Q1 - What is the IT&C Programme?

Asia IT&C is a European Union-funded Programme that can supply up to 80% co-financing to Information Technology and Communication Projects proposed by a consortium of organisations from the 15 EU Member States and 18 Asian countries/territories.

Q2 - What are the objectives of Asia IT&C Programme?

The Programme aims to promote co-operation between European and Asian organisations and to link Asia with Europe in the search for compatible IT&C solutions and standards.

Q3 - Who can apply?

Applicants and Partners must comply with the following conditions:

• Be non-profit making
• Be national and/or regional authorities*, public sector operators or non-profit-making organisations from private sector or civil society (e.g., Research Centres, Universities (see Note 1, below), NGOs, Professional Associations or Federations; particularly those representative of SMEs)
• Have their headquarters within the European Union or any of the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China *, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam
   * Except Hong Kong & Macau
• Applicants must be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the Project
• Have stable and sufficient sources of finance to ensure the continuity of their organisation throughout the life of the Project and, if necessary, to play a part in financing it
• Be experienced and able to demonstrate their capacity to manage larger scale activities corresponding with the size of the Project for which a grant is requested

Q4 - How can SMEs benefit from Asia IT&C co-financing?

Although SMEs cannot be a direct Applicant or Partner in an Asia IT&C Project, they can be the ultimate beneficiary if the application is made by a Chamber of Commerce, Professional Association, or other non-profit making organisation to which they belong. SMEs can be appointed by Applicants or Partners to provide specific services in the scope of the Project.

Q5 - Can private enterprises participate in an Asia IT&C Project?

Yes. Although both the Applicant and Partners in an Asia IT&C Project must have a non-profit-making status, private enterprise can still participate either as external experts or service providers providing technical expertise to the Project. In this case, a contractual agreement must be drawn up with the applicant according to standard European Commission procedures.

 Q6 - How can an organisation submit a Proposal for co-financing?

A Proposal must be submitted by Partnerships consisting of a minimum of three organisations (one Applicant and two Partners), of which two Partners will be legally registered in two different EU Member States, and one Partner will be legally registered in one of the 18 eligible Asian countries/territories.

• If the Applicant derives from an Asian participant country/territory, it must have two Partners from two different EU Member States
• If the Applicant derives from an EU Member State, it must have one Partner from an Asian participant country/territory and a second one from a different EU Member States

Once this minimum requirement has been met, other Partners may be added.

Q7 - Can two European partners come from the same EU member state?

Yes, upon the condition that there is another partner from a different EU member state.

Q8 - Can non-participating countries/territories participate in Asia IT&C Programme?

Organisations from non-participating countries/territories, such as (but not limited to) Switzerland and Singapore, can participate in Proposals but never as the (main) Applicant. They are required to meet the following conditions:

• They must fulfil the same conditions for eligibility as organisations in participating countries
• They may not receive any of the funding, and must make it clear in writing that they understand they will not
• They cannot receive finance for their participation from other European Commission budgets

For further details see Note 2 below.

Q9 - What is the Partnership Agreement?

The Partnership Agreement is one of the supporting documents that must accompany an Asia IT&C application. The function of the agreement is to demonstrate that the Applicant and its Partners are all committed to the Project for its duration. There is no standard format for this document but the Applicant must draw up an agreement that fully satisfies this function.

Q10 - Is the "Cost in Kind" eligible?

"Costs in Kind" are not permitted for any category of costs except for salaries and wages. These can be in kind as long as they are at normal Staff salaries; and there are official salary slips to verify the costs and Timesheets are kept. For further details see Note 1 below.

Q11 - What is the purpose of registering my organisation in the Asia IT&C contact database?

The Asia IT&C contact database contains all contact details of all organisations that have registered with Asia IT&C. Only organisations having completed and returned the registration forms will receive a username and password to gain access to the contact database. This database can be used for a partners search, in order to complete a partnership. Furthermore, registered organisations receive the Asia IT&C Newsletter free of charge, which is published on a monthly base.

Q12 - We have finalised a Proposal, but we are still looking for suitable Partners to qualify for the Programme. How do we proceed?

Organisations seeking Partners for Projects under preparation can either:

• Search for matching Partners in the Asia IT&C contact database
• Publish a brief description of their Project on the Asia IT&C website, via one of the Secretariats, on the 'Partnership Opportunities' page. This should allow interested organisations to establish direct contact with the Applicant in search of Partners.

Q13 - The budget needed to execute our Project exceeds the Grants offered by the EC. Is there a way of solving this problem?

