EU Call for Proposals: Pilot Regional Development Programme (PRDP)

Deadline: 24 March 2017

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organisations for its Pilot Regional Development Programme (PRDP) in order to support the Government in progressing towards a more balanced social and economic development among regions of Armenia through creating new jobs and increasing the economic competitiveness of regions.

Objectives

To create employment opportunities in Shirak region – provide relevant skills and promote sustainable employment in culture and creative economy sectors, especially among the young adults.
To create economic opportunities and diversify the economy of Shirak region – support business climate, productive investments, cooperation among companies, especially SMEs, and related infrastructure at the field of culture and creative economy.

Size of Grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between EUR 350,000 and EUR 700,000.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal person, existing at least one year before the call is published and
- be non-profit-making and
- be a specific type of organisation such as:
  - Public sector operator, such as local or regional authorities, Regional Development Agencies or other developmental bodies (e.g. Rural Development Centres, Local Economic Development Offices, SME agencies / associations, chambers of commerce and industry, local public utility companies, tourism development bodies, local employment offices and Local Employment Councils, higher education institutions or other similar organizations);
  - Private sector operators (such as: business organizations, cluster associations, industry and professional associations or other organizations such as vocational education institutions, employers and entrepreneurs associations or other similar organizations);
  - Non-governmental or international organizations
- be established in a Member State of the European Union or in Armenia and
- be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and
- apply for this call for proposal as lead applicant or co-applicant only in one project proposal (Please note that all the lead and co-applicants of the seven project proposals already selected to be granted in the 1st call for proposals of the PRDP GS are excluded from this 2nd call), and
- Eligible organizations with their legal seat in Yerevan and in the other 9 regions of Armenia (out of Shirak), as well as in the EU Member States, can apply for this 2nd call for proposals of PRDP GS only in partnership with regional partners from Shirak region, with the condition that the project will benefit for Shirak region (meaning that the outputs and results of the project will be realised in Shirak region).
Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations
The lead applicant must declare that the lead applicant himself, the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity (ies) are not in any of these situations.
The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter.
If awarded the grant contract, the lead applicant will become the beneficiary identified as the Coordinator. The Coordinator is the main interlocutor of the Contracting Authority. It represents and acts on behalf of any other co-beneficiary (if any) and coordinate the design and implementation of the action.

How to Apply

The application procedure consists of two phases:
- Concept notes
- Full applications
In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application

Eligible Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK, Armenia.