent on research and
innovation and Competitiveness of SMEs. For regions that have a GDP of less than 75% of the EU
average then the target is 44%.
The rules on what EU Structural Funds can be spent on are governed by regulation, which is currently
being revised. It is expected that this revision will see many improvements including, for example,
allowing more funds to be able to be transferred outside of national boundaries than at present.
In the current Structural Funds period, several ESFRI Research Infrastructures have already used EU
Structural Funds. The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is an ESFRI pan-European laser facility
located in Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. The majority of the funding for the project has
been provided through EU Structural Funds.
ELIXIR is more distributed than ELI and so in reality the scope for using Structural Funds to the same
extent simply does not exist. However, there are examples of organisations involved in ELIXIR, which
have already directly or indirectly benefitted from Structural Funds.
CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology
CEITEC is a partner in the Czech ELIXIR Node Application. It is a joint undertaking between the
Universities of Masaryk, the Brno University of Technology and four other partners (universities and
research institutes) to establish a centre of excellence in life sciences and advanced materials.
It has received funding of over €200 million through the European Regional Development Fund.
Around 80% of this amount is towards the construction of buildings, labs and equipment, with 20%
on staff and running costs.
Kajaani Paper Mill and Data Centre
The city of Kajaani in Finland used EU Structural Funds to support the conversion of a former paper
storage warehouse into a data centre. CSC – IT Center for Science, which is the lead partner in the
Finnish ELIXIR Node Application, hosts Finland’s largest super-computing systems in Kajaani and
leveraged this funding when establishing this site.
3. Overview of EU Structural Funds
EU Structural Funds are administered nationally and Member States define the priorities on which
funds are spent. The European Commission (through DG REGIO) must approve Member States’
priorities. Each country develops a series of Operational Programmes, which are the regional or
thematic programmes, setting out what the EU Structural Funds can be used for in that country.
Managing Authorities are the agencies and bodies (typically government departments), which have
responsibility for developing and managing the Operational Programmes.
Member States are being encouraged by the European Commission to develop ‘Smart Specialisation
Strategies’, which set out more strategically what they invest their Structural Funds in and how these
are relevant to the actual needs and skills of that region. Within these ‘Smart Specialisation
Strategies’, all regions must show how they address ESFRI Research Infrastructures 5. However, even
when Member States prioritise funding on ‘Research and Innovation’, there are likely to be many
4
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/regulation/pdf/2014/proposals/regulation/erdf
/erdf_proposal_en.pdf (Page 11)
5
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat/2014/smart_specialisation_en.pdf
2
regional differences in which sectors are supported. For example, some regions may wish to develop
their capacity in life sciences or in ICT, whilst others may want to focus on say environmental
research or process engineering.
The main instruments of the EU Structural Funds are the European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and for some regions the Cohesion Funds. ERDF typically
funds bricks and mortar and the physical construction of buildings and infrastructure, although some
also covers staff costs. ELIXIR Nodes will likely need to use ERDF funding. ESF funds ‘softer’
activities such as training and up-skilling of the workforce. Additionally, the Transnational Cooperation programme encourages co-operations between regions in neighbouring countries. This
might be of interest to those who plan to cooperate closely with other Nodes in neighbouring
countries. This table summarises the differences and similarities between Horizon 2020 and EU
Structural Funds6.
Horizon 2020
EU Structural Funds
Differences
non-territorial approach, no pre-defined geographical distribution of funding
place-based approach; defined financial
envelope for different eligible categories of
regions
Based mainly on individual R&D Projects
tackling the whole cycle of innovation from precompetitive, leading edge basic research to
demonstration projects, pilot activities, market
replication as well as innovative public
procurement and the award of prizes for the
achievement of pre-specified targets.
Based on multiannual Programmes aiming at
increased competitiveness through close to the
market competitive R&D and innovation efforts
In general awarded directly to final
beneficiaries like firms, public and private R&D
centers, universities or research funding
organisations
Awarded through shared management to
national and regional public intermediaries
Mostly competitive calls evaluated through
peer-review based on excellence criteria
Non-competitive attribution addressed to
regional players based on strategic planning
negotiation
Complementarities
Horizon 2020 will focus on tackling major
societal challenges, maximising the
competitiveness impact of research and
innovation and raising and spreading levels of
excellence in the research base
6
Cohesion policy will focus on galvanising smart
specialisation that will act as a capacity building
instrument, based on learning mechanisms and
the creation of critical skills in regions and
Member States. One of the results will be a better
capacity to participate in Horizon 2020.
Table based on information presented by Rita Lecbychova, European Commission, to EMBL in October 2012
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4. Suggestions and advice
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The Managing Authorities responsible for developing Operational Programmes are looking for
your input. They want ideas as to how they can use Structural Funds to support their region’s
research base and so now is a good time to feed into the process. See ‘Finding your
Managing Authority’ below for contact details.
The evaluation process for Structural Funds is different to EU and national research funding.
For Structural Funds, there is more focus on economic impact. Applicants, for example,
should stress the number of people that would be employed through the funding, the local
businesses that would be supported through contracts and tenders, any technology transfer
that may be stimulated and any spin outs that may be created.
Consider your interactions with other ESFRI Research Infrastructures. In order to receive
Structural Funds applicants usually need to demonstrate an appropriate level of critical mass.
A project proposal that would fund 5 members of staff will not appeal as greatly as one that
employs many times more. Therefore, if the partners involved in your ELIXIR Node are also
involved in other ESFRI Research Infrastructures then consider submitting a joint application
that would address ELIXIR as well as other ESFRI Bio Medical Sciences Research
Infrastructures.
If ELIXIR is on the national Research Infrastructures roadmap then this is something that
should be stressed to the managing authority as it is likely to support the case.
5. Finding your Managing Authority
In some countries Operational Programmes cover a particular region, whilst in other countries the
Operational Programme is managed nationally and covers a particular theme (like ‘Research and
Innovation’ or Transport). In other countries there is a mixture of ‘regional’ and ‘thematic’ Operational
Programmes. ELIXIR Nodes should make contact with the appropriate ‘regional’ or ‘thematic’
Managing Authorities in their country.
The table below lists the links to or the contact details of those responsible for the current Operational
Programmes in ELIXIR Member States 7
ELIXIR Member
State
Czech Republic
National or Regional Operational
Programmes
List of regional Operational Programmes
Thematic Operational
Programmes of interest
Operational Programme 'Research
and Development for Innovations'
European Territorial Cooperation
Denmark
Estonia
Danish Authority for Enterprise and
Construction:
Operational Programme
'Innovation and Knowledge'
Vejlsøvej 29
DK-8600 Silkeborg
Head of unit
Preben, Gregersen
Tel.: +45 35 46 64 07
E-mail.: pgr@ebst.dk
European Territorial Cooperation
Ministry of Finance of the Republic of
Estonia
Operational Programme
'Development of Economic
Environment'
Suur-Ameerika 1
EE-15006 Tallinn
7
European Territorial Cooperation
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/manage/authority/authority_en.cfm
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Tel.: +372 611 3558
E-mail.: info@fin.ee
Finland
List of regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
Italy
List of regional Operational Programmes
Operational Programme 'Research
and Competitiveness'
Israel
N/A
European Territorial Cooperation
N/A
Netherlands
List of regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
Norway
N/A
N/A
Portugal
List of regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
Slovenia
List of regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
Sweden
List of regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
Spain
List of regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
Switzerland
N/A
N/A
UK
List of Regional Operational Programmes
European Territorial Cooperation
November 2012
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