How to fill in the application form
Whenever applying in the framework of a call for proposals (CfPs), applicants should care of using the standard documents (Grant Application Form, Budget, Logframe matrix) published in the CfPs webpage. Applicants and grant beneficiaries can always consult the general page of the EuropeAid website dedicated to Grants, but when participating in a specific CfPs they should refer to the application and contract management documents specific to that CfPs. This is because the Grant Application Form is often adapted by the Contracting Authority managing a specific CfPs and the Guidelines for Applicants may foresee derogations from the general principles of EuropeAid grant-management as laid down in the General Conditions (e.g. cost eligibility) and the Standard Grant Contract can be adapted accordingly.
The application form mainly comprises the following parts:
- a concept note
- a section about the action proposed
- a section about the applicant
- a section about implementing partners and associates (if any)
Whatever the procedure to follow, depending on whether the CfPs is open or restricted (see the difference here, applicants will have to provide the Contracting Authority with all the information required in the Guidelines for Applicants. In case of open calls for proposals, applicants present the concept note and the application form at once, while in case of restricted calls for proposals, applicants must first submit only the concept note. Only those who have their concept notes pre-selected will then be invited to present the full application form.
Concept Note
The concept note must note exceed the 4 pages (A4 size). It must be drafted as clearly as possible and must respond to a series of requirements pertaining to the relevance and implementation plan of the action, as listed in the “Instructions for the drafting of the Concept Note” (Part A of the Grant Application Form). Relevance of the action will only be treated in the concept note, so the applicant must put particular attention to this section. These two components (1.2 Relevance of the Action and 1.3. Description of the Action) are valued 30 and 20 points respectively, out of a total of 50 points to be assigned to the complete concept note.
The concept note should not include the budget for the action. However, applicants must indicate an indicative total cost of the action in 1.1.Summary of the Action, and the amount of requested EU contribution. The budget that will be included in the full application form shall not vary from the concept note's estimate of more than 20%.
Full Application Form
The first part of the Grant Application Form (Part B) covers the other aspects pertaining to the Action, such as the feasibility analysis, strategy and sustainability of the intervention. The first part (part 2) describes the Action in the following parts:
1. General information
- It mainly includes reference to the CfPs, title of the Action, location, and other call-specific information.
- It is suggested to fill in this part at the end, after having completed the other sections. Include the country of operation in the title.
2. The Action (from 2.1. to 2.4)
Cost of the Action (2.1)
- The PRAG 2010 introduced the concept of “accepted costs” (see the section on Budget): here the applicant shall break down the total cost of the Action into eligible (net of taxes) and accepted costs (gross of taxes), and calculate the EU contribution on the former if and only if the Basic (or Legal Basis or Regulation of the financial instrument regulating the CfPs) excludes financing of taxes.
Description of the Action and its effectiveness (2.1.1)
- Elaborate of the expected results of the Action and the indicators used to monitor achievement, making reference to the overall objective(s) and specific objective of your Action;
- Elaborate on the activities to be undertaken to reach the expected results, specifying the implementing body responsible for each activity or work programme;
- Indicate how the action will improve the situation of the beneficiaries.
Methodology (2.1.2)
- It includes coordination, monitoring and role of partners;
- Complete this section once the problem analysis has been carried out and the logframe matrix has been taken shape;
- Elaborate on the most salient methodological aspects one by one and explain why you chose a certain methodology among others;
- It is always good to show how the action proposed is linked to the work done previously by the applicant organisation or implementing partners;
- Show how your project proposal fits with the development strategy of the region/country of implementation;
- State and show how your organisation will participate to in country coordination of development aid intervention and how your action will eventually integrate and support (and not duplicate!) other organisations' efforts;
- Include general information about the monitoring and evaluation system you will put in place;
- Be sure to highlight the main elements and draw on the findings and conclusion of the stakeholder analysis you conducted;
- Provide a short description of the management team in charge for the project, by providing details on the resources that will be used;
- Include the communication and visibility plan you have budgeted.
Duration and indicative plan (2.1.3)
- Always insert the project duration in months and not years (e.g. 36 months, instead of 3 years).
- Use the action plan format as you find it, caring not to modify it too much while adapting it to your necessities;
- It is suggested to clearly identify milestones and show the points of your project action plan where the end of a specific activity may have an impact (dependency) on the start/completion of another one. Activities on this critical path shall be monitored carefully and cannot be delayed or the whole project will be delayed, unless the loss of time can be offset somewhere else later on the action plan.
Sustainability (2.1.4)
- Link pre-conditions and assumptions to your project objectives and envisaged results;
- Provide elements (quantified data) for the impact that your Action will have at technical, economic, social and policy levels;
- Include a sound risk analysis with foreseen mitigation measures;
- Describe potential multiplier effects and any dissemination plan foreseen to ensure the project's flow of benefits;
- Explain how sustainability will secured after completion of the action: financing follow-up activities, sources of revenue for covering all future maintenance costs, general services realised/reinforced, creation of community networks.
The applicant should clearly link the narrative description of the Application Form with the information in the logframe and budget, caring of using the same terminology and cross-checking the totals wherever resources and costs are quantified.
The rest of the Full Application Form (Part B) concerns the description of the applicant and its implementing partners and/or associates if any. As a major requirement, the applicant should demonstrate its capacity to manage and implement actions. Please note that where registration in PADOR is mandatory the applicant will not have to fill in section 3.2 (Profile) and 3.3 (Capacity to manager and implement actions) as this information is already contained in PADOR.
If the action is implemented in partnership with other organisations, the following information should be provided for each implementing partner and/or associate, together with its main legal credentials:
- experience of similar actions, in relation to the role in the implementation of the proposed action;
- history of cooperation with the applicant;
- role and involvement in preparing the proposed action;
- role and involvement in implementing the proposed action.
A partnership statement must be undersigned with each implementing partner.
Assessment of full applications forms are based on the following criteria:
- financial and operational capacity
- relevance of the action
- effectiveness and feasibility of the action
- sustainability
- budget and cost-effectiveness
Applicants are invited to read carefully the whole application package before starting the completion phase. This includes the CfPs notice if any, the Guidelines for Applicants, and any other document relative to the programme within which the action is to be financed (e.g. FAQs published in the CfPs webpage during the application process). The evaluation grids for concept notes and full application forms should also be carefully read, in order to identify the most important requirements and pitfalls to avoid.
Sources and useful links: