What kind of project do programmes want?

costs until payment is received from the programme (programmes normally make payments every six months).

The above aspects and practical ways of dealing with them are reflected and further elaborated during the following chapters.

The Operational Programme and other documents You will find frequent references in the handbook to the Operational Programme or OP.

This document contains all of the main information about a programme and needs to be approved by the European Commission before the programme can start. It is an important reference for all project developers though programmes also produce a range of other less formal documents on more practical matters. The OP replaces the Community Initiative Programme (CIP) from the 2000-2006 programmes. In future there will be no Programme Complement (PC).

Meeting reporting and other programme requirements to comply with the regulations requires additional time and effort by the partnership. Generally, the programmes aim to simplify these processes but reporting and control are essential to ensure the funds are spent correctly.

This handbook provides examples and tools of how to plan, manage and report efficiently but it is important to note that not all of the aspects mentioned are always relevant to every project. Generally, it is crucial to find out from the programme what the requirements are and then it is up to you to identify for your type of project and partnership what extra tools and management approaches you want and need to use. for example putting in place complex management structures is only necessary if you have a large partnership. In other words, proportionality or finding the right balance are key aspects. Management and control activities should not take up an unreasonable share of the project time and budget.

1.3 What kind of project do programmes want?

This handbook focuses on project management and the projects selected for inclusion have been included because of their success in running a project and delivering the results promised. The handbook includes many hints on general content development and in particular on the need to clearly identify measurable objectives and the activities that will deliver these objectives. Several projects also highlight the need to consider different levels of policy and ensure as far as possible that European, national and regional objectives are effectively integrated in the project proposal. What the handbook cannot do is tell you exactly what kind of projects each programme is looking for, as every programme defines an individual strategy based on the needs of the programme area. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify some general characteristics of the content of a good project.

Clear need for cooperation

The Territorial Cooperation programmes are defined by the value of cooperation between regions in different countries and projects that could be implemented just as effectively without cooperation have no place in the programmes. This principle is reflected in the new cooperation criteria for all projects and the fact that it will no longer be possible for partners from just one side of the border to develop and implement projects on their own. But just fulfilling the criteria does not make a good project. All project applications should clearly demonstrate the need for cooperation on the theme concerned. They should also demonstrate how each of the partners selected will contribute to and benefit from project activities.

Project Management Handbook

Relevant to the whole programme area

Project proposals often develop out of local concerns and it is of course important that these needs are addressed. On the other hand, good project results will be useful for other parts of the programme area or will deliver a benefit outside the local area where project activities have been carried out. A good proposal will convincingly demonstrate how results will be transferred to other stakeholders and/or how local action can be expected to have knock-on benefits for the wider region.

Clearly defined activities and results

Programmes need to know what they are funding and be able to assess whether the activities planned are likely to deliver the promised results. A good application will give clear information on both issues. Good projects are sometimes rejected because they write bad applications: Remember that the programme can only assess what you put on paper. A well-defined and measurable set of indicators will provide strong support for the proposals made in the rest of the application.

Sustainable results

It is important that the benefits of a project do not stop as soon as the funding ends so a good application should already consider what will be done to ensure that the knowledge, services and benefits developed during the project continue to be used after it is over.

Clear links to the programme strategy

It is important that projects fit the programme. In other words, projects should study the programme carefully and ask themselves whether their aims are the same as those of the programme. The link between projects and what the programme is trying to achieve is one of the most important aspects assessed when a decision is taken on whether to grant funds to a project. This means that good projects are sometimes rejected because they are not appropriate for the programme and it should be accepted that programmes have very little flexibility on this issue.

Integrating different perspectives

‘Partnership’ is an important principle in Territorial Cooperation programmes: It means that the views of different social, economic and environmental groups should be discussed and integrated into the programme and the projects. The inclusion of different viewpoints can lead to ideas for new or improved activities and wider acceptance of project activities and results.

Demonstrating how these views have been included can therefore greatly strengthen an application.

Strategic approach

Strategic is one of the ‘hot’ words for the new programme period and most programmes are developing some kind of definition of the type of strategic project they would like to see.

Although these definitions vary widely, we can in general say that every programme will place a very high priority on certain objectives and projects that promise to deliver these objectives.

Sometimes the type of project wanted will even be outlined in the Operational Programme document. Each programme will be able to give advice on how these strategic concerns affect individual project proposals but a couple of features can improve the strategic dimension of any project (though they will be of varying relevance depending on the type of project).

1. Essential background

Firstly, projects should demonstrate that they have taken account of wider policies and developments outside the programme area. Activities should be harmonised with other initiatives working on the same theme so that the funds granted to the project add maximum value to other investments taking place.

In the new period many programmes (and as a result projects) will focus on building synergies and complementarities with other community and national policies, initiatives and programmes (including other Territorial Cooperation programmes) in order to maximise the impact of the programmes. Special attention will be given to the delivery of the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas, at the core of which will be the links established (through tangible, on the ground actions) to the National Strategic Reference Frameworks of the Member States and the Community Strategic Guidelines.

Relevant policies

Secondly, the most successful projects generally try to combine the priorities of different levels of public administration (so-called ‘top-down’ input) with the needs expressed by people living in the programme area (so-called ‘bottom-up’ input). It can certainly be difficult to balance these two perspectives but the value is clear: If only top-down input is provided, project activities are less likely to be actively supported by people in the programme area and may fail to take account of the specific conditions in the area. If, on the other hand, only bottom-up input is provided, project activities may duplicate or in the worst case contradict other actions being supported. Furthermore, many cooperation projects include actions to develop good practice, guidelines etc. but these are unlikely to be adopted more widely and achieve a lasting impact if they do not have the support of regional and national authorities.

Building on previous work

Many programmes are now entering their third or even fourth funding period. This means that tens of thousands of projects have been funded over recent years and a vast amount of knowledge is available on cooperation themes. Good projects will research this earlier work and particularly similar projects carried out in the same programme area in order to identify useful input and develop on it. Similarly, follow-up project proposals submitted by a partner that has already received an earlier grant will be expected to show definite progress on earlier work and demonstrate the added value of the new project.

Additionality

Projects should also clearly comply with the principle of additionality. In simple terms this means that European funds should not replace public or equivalent expenditure by a Member

National policies

EU policies Local/

regional policies

Relevant policies at all levels should be taken into account, combining a bottom-up and top-down approach

Project Management Handbook

State (i.e. the funding cannot pay for activities that would have taken place anyway, on local, regional or national level).

Respecting the principles of equality and sustainable development

The strategic frameworks of the Territorial Cooperation programmes make clear links to these ‘horizontal objectives’ (meaning these themes should be considered in all programme and project activities). Projects should take these into account and make specific reference to how they plan to contribute to these objectives. Projects must, at the very least, have a neutral effect on these two themes. Experience from the current period indicates, however, that a lot of projects have direct links to sustainable development objectives and in particular to protecting and improving the environment. This type of positive impact is clearly preferred.

Links to equal opportunities policies may be less obvious in many projects but should not be ignored because of this. Good examples are available.

Integrating equal opportunities in project activities Euro Mobile Time (IIIA Euregio Maas-Rhein)

Offering flexible working hours can be a valuable incentive for attracting and retaining skilled labour in regional economies and keeping existing workers active in the workforce.

Partners from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands compared the schemes operating in each country as a way of identifying the best methods for promoting increased employment and competitiveness through greater employment flexibility. Two particularly important target groups when considering how flexibility might bring people back to the labour market were women who had been on maternity leave and women who had been working as housewives – both untapped resources. The project illustrates how equal opportunities issues can not only be included in projects addressing economic development themes but can also play an important role in setting the agenda for these projects’ activities.

1. Essential background management of aid projects (Project Cycle Management Guidelines, EC DG Development, March 2004) and adapted them to reflect the cycle of Territorial Cooperation projects. Use whatever model makes most sense to you – you should find it quite easy to relate the content of the handbook to other models. We follow the project lifecycle phases outlined below and each phase is elaborated further in the following chapters. The boxes in the chart show the different phases. Other text highlights key management tasks in each of the stages.

The Project Lifecycle

The phases of the project lifecycle – what happens when?

1. Idea generation and partnership development

Based on an analysis of current conditions, problems, needs and opportunities, a general concept for the project is established in the framework of the programme strategy

Partner search and identification within the framework of the project strategy The general scope and contents – depending on the capacity and activities of the partners and activities of other actors - are outlined and revised as more partners join the project

The relevance of the idea is tested and confirmed through research and possible pilot activities and the involvement of key stakeholders (needs and problem analysis)

First contacts with the programme are established

2. Project development and application

Project partners define the objectives, work on the details of the project proposal and funding request describing the context, the expected results and impact as well as implementation and resource schedules