Yes. Large Projects, which require large funding, can be split up into sequential or complementary Projects under several 'Programme Components'. i.e. a Project could start under the 'Get-In-Touch & Keep-in-Touch' component, continue under the 'Information Society Interconnectivity' component, and be finalised under the 'Practical Demonstration' component. In doing so, the Applicant not only demonstrates a strong and well-structured Project, but also increases the available budget considerably.

Q14 - What is the average time needed to evaluate my Proposal?

Applications will be examined and evaluated by the European Commission with the possible assistance of external experts. All Projects are evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Administrative compliance
   • Verification that the application is complete in accordance with the checklist (See 'Guideline for Applicants')
   • Verification that applicants, partners, and the project is eligible according to the criteria of eligibility (See Section 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 in 'Guideline for Applicants')
2. Technical compliance
   • Evaluation of the quality of the Proposals in accordance with the evaluation criteria (See Evaluation Grid in 'Guideline for Applicants')
   • The average time to complete all evaluation is from three to four months.

Q15 - Who should I contact when encountering problems while writing up my application? And when?

Who?
In first instance, the Contact Focal Points (CFP), established in each of the participating countries/territories, should be contacted for assistance. (Please refer to the 'Contact Us' hyperlink on the Asia IT&C website for CFP details in your country) When additional support is required, or if there is no CFP appointed in your country/territory yet, two EuropeAid Secretariats - Secretariat Europe in Brussels and Secretariat Asia in Nonthaburi (Greater Bangkok) - will advise and assist Partnerships with their Project application.(For full contact details, please refer to the 'Contact Us' page on the Asia IT&C website.)

When?
Applicants and/or Partners can contact both Secretariat's during the preparation of their Project Proposal. The Secretariat teams will provide all information to the Applicant in order to maximise the chances of the proposal to be accepted. However, once the deadline for the submitted Proposal has been reached, no contact between the Secretariat teams and the Applicant will be allowed, as the evaluation process of the Proposals will have started. Contact can resume once the evaluation process has been completed.

Q16 - Once a Project has been accepted and operations have started, what are the financial liabilities of the Applicant/Partners towards the EC?

Since different cases may arise during the implementation of a Project, please refer to Annex II (General Conditions applicable to European Union Grant Contracts for external aid) of the Standard Contract, as supplied in Annex E of the Guidelines for Applicants, to be found on the Asia IT&C website.

Q17 - My organisation is searching for funds to invest in IT-infrastructure, such as PC's, servers, communication networks etc… Does this Programme support this kind of request?

No. It has never been the intention of the Asia IT&C Programme to fund infrastructure as such. The main focus of each Project should be directed towards the transfer and the increase of innovative between Asian and European organisations, as well as establishing a long-lasting relationship between Europe and Asia, in which partnerships and joint innovations of mutual relevance may flourish. However, part of the proposed funding (up to 25%) may be used to finance the equipment necessary to accomplish the Project goals.

Q18 - What is the relation between a 'Call for Proposals' and 'Deadline for Proposals'?

Calls for Proposals are published once a year in the official EC Journal. Each annual Call for Proposals is accompanied by 'Application Guidelines', which can be downloaded from the Asia IT&C website. Please consult the site regularly to ensure the latest Application Guidelines (and Annexes), are used for your Proposal preparation. Each Call for Proposals is further split up in several Deadlines in that same year. Your Proposal will be evaluated after the nearest deadline following its submission. However, any application received after the last deadline of a Call will be rejected.

Q19 - What procedures do I follow, that adhere to the EC standards, when involving subcontractors in my project? In the Information Technology and Communications business, offers are usually valid for 30 days after the bidding date. Therefore on the Asia IT&C programme our recommendation is not to select the subcontractor when preparing the proposal, but to describe in the proposal the tasks that will be subcontracted and select the contractor only if and when the project contract with the Commission is signed. The task description in the proposal should then be used as part of the Terms of Reference for the bidding procedure. The bidding procedure for subcontractors is set out in Annex IV of Annex E - 'Standard Contract' entitled 'Contract-Award Procedure'.

Note 1

Eligible and non-eligible costs

• General rule: an invoice must justify all eligible costs.

• Financial Provision - integral part of each grant contract, provides adequate explanation of what constitutes an eligible/non eligible cost.

• Exchange rates losses.
  Currency exchange losses are non-eligible costs. However, they are exceptional and are at the discretion of the Commission. Following a beneficiary's request, appropriate steps shall be taken to minimise the effects of exceptionally wide fluctuations.

• Contribution in kind
  Not eligible in the calculation of the grant.

• Provision of labour - staff costs
  Yes, the provision of labour can be included in the partners' contribution if it is remunerated labour (no volunteer labour) and paid at regular market rates. They are the only eligible contributions in kind.
  Each expert must fill and sign time sheets to justify the time spent on the project.
  Applicants should provide one budget item per expert, within the categories and headings provided (add lines).

• Rate of payment for staff
  To be determined by the evaluation committee. D6 shall intervene only under special circumstances if requested by the committee. Salaries must include fees, social security charges, medical insurance, temporary unemployment contributions etc.

• External Experts
  They can be allocated on the budget items "Salaries" or "Studies-Research". In any case the standard EC purchasing procedures must be respected.

• VAT
  The VAT is not an eligible cost if the beneficiary can reclaim it.

• Costs for Preparation of project
  Any costs incurred, before the signature of the contract, are not eligible. On the standard budget form this item is not applicable and the space should remain unfilled.

• Interest
  Any interest accruing from the advances paid can be used as an eligible cost. Under no circumstances shall it be considered as a profit for the beneficiary.
  The amount of the grant must be limited the amount required to balance income and expenditure for the operation.

• Per Diem. The Daily Allowance Rates are paid for missions outside the main site of the project.
  These per diem rates are publicised on the Internet website Per Diem.
  Equipment and Supplies

Computer equipment

• Costs for Computer equipment and similar types of equipment are eligible costs.
  If it is a short project, it is up to the Evaluation Committee to decide whether such a purchase is justified or if the equipment should rather be rented.

• Other
  This item is to cover all other equipment and supplies not listed in other items, such as Consumables, Office Supplies (Photocopies, stationary, toner, staples, etc.). Add lines to detail.

• Audio-visual material
  Such material should be listed under "Computer Equipment", or under "Other" as appropriate.

• Office/Project costs

• This section is only applicable if a separate temporary project office needs to be opened for the project away from the beneficiary's regular office.

• Long distance telephone - fax
  If there are no itemised phone bills for long distance calls, manual records must be kept and bills must be made available.

Other costs, Services

• Publications
  If Publications are done in-house, they should be budgeted under "Other", and then detailed. The same is valid for studies, research and evaluation costs.

• Studies, Research
  This item covers studies and research carried out as part of the project.

• Audits
  The number of audits depends on the grant size and the duration of the project.
  If the size of the grant is €100.000 or more, a final audit will be carried out when the Operation ends.
  Duration of the project longer than 18 months: Audits are annual.
  For every twelve months of the project an audit is required. A final audit, covering the total duration of the project, takes place after the end of the project.
  The beneficiary does not pay for audits and evaluations carried out independently of the projects by relevant services of the Commission. Other audits are an integral part of the project budget.

• Evaluation costs
  This item covers any evaluation of the project. Internal evaluation should not necessitate major additional expenditure.

Real Estate & works

In principle these are ineligible costs. However, it should be clear that this will depend on the nature of the project and should be an exceptional occurrence.
If indispensable for the direct implementation of the Operation, such purchases are allowed, as decided by the Evaluation Committee on a case-by-case basis.

Other

This item covers any costs not covered by any other Budget items listed in the Budget Annex, and considered eligible.

Administrative costs (9)

Costs for telephone, fax, heating, office rent etc. as well as administrative attestations and similar such as police declarations, legal documents.
Administrative costs must not exceed max 7% of the figure under item 8 - Total of project costs.

Contingency Reserve (11)

Only to be used after prior written authorisation of the Commission "if need be". The contingencies should never be included in the calculation of the annual budget.

Note 2

Information regarding non-participating countries/territories in the Programme

The question is often raised whether Organisations from certain countries, such as (but not limited to) Switzerland and Singapore for example, may participate in a project co-financed by the European Commission (EC) under the Asia IT&C Programme. These are countries that are not part of the Programme, but are geographically and economically close to those that are. (Participating countries are listed on the web site).

The views about this issue are:
Organisations from such countries could eventually participate in Proposals but never as (main) Applicant. Moreover, the following conditions must apply:

• They must fulfill the same conditions for eligibility as organisations in participating countries;

• They may not receive any of the funding, and must make it clear in writing that they understand that they will not (this document must be attached to the Application); and

• They cannot receive finance for their participation from other European Commission budget, as budgetary transparency cannot be ensured that way.

Moreover, Organisations from such countries/territories may not claim funding for the Proposal later, should their country subsequently become a participant in the Asia IT&C Programme.

In addition, the presence of Organisations of those countries/territories shall not be considered as contributing towards the number of Partners required in a Proposal. These must still be from a minimum of two different EU Member States and a minimum of one Asian country/territory that is participating in the Asia IT&C Programme at the time of the submission of the Proposal. Individuals from those countries/territories can, however, participate in Asia IT&C events. EC reserves the right to accept or to refuse the participation of such countries/territories on a case-by-case basis.