Applications must be submitted electronically via the eSINNIS Portal (e-Social Innovation Information System) managed by the Granting Authority.

The submission process includes two steps:

1. Creation of a user account. To use the Portal, an applicant has to create a user account. Register to the eSInnis here: Registration | eSInnis+ 
2. Submission of an application (the application template is provided as Annex 3 to the Call Conditions)

Applications submitted by email or outside the Portal will not be accepted.

As further stated in Section 8.3 – Admissibility and eligibility check, to be admissible, an application must be:

• Readable and accessible;
• Complete and must contain all the information, annexes, and supporting documents requested.
  Only the information requested in the application and the documents specified in Annex 4 to the Call Conditions will be taken into consideration during the assessment.
  The application will be considered inadmissible and will be rejected if the following annexes are not submitted with the application at the time of its submission:
• Annex 1: Detailed Budget Table.
• Annex 5: List of the Previous Projects or Annex 9: Public Legal Entity Form (whichever is required depending on the legal status of the coordinator.
• Annex 8: Declaration of the Professional Competencies.

You will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission. If not, your application has not been received. In case of technical issues, you must immediately notify the IT helpdesk at: IThelp@socialinnovationplus.eu, and include proof of attempted submission.

Applicants are not consulted by phone to ensure the principle of equal treatment of applicants. For individual questions concerning the eSINNIS Portal, please contact the IT Helpdesk: IThelp@esf.lt or IThelp@socialinnovationplus.eu

Non-IT related questions should be sent to the following email address – DEP@socialinnovationplus.eu

For transparency purposes, relevant answers will be added to the FAQ page.

The Call Conditions can be found here: Implementing the Disability Employment Package – Innovative Approaches to Improve Labour Market Outcomes for Persons With Disabilities.

All support for applicants can be found here: Resources.

Call documentation translated into any of the official languages of the EU can be requested. Nevertheless, we would like to bring it to your attention that documents will be translated using the machinery translation tool eTranslation, which is provided by the European Commission. The translated documents will not be edited and the Granting Authority will not take the responsibility for the accuracy of the translation. In the event of any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and any translated version of this document, the English version of the Call Conditions, which is published on our website, shall prevail and be considered authoritative.

As it is stated in the Section 8.3 of the Call Conditions, applicants are encouraged to submit their application in English to facilitate the processing of applications and speed up the assessment process. However, applications submitted in any of the official languages of the EU will be accepted. In this case, an application should be accompanied by an executive summary in English. It should be noted that the assessment of applications will be caried out on the basis of the English version of the application. The quality of the translation will not be guaranteed, and the translation of the application may not fully reflect the content of the text in the original language and is therefore at the applicant’s own risk. Moreover, the Grant Agreement, as well as the project management, formal reporting, key deliverables, and all communication with the Granting Authority shall be in English.

If the applicant’s or co-applicants’ entity has already been validated by the Central Validation Service (‘validated’
status) and has a Participant Identification Code (PIC) included in the register containing all participants in EU
programmes, the entity’s registration certificate may not be submitted. If an entity has not yet been validated by
the Central Validation Service, documents certifying the entity’s legal status and origin shall be submitted as
an annex to the application.

You can check whether your organisation has already been registered here.

Call documentation into any of the official languages of the EU can be requested. Nevertheless, we would like to bring it to your attention that documents will be translated using the machinery translation tool eTranslation, which is provided by the European Commission. The translated documents will not be edited and the Granting Authority will not take the responsibility for the accuracy of the translation. In the event of any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and any translated version of this document, the English version of the Call Conditions, which is published on our website, shall prevail and be considered authoritative.

Under this Call, an entity may only participate as the coordinator in one consortium. However, there is no limit to participation as a co-applicant.

All data provided in the Application Form will be processed in accordance with the applicable data protection laws, including Regulation 2016/679. It will be processed solely for the purpose of the assessment of the application, the subsequent management of the grant and, if necessary, the monitoring, evaluation, and communication of the programme. For more details, see Article 14 of the Grant Agreement.

All applications must be submitted directly online via the eSInnis Portal ((e) Social Innovation Information System). Register to the eSInnis here: Registration | eSInnis+ 

Connect to eSInnis after registration here: Login | eSInnis+ 

Once the deadline has passed, it is no longer possible to make corrections, add mandatory or non-mandatory documents or submit an application.

Applications will be qualitatively assessed against the award criteria by at least two experts, at least one of whom will
be an independent external expert.
The experts can make suggestions for reducing the budget. The experts shall have no oral or written communication
with the applicants.

Any charts and images may be added to the Application as Annexes. To put them directly to the text in the Application is not possible.

Please refer to Annex 3 of the Call, which is the model Application Form.

There are no strict requirements regarding the number of work packages (WPs); however, the number of the WPs should be proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project.
Among other WPs, the project should include at least three mandatory work packages: Project Coordination/Management Work Package, Dissemination and Communication Work Package, and a Work Package Focusing on Specific Practices Presented in the Disability Employment Package.

Funding under this call is lump sum funding. Lump sums will be established for each WP individually, and the beneficiaries will have to report on each WP separately. A WP will only be considered completed when all the work has been carried out, and all deliverables under the respective WP have been reached. Payments for partially completed work packages are possible only at the end of the project, as part of the final payment. Therefore, we recommend the following:
• think through the structure of the WPs: set a reasonable number of activities and deliverables within planned duration of WP.
• consider splitting WPs with a longer duration (e.g., coordination/ management WP) in line with reporting periods. In this case, relevant WPs can be completed and paid at the end of the reporting period. For example, if a duration of a project is 24 months, rather than having one management/ coordination WP with 24 months’ duration, you may consider having two management/coordination WPs – one lasting from the 1st until 12th month and the other from 12th until 24th month of project implementation. Such structuring of WPs should help to ensure sufficient cash flow in project (if relevant).

To certify your language level, you must provide a declaration (Annex 8 Declaration of the Professional Competencies).

To certify your language level, you must provide a declaration (Annex 8 Declaration of the Professional Competencies).

The Declaration of Honour must be signed by all Beneficiaries.

To be eligible, the applicant (coordinator), co-applicants, and associated partners must:
Be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• Be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
• EU Member States.
• Non-EU countries: listed European Economic Area (EEA) countries and countries associated with the ESF+
  (Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, and Serbia) or countries with which an association agreement is being
  negotiated and for which the agreement enters into force by the deadline of this Call.

Applicant, co-applicants and associated partners can be (non-exhaustive list):

• Ministries of labour and/or social affairs,
• Public employment services (PES), employment agencies, job centres,
• National, regional and local authorities, public authorities, municipalities,
• Vocational education and training entities,
• Local community centres, hubs,
• Non-governmental and non- profit entities (e.g., civil society organisations, associations, foundations, social
  enterprises, etc.), in particular those representing persons with disabilities.
• Representative bodies linked to the labour market, including chambers of commerce and other trade associations,
• Trade unions.
• Education and research entities,
• Guidance and consultancy service providers linked to employment and/or social inclusion,
• Public and private funders, etc.
• Companies (public and private).

Only consortia are eligible to apply under this Call.

To be considered eligible, the consortium must include an applicant (the coordinator) and at least two co-applicants.

The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different eligible countries.

The consortium must include at least one public authority, as (co-)applicant or associated partner, which should be:
a) established in the same country as the applicant or one of the co-applicants,
b) responsible for implementing the policies relevant to the objectives of the Call, especially, in the areas of
employment and disability.

Associated partners, as defined in Article 7 of the Grant Agreement, are eligible to participate in a project, but will not be counted among the required minimum number of consortium members. An associated partner may participate in a project but may not declare eligible costs.

International organisations can participate in a project as associated partners only.

An international organisation means an organisation and its subordinate bodies governed by public international law, or any other body which is set up by, or on the basis of, an agreement between two or more countries.

Natural persons cannot be applicants, co-applicants, or associated partners.

There is no template for the Consortium Agreement. Please note that the Consortium Agreement is for the internal use of the legal entities involved in the project implementation. The agreement does not need to be submitted to the Granting Authority.

Only entities established in EU Member States, listed European Economic Area (EEA) countries, and countries associated with the ESF+ (Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, and Serbia) or countries with which an association agreement is being negotiated and for which the agreement enters into force by the deadline of this Call can be part of the Consortium.

The consortium must include at least one public authority, as (co-)applicant or associated partner, which should be:
a) established in the same country as the applicant or one of the co-applicants,
b) responsible for implementing the policies relevant to the objectives of the Call, especially, in the areas of
employment and disability.

The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different eligible countries (see Section 6.1 of the Call
Conditions).

To be considered eligible, the consortium must include at least three legal entities: an applicant (the coordinator) and at least two co-applicants.

The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different eligible countries:

• EU Member States.
• Non-EU countries: listed European Economic Area (EEA) countries and countries associated with the ESF+ (Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, and Serbia) or countries with which an association agreement is being negotiated and for which the agreement enters into force by the deadline of this Call.

Moreover, the consortium must include at least one public authority, as (co-)applicant or associated partner, which should be:
a) established in the same country as the applicant or one of the co-applicants,
b) responsible for implementing the policies relevant to the objectives of the Call, especially, in the areas of employment and disability.

The aim of this Call is to support transnational projects transferring or scaling up social innovations referenced in the Disability Employment Package. As these social innovations/good pratices are already tested and proved their merit in increasing the employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, the Package provides the main elements of these social innovations/good pratices (the country(-ies), where the good practice was implemented, the entity(-ies), which implemented the practice, and the main elements/traits of the practice). This information should be useful for the potential applicants to choose the good practice(s) to scale up or transfer.

However, while the Package provides the information about the entities, which originally implemented the good practices, there is no requirement to include these entities into the consortiums applying to this Call.

The first matchmaking session concluded on the 11th of July. Information about organisations which participated in the matchmaking session can be found using this link: https://www.b2match.com/e/matchmaking-for-call-implementing-dep and by clicking the tab ‘Participants’.

The second matchmaking session will be organised in September. Please follow the news section on the socialinnovationplus.eu website for updates and detailed information.

As stipulated in the Call Conditions, you are encouraged to investigate the Disability Employment Package (DEP) and the published practices referenced therein. These practices provide valuable insights into the types of stakeholders, public authorities, and service providers involved in successful initiatives.

By reviewing these examples, you can:
-Draw inspiration on what combination of partners (e.g., public authorities, NGOs, employers, PES) is typically needed to transfer or scale the DEP addressed practices;
-Understand the roles and contributions each partner type brings to successful implementation;
-Better identify potential partners in your country or abroad with complementary experience.

The coordinator must have sufficient experience in project management/coordination. It is compulsory to meet
criteria specified in points a) OR b).

Option a) refers to the organizational experience of the coordinator as a legal entity, requiring the organization itself to have previously managed a qualifying consortium project; whereas option b) allows the organization to rely on the individual experience of the designated lead project manager, provided they have personally managed a qualifying project and meet the language proficiency requirement. Below are concrete requirements for each of the options:

a) The coordinator (as a legal entity) has managed at least one consortium project (funded by EU or national
public funds) which:

1. was managed by the coordinator;
2. involved beneficiaries (an applicant/coordinator and co-applicant) from no fewer than two different countries;
3. lasted at least 12 months;
4. had a total budget of more than EUR 200 000;
5. was implemented and finished within the last five years (1 November 2020 – 29 October 2025).
   Only projects meeting all the five requirements above will be taken into consideration for the assessment of
   operational capacity of the coordinator.

In case operational capacity is substantiated by the experience of the lead project manager, the following requirements must be met:
b) The lead project manager, directly involved in the management of the project submitted under the Call, has
managed at least one consortium project (funded by EU or national public funds) which:

1. was managed by the lead project manager;
2. involved beneficiaries (an applicant/coordinator and co-applicant) from no fewer than two different countries;
3. lasted at least 12 months;
4. had a total budget of more than EUR 200 000;
5. was implemented and finished within the last five years (1 November 2020 – 29 October 202543)
   Only projects meeting all the five requirements above will be taken into consideration for the assessment of
   operational capacity of the coordinator.
   Additionally, the lead project manager is expected to have a very good command of English (C1 level or higher).

Public bodies are exempted from the operational capacity check. The Granting Authority, if needed, may request
additional information to verify the status of the public body.

PUBLIC BODY – any legal entity which is established as a public body by national law.1 The criteria listed below shall
NOT constitute sufficient evidence for an entity to be recognised as a public body:

• The entity’s mission or activity is in the general interest (public service mission).
• The entity’s shares belong to a public body (even if the public ownership constitutes 100% of the share capital).
• The entity receives public financing.
• The entity is supervised and controlled by the state.
  Public bodies may act according to and be subject to private law in some or most of their activities, provided that their
  existence and functioning are governed by public law.

The operational capacity of the coordinator to manage the project shall be confirmed by the submission of the following supporting documents:

1. A list of projects managed by the coordinator or the lead project manager within the last five years (see Annex
   5 of the Call Conditions for a template to justify requirements a) or b)).
2. Evidence, proving that at least one project from those indicated in Annex 5 meets all the five operational
   capacity criteria. The documentation must clearly demonstrate that the project indicated:
   1.1. was coordinated/managed by the lead applicant/coordinator or the lead project manager;
   1.2. involved partners/beneficiaries (a lead applicant/coordinator and co-applicant) from no fewer than two
   different countries;
   1.3. lasted at least 12 months;
   1.4. had a total budget of more than EUR 200 000;
   1.5. was implemented and finished within the last five years (1 November 2020 – 29 October 202545).
3. A declaration by the coordinator certifying the professional competences, appropriate qualifications, and a very
   good command of English (C1 level or higher) of the coordinator’s project team to carry out the required tasks
   (Annex 8).

Please note, that if it is considered that the coordinator, which is not a Public Body, does not have the required operational capacity (including cases where Annex 5 or evidence, proving that at least one project from those indicated in the Annex 5 meets all five operational capacity criteria, are not submitted with the application), the entire application will be rejected.

In line with section 7.2 of the Call Conditions, consortia projects which will be taken into account for the assessment of the operational capacity of the coordinator, should have been funded from EU (Horizon, Erasmus, etc.) or national public funds (programmes managed by governmental, national or regional authorities) .

The coordinator must have sufficient experience in project management/coordination. It is compulsory to meet
criteria specified in Section 7.2 of the Call Conditions. In concrete terms, this means the following:

The coordinator has managed at least one consortium project (funded by EU or national public funds) which:

1. involved beneficiaries (an applicant/coordinator and co-applicant) from no fewer than two different countries;
2. lasted at least 12 months;
3. had a total budget of more than EUR 200 000;
4. was implemented and finished within the last five years (1 November 2020 – 29 October 2025).

The coordinator must prove experience in managing at least one consortium project (funded by EU or national public funds) which involved beneficiaries (an applicant/coordinator and co-applicant) from no fewer than two different countries.

Applicants are expected to base their proposals on one or more specific practices presented in the Package:

1. Strengthening capacities of employment and integration services
2. Promoting hiring perspectives through affirmative action and combating stereotypes
3. Ensuring reasonable accommodation at work
4. Retaining persons with disabilities in employment
5. Securing vocational rehabilitation schemes
6. Exploring quality jobs in sheltered employment and pathways to the open labour market.

As stipulated in the Call Conditions Section 2.2 – Activities, projects must focus on transferring or scaling up social innovations referenced in the Disability Employment Package. Each proposal must include activities that directly contribute to improving the employment of persons with disabilities.

Eligible and expected activities include:

1. Building a shared understanding of unmet or insufficiently met social and labour market and labour market related
   needs by strengthening collaboration and capacity building between key stakeholders. For example, implementing
   initiatives that unite public institutions (e.g., employment and social affairs ministries, local municipalities, public
   employment services), private enterprises, non-profit organisations, organisations representing persons withdisabilities or service providers for those persons, as well as research bodies to co-design and implement solutions
   that address employment challenges faced by persons with disabilities. For the purpose of this call, employment
   is understood as a broad concept consisting of active labour market measures aimed at labour market activation,
   recruitment, hiring, return to work after sick leave or from vocational rehabilitation, as well as career progression.
2. Identification and framing of the challenges. For example, engaging key stakeholders in conducting a
   comprehensive mapping of barriers in the employment pathway for persons with disabilities across different
   industries, regions, and work settings.
3. Identification and adaptation of proven social innovation models that have enhanced employment outcomes
   for persons with disabilities, as described in the Package, which should serve as a reference point to put in place
   specific measures and solutions, to identify effective models, implementing knowledge exchange programmes to
   facilitate best practice sharing, and selecting promising models for adaptation.
4. Selecting the appropriate method for scaling a proven social innovation. For example, determining the most
   suitable scaling approach based on the context, barriers, and needs of persons with disabilities. This may include
   open adoption, where a new organisation adopts a social innovation implemented elsewhere; affiliation, where
   the social innovation owner forms a partnership with an organisation in a new location to meet local demand;
   branching, where the innovation owner expands operations to a new location to directly implement the model; or
   any other.
5. Implementing continuous learning and impact-driven scaling. For example, integrating regular reflection and
   evaluation throughout the project to enable timely revisions and improvements, rather than limiting assessment
   to the end (e.g. stakeholder engagement events, feedback workshops, or learning sessions to review data and
   assess progress), in order to ensure that innovations remain effective and scalable.
6. Working towards mainstreaming/consistent adoption. For example, fostering collaboration among key
   stakeholders to ensure the sustainable and widespread implementation of proven employment solutions for
   persons with disabilities into national and local policies, employer practices, and public employment services.
7. Participation in mutual learning events organised by the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation
   (established under the ESF+ SI+ Initiative). It is crucial for mutual learning between beneficiaries and therefore
   mandatory. It is planned to organise 2-4 mutual learning events during the implementation of the projects (a
   maximum of two events will take place on site (provisionally in Vilnius, and Brussels), the others online).

As stipulated in the Call Conditions Section 2.2 – Activities, projects must produce documented outputs that make the implemented innovations accessible, adaptable, and replicable for other stakeholders (e.g., public authorities, employers, PES, NGOs). These outputs may include:

-Procedures
-Manuals
-Guidelines
-Other documented and accessible outputs
Important: these outputs must go beyond merely repeating the Disability Employment Package. They should include practical implementation instructions, adaptations to specific groups or contexts, and must be reviewed by a relevant public authority involved in the project.

Projects are expected to demonstrate measurable improvements in three key areas:

1. The capacities of participating entities built to provide sustainable solutions to increasing employment of
   persons with disabilities.
2. Enhanced stakeholder diversity and collaboration in addressing the barriers to employment of persons with
   disabilities.
3. Increased employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market.

Participation in mutual learning events organised by the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation is crucial for mutual learning between beneficiaries and therefore mandatory.

It is planned to organise 2-4 mutual learning events during the implementation of the projects (a maximum of two events will take place on site (provisionally in Vilnius, and Brussels), the others online).
More detailed information regarding mutual learning events:
• Travel and subsistence costs which will be incurred as a result of the participation in these events should be included into the Detailed Budget Table, as the Granting Authority will not cover these costs separately.
• The recommended number of participants – 2 representatives per project.
• It is recommended not to create a separate work package for these activities, but to include them under a work package related to mutual learning (if possible).
• Please note that travel information (i.e., number of travels, participants, destination countries, travel duration) shall be presented in the application, under the relevant WP. Moreover, costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence have to be calculated using unit costs fixed by the authorising Decision C(2024)5405.

The requirement to upload key information about the project to the Social Innovation Match is applicable only to the selected projects and will have to be fulfilled by the coordinators of those projects which will be selected for funding during project implementation.

There are no strict requirements regarding the number of work packages (WPs); however, the number of the WPs should be proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project.
Among other WPs, the project should include at least three mandatory work packages: Project Coordination/Management Work Package, Dissemination and Communication Work Package, and a Work Package Focusing on Specific Practices Presented in the Disability Employment Package.

Funding under this call is lump sum funding. Lump sums will be established for each WP individually, and the beneficiaries will have to report on each WP separately. A WP will only be considered completed when all the work has been carried out, and all deliverables under the respective WP have been reached. Payments for partially completed work packages are possible only at the end of the project, as part of the final payment. Therefore, we recommend the following:
• think through the structure of the WPs: set a reasonable number of activities and deliverables within planned duration of WP.
• consider splitting WPs with a longer duration (e.g., coordination/ management WP) in line with reporting periods. In this case, relevant WPs can be completed and paid at the end of the reporting period. For example, if a duration of a project is 24 months, rather than having one management/ coordination WP with 24 months’ duration, you may consider having two management/coordination WPs – one lasting from the 1st until 12th month and the other from 12th until 24th month of project implementation. Such structuring of WPs should help to ensure sufficient cash flow in project (if relevant).

As defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The call refers to the Disability Employment Package (Package) as the reference framework for practices and expected deliverables. One of the six topics addressed by the Package (section 1.4.4 of the Call Conditions) is Retaining persons with disabilities in employment: preventing disabilities associated with chronic diseases.
The Package document presenting the information on this focus area is A Manual for managing chronic diseases and preventing the risk of acquiring disabilities, which states that ‘chronic illness is closely related to (the risk of) disability.’ The chronic diseases that feature in this Manual are cancer, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, long COVID and work-related psychosocial risks in the workplace.

This Call supports transnational projects which aim at transferring or scaling up social innovations referenced in the Disability Employment Package.
Applicants shall design activities that directly contribute to the aim of the Call. While applicants are encouraged to propose activities best suited to their specific context, at least the following key activities are expected to be covered in each proposal:

1. Building a shared understanding.
2. Identification and framing of the challenges.
3. Identification and adaptation of proven social innovation models that have enhanced employment outcomes for persons with disabilities.
4. Selecting the appropriate method for scaling a proven social innovation.
5. Implementing continuous learning and impact-driven scaling.
6. Working towards mainstreaming/consistent adoption.

Under this Call every project shall include transnational partners – beneficiaries. To enable mutual learning and cooperation between beneficiaries, the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation will organise 2-4 mutual learning events during the implementation of the projects. Mutual learning between beneficiaries is essential under the ESF+ SI+ Initiative and therefore mandatory.

The current Call specifically supports transnational projects aiming to transfer or scale up social innovations that directly enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, as referenced in the Disability Employment Package. The key focus areas include inclusive recruitment, career guidance, reasonable accommodation at work, retention and return to work, and transitions from sheltered to open labour market employment.

This Call supports transnational projects which aim at transferring or scaling up social innovations referenced in the Disability Employment Package (Package). Applicants are expected to base their proposals on one or more specific practices presented in the Package, with the goal of improving employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

The EU grant awarded under this Call may cover up to 80% of the total eligible costs of a project. Consequently, at least 20% of the total project budget must be co-financed from other sources than the EU budget. The indicative size of each grant is between EUR 500,000 and EUR 1,000,000, but proposals requesting different amounts are not excluded. 

Grants are provided in the form of lump sums.

• The amount of the lump sum are established for the whole project (overall lump sum), per work package and per beneficiary separately.
• Lump sums are established on the basis of the Detailed Budget Table (see Annex 1 to the Call Conditions for a
  template) submitted by the applicant, the Granting Authority’s assessment of the validity of the amounts requested,
  and a funding rate of 80%.
• Lumos sums are paid out upon completion of work packages. Payment is made only when all deliverables of a work package are achieved as defined in the Grant Agreement.

The following costs are eligible under the lump sum grant:
A. Direct personnel costs:
A.1 Employees (or equivalent) person months
B. Purchase costs:
B.1 Travel and subsistence per travel or per day
B.2 Other goods and services
C. Indirect costs

To be eligible, costs must:

1. Be attributed to the beneficiary.
2. Be related to the duration of the implementation period of the project (except for costs related to the submission
   of the Final Report of the project).
3. Be estimated in eligible cost categories.
4. Be linked to and necessary for the implementation of the project, i.e., achieving the objectives of the project.
5. Be established in accordance with the usual cost accounting practices of the beneficiary.
6. Be identifiable and verifiable.
7. Comply with the applicable national and EU legislation, including accounting and public procurement rules.
8. Be reasonable and justified and comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular in terms
   of economy and efficiency.

The following costs and contributions are ineligible and cannot be covered by the grant:

1. Costs related to return on capital and dividends paid by the beneficiary.
2. Debt and debt service charges.
3. Provisions for future losses or debts.
4. Interest payable.
5. Currency exchange losses.
6. Bank charges levied by the beneficiary’s bank for transfers from the Granting Authority.
7. Excessive or reckless expenditure.
8. Deductible or refundable VAT (including VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authorities).
9. Costs incurred or contributions made for activities implemented during a suspension of the Grant Agreement.
10. In-kind contributions by third parties.
11. Costs or contributions for personnel of a national (or regional/local) administration for activities that are part of
    the administration’s normal activities (i.e., not undertaken only because of the grant).
12. Costs related to the purchase of land and real estate as well as infrastructure.
13. Costs related to the purchase of furniture, equipment, and vehicles.
14. Costs related to repair, refurbishment, reconstruction, or any construction works.
15. Regranting. This includes any financial support or distribution of funds to third parties such as bursaries, vouchers
    (e.g. supermarket or transport vouchers), stipends, sub-grants, fixed lump sums to participants.
16. Amortization and depreciation costs.

Applicants must ensure co-financing of at least 20% of the total project budget from non-EU sources.

The grant may cover up to 80% of the total eligible costs. Funds from other EU programmes cannot be used to fulfill the required co-financing share.

As stipulated in the Call Conditions Section 3.4 – Double funding, double funding from the EU budget is strictly prohibited.

Each project may receive only one EU grant, and the same costs must not be financed twice from any Union budget source. This ensures transparent and efficient use of EU funds.

According to the maximum possible duration of the project (18-24 months), two prefinancing instalments and the
final payment are planned:

• The first prefinancing payment of 50% of the grant after the signature of a grant agreement and accession form;
• The second prefinancing payment of 30% of the grant after the submission and approval of the first periodic report. Where the spending of the previous prefinancing is less than 70%, the amount of the next prefinancing payment will be reduced by the difference between the 70% threshold and the amount used;
• The final payment (payment of the balance) after the submission and approval of the final periodic report.

Indirect costs are defined as a flat rate of 7% of the total eligible direct costs (i.e., the sum of all amounts listed in A and B categories in the Annex 1 of the Call Conditions).

Indirect costs are costs that cannot be identified as specific costs directly linked to the performance of the project. Indirect costs are general administrative costs – overhead costs incurred in connection with the eligible direct costs for the project. They can include corporate management costs and other costs linked to the normal functioning of the entity, such as horizontal and support staff, office and equipment costs (for instance, maintenance, