Invitation Letter

 Call for Proposals

 Annex A - Grant Application Form

 Annex B - Budget

 Annex C - Legal Entity Form Public Entity

 Annex C - Legal Entity Form Private Company

 Annex D - Financial Identification Form

 Annex F - Framework Partnership Agreement

Question 1
The budget (Annex B – Budget) is an excel file which is password protected, ie when I click on the link, I’m asked to supply a password. Is this supposed to be like this?

Answer
Indeed there was a technical problem with the excel file Annex B – Budget that has been solved as of 6th July  2012. Please try to access the file once again. 

Question 2
You are stating 4 Eligibility criteria in order to apply and the fourth one is the following: "be a non-profit organisation in a Member State of the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein."
We are a French registered company ("SAS" Société en Action Simplifiées). Would it be possible for us to compete for this tender anyway?

Answer
Unfortunately, you are not eligible to participate in this call. The action is based on the collaboration of ECDC with non-profit organisations and will be funded through a grant.

Question 3
INVITATION LETTER 
a) Normally, our Vice-Rector in charge of Finances signs documents including legal conditions concerning finances. Should he therefore sign all of the following:
GRANT_2012_002_Annex A Grant Application form – and, in this document, is “the applicant” myself or my University / its Vice-Rector?
GRANT_2012_002_Annex C Legal Entity form
GRANT_2012_002_Annex D Financial Identification form
GRANT_2012_002_Annex F Framework Partnership Agreement
b) Whilst I prepare only my own cv, which is my responsibility?

Answer
a) The authorised representative for your organisation should sign any financial or legal documentation.  Please note that Annex F is for information and should not be signed at this stage.
b) The responsibility for the preparation of the proposal should be decided by the applicant.

Question 4
 
CALL FOR PROPOSALS / GUIDELINES FOR GRANT APPLICANTS
 
a) p 6: 2.1.1. (1) – 3rd bullet, “be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with their partners”: Presumably, my University and myself satisfy this clause?
 
b) p 7, 2nd para.: Does “the applicant” refer to myself or the University (i.e. the Vice-Rector or his Office)?
 - 1st bullet, “For points a), b) and e), a recent extract from the judicial record”: Does the judicial extract concern the University or myself?
  - 2nd bullet, “For point d) a recent certificate issued by the competent authority of the State” – presumably this concerns the University?
 
c) p 7, 2.2., 3rd bullet, “Proof of relevant expertise and experience, by documenting activities of the applicant in the following areas”: is “the applicant” here the University or myself?
 
d) p 8, 2.4.1.: a total of 1,200,000 EUR over four years, assuming two co-ordinators working 50% part-time each, works out at a maximum of 150,000 EUR per person/institution per year.
  - If I retain the 50% of my University salary as Assistant Professor, what level (in EUR) of ECDC annual salary would I be entitled to?
 - Will the above amount also cover all of my expenses related to travel, accommodation and daily expenditures during site visits, courses, conferences, etc?
  - Will the above amount also be used to cover secretarial assistance –dedicated to my duties as ESC-EU– at my base, in Athens?
    Will the above amount also be used to cover office consumables, related to my ESC-EU activities, at my base, in Athens?
 
e) p 8, 2.4.2.: Please explain “If the applicant is in receipt of an operating grant financed from the EU, no indirect costs may be claimed within the proposed budget for the action.”
 
f) p 9, 2nd para., “Contributions in kind may be for example: provision of (1) office space, (2) internet connection at the office, (3) landline providing access to national and international numbers, (4) computer support (including laptop) and (5) mobile phone with subscription for international calls.”: Since I have no computer support, nor laptop, nor mobile phone with subscription for international calls, provided free of charge by the University, will these be claimable through the grant?
 
g) p 9, 3rd bullet, “The Proposal must include all the information and documents required for the grant evaluation on the basis of the selection criteria and the award criteria set out below.”: Apart from the Grant Application Form and its Annexes, and my own cv, what additional documents must be submitted, in order to include “all the information and documents required”?
 
h) p 9, 2.5.1, 5th bullet: Are the “supporting documents on the scientific output of the applicant institution” different from those already mentioned above? If so, what should they be?
 
i) p 9, 2.5.2., “The complete application form and budget must also be supplied in electronic format (CD-Rom) in a separate and unique file (e.g. the application form must not be split into several different files).”: Do you mean that the Grant Application Form, its Annexes and my cv, must be collated in a single file, and not left as distinct files?
 
j) p 10, 1st para., “two sealed envelopes. The outer envelope must bear the reference number and the title of the Call for Proposals”: Should, therefore, the second, inner envelope, be left blank?

Answers

a) If you are not acting as an intermediary, then yes.

b) Any reference to the applicant refers to the legal entity that ECDC would enter into an agreement with (the university), if the proposal were successful.

c) This can refer to the general expertise and experience in the university and any staff that the university are proposing to participate in the action.

d) - If the university as the applicant is awarded the grant then ECDC will not be paying any salary directly.  This information is to be provided by the applicant as part of the proposal.
   - No, the cost of travel related to the action will be paid directly by ECDC.
   - If considered an eligible cost and submitted as part of your proposal, then yes. Please refer to Article II.15 of Annex F Framework Partnership Agreement.

e) If the applicant is receiving other funding in the form of an operating grant, then they cannot apply for indirect costs under this call for proposals.

f) The cost categories mentioned above refer to costs that the university cover (the applicant), and must be actual costs incurred.

g) and h) Please refer to the checklist included in Annex A Standard Application Form.

i) Yes, the application form with annexes should be a unique file.

j) There is no requirement for the inner envelope to be marked but it can also bear the reference number and the title of the call for proposals: Grant/2012/002 – Scientific Coordination EPIET EUPHEM path.

Question 5
Can you kindly clarify whether this is an operating grant or a grant for an action?   Can we claim overheads?

Answer
This call for proposals relates to a grant for an action. Overheads are not an eligible cost for the action.

Question 6
In relation to the budget of the EUPHEM coordinator request, I wonder if the cost of travel and accommodation must be included in the budget or not, as in the call EPIET.

Answer
Please note that the budget allocation for this call for proposals is specific to this call and should not be confused with other calls.  For this particular call for proposals, the travel and accommodation costs will be paid directly by ECDC and should not be included in the budget, as per the headings in Annex B – Budget.