NOTICE OF A CALL FOR PROPOSALS
NOTICE OF A CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Minister of Climate, as the Operator of the Programme
“Environment, Energy and Climate Change”,
announces the first call for proposals for co-financing of bilateral projects
to be financed from the resources of the Fund for Bilateral Relations in the framework of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021
with an amount of EUR 150,000, i.e. PLN 646 710 .
Aim of the Call for Proposals
The aim of the Call of the Proposals shall be to co-finance projects/initiatives intended to establish and/or strengthen bilateral relations between Polish entities and those from the Donor States.
The effect of the Call of Proposals may be the preparation of bilateral partnership projects seeking grants under the Programme “Environment, Energy and Climate Change”.
Type of projects eligible for co-financing
Bilateral projects submitted in a partnership with an entity from the Donor States, concerning one or more of the following programme areas with their scope consistent with the Blue Book, shall be eligible for co-financing:
- Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Security;
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation;
- Environment and Ecosystems.
Bilateral character of projects
Projects eligible for co-financing must have a bilateral and non-investment character.
An event shall have a bilateral character if it entails the participation of representatives from at least one Donor State and Poland. The bilateral character of a project shall be confirmed by the provision of a letter of intent or a partnership agreement, along with the agenda of a study tour, an invitation to a seminar, workshop or conference, or a filled in application form. Before the conclusion of a contract on the implementation of projects the submission of a signed partnership agreement and its translation into the Polish language shall be required.
The objective scope of bilateral projects may include the participation in and/or the organisation of study tours, conferences, workshops and seminars, which shall contribute to establishing and/or strengthening bilateral relations between Polish entities and those from the Donor States.
The prerequisite for the approval of a project shall be the Applicant’s active participation in the planned event, understood to mean the delivery of a presentation, paper or lecture on a subject related to the thematic scope of the Programme.
The scope of financing for bilateral projects shall include:
- strengthening bilateral relations between entities from the Donor States and Polish entities;
- the search for partners for donor partnership projects prior to or during the preparation of a grant application,
- the development of such partnerships and the preparation of a grant application for a donor partnership project;
- networking, exchange of knowledge and best practices between entities in Poland and those from the Donor States.
In order to support the process of establishing partnerships with entities from the Donor States, the Programme Operator encourages Applicants to become acquainted with information provided on the following websites:
The amount of the allocation to the call for proposals given in EUR and subsequently recalculated by the Programme Operator into the national currency and expressed in PLN, using an average monthly currency exchange rate as published in the Official Journal of the European Union (the C series), counted for the last six months preceding the month when the call is announced, where EUR 1= PLN 4,3114.
The Donor States include Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Amount allocated to the Call for Proposals concerning bilateral projects
An amount of EUR 150,000, i.e. PLN 646 710 , has been allocated to support bilateral projects from the Fund for Bilateral Relations.
Grant rate for bilateral projects
The grant rate of the requested co-financing shall be 100% of the eligible expenditures of bilateral projects.
Maximum and minimum grant amounts for bilateral projects
In the Call for Proposals for co-financing of bilateral projects, the minimum grant amount shall be EUR 1,000, i.e. PLN 4 311,40 PLN, while the maximum grant amount shall be EUR 20,000, i.e. PLN 86 228 .
Period of eligibility of expenditures in bilateral projects
The period of eligibility of expenditures in bilateral projects shall start on the day that the Programme Operator (the Ministry of Climate) decides to award the project grant.
The period of eligibility of expenditures in projects shall expire on 30 September 2021.
Evaluation and selection process for bilateral projects
The Applicants shall fill in an application for the award of a grant for a bilateral project and, subsequently, submit it to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (hereinafter the National Fund). A list of projects which have passed the evaluation with a positive result shall be approved by the Programme Operator.
The evaluation of the applications for the award of a grant for a bilateral project shall consist of two stages and include formal and substantive evaluations. The evaluation process is described in detail in the Rules.
Payment schemes
Grants shall be provided only to reimburse expenditures which have been incurred and verified as correct ones, on the basis of payment requests submitted by the Project Promoter, along with invoices or accounting documents of equivalent probative value which have been approved by the National Fund.
Partners from the Donor States shall claim their own expenditures in the payment request submitted by the Project Promoter.
In accordance with Article 7.7(2) of the Regulation, the provisions on the financial arrangements between the Project Promoter and the Project Partner, including those that define the Partner’s expenditures which may be reimbursed from the project budget and the rules for recalculating the currencies of the eligible expenditures incurred by the Partner and their reimbursement shall be regulated by a partnership agreement.
The Project Promoter or the Partner may submit proof of expenditures incurred in the form of a report by an independent auditor or a competent and independent public officer, certifying that the claimed costs have been incurred in accordance with the Regulation, the relevant law and national accounting practices.
The amount of the allocation to the Call for Proposals given in EUR and subsequently recalculated by the Programme Operator into the national currency and expressed in PLN, using an average monthly currency exchange rate as published in the Official Journal of the European Union (the C series), counted for the last six months preceding the month when the call is announced, where EUR 1= PLN 4,3114.
Eligible expenditures, excluded costs, in-kind contribution
Eligible expenditures shall include:
- Costs of domestic and foreign travels (in the economy class);
- Accommodation and subsistence allowances at the rates laid down in the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 29 January 2013 on the receivables due to an employee of a state or self-government budget unit for a business travel;
Table: The rates laid down in the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 29 January 2013 on the receivables due to an employee of a state or self-government budget unit for a business travel.
Date and manner of the submission of applications for the award of a grant for bilateral projects
The date of the Notice of the Call for Proposals – 10 December 2019
The opening date for receiving applications from Applicants – 10 January 2020
The closing date for receiving applications from Applicants – 30 September 2020, 3 pm
Applications shall be received in a continuous call for proposals until the allocation has been exhausted.
The manner of submitting applications
A grant application shall be prepared using only the Grant Application Generator (GAG). The detailed rules for the submission of a grant application using the GAG are laid down in the Rules.
Grant applications, along with attachments, shall be submitted to the National Fund in electronic form via the GAG available on the website:
The manner of submitting applications
A grant application shall be prepared using only the Grant Application Generator (GAG). The detailed rules for the submission of a grant application using the GAG are laid down in the Rules.
Grant applications, along with attachments, shall be submitted to the National Fund in electronic form via the GAG available on the website:
http://nfosigw.gov.pl/oferta-finansowania/srodki-norweskie/generator-wnioskow-o-dofinansowanie/
The grant application form is available for downloading below, along with instructions for filling in the application:
http://nfosigw.gov.pl/oferta-finansowania/srodki-norweskie
Any information on the funds, along with documents, is available on the website:
A grant application shall be submitted in electronic form using the GAG. Two options for signing an electronic application shall be allowed:
- using a certified electronic signature which produces legal effects equivalent to those of a handwritten signature;
- using a trusted profile on the Electronic Platform for Public Administration Services (ePUAP).
Application submission date
The application submission date shall be:
- the date and hour when an application arrives at the inbox of the National Fund on the ePUAP Platform and the Applicant receives an electronic confirmation of the submission of the application (an e-mail specifying the date and hour when the application arrived at the inbox of the National Fund).
Applications which arrive after the deadline shall be rejected.
The position of an application on the list of applications shall be determined by the date and hour of its submission.
Grants shall be awarded in order of the submission of applications on the condition of their positive evaluation and availability of resources.
In case the resources do not run out over the duration of the Call for Proposals, its closing date may be extended or the resources may be reallocated to other bilateral activities.
The Programme Operator shall allow one Applicant to submit more than one application in different objective scopes.
Legal framework and programme documents
- Memorandum of Understanding on the Implementation of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 between Iceland, the Principality of Lichtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway and the Republic of Poland on 20.12.2017;
- Regulation on the implementation of the Norway Grants 2014-2021 and the Regulation on the implementation of the EEA Grants 2014-2021;
- Guidelines concerning the use of funding from the Fund for Bilateral Relations in the framework of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021;
- Procurement Guidelines for the EEA Grants 2014-2021 and the Norway Grants 2014-2021;
- Competition Rules;
- Formal and substantive criteria.
List of attachments required for an application for the award of a grant for a bilateral project
The following attachments shall be enclosed with a grant application:
- Statute and/or articles of association;
- Documents confirming a project partnership – a letter of intent with an entity from the Donor States or a donor partnership agreement with an entity from the Donor States;
- Detailed agenda of an event, e.g. a study tour/conference/seminar/workshop, defining its purpose, bilateral character and duration, the profile and number of participants, providing for their active participation in the event, e.g. the delivery of a presentation or lecture by the Applicant.
- Mandate to sign the application (where applicable);
- Other documents the submission of which by the Applicant is deemed necessary.
Language of an application for the award of a grant for a bilateral project
Grant applications, along with attachments, shall be submitted in the Polish language. In addition, the following shall be submitted in the English language:
- a letter of intent or a partnership agreement;
- a brief summary description of the planned bilateral activities, along with the justification of the need to implement the project and the roles of partners (included in a grant application - in the Summary tab).
Contact with the Programme Operator
Any queries about the Call for Proposals shall be sent to the following e-mail address:
National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management
e-mail: mfeog@nfosigw.gov.pl
Ministry of Climate
e-mail: mfeog@klimat.gov.pl
Questions shall be answered as soon as possible, but at the latest within 7 working days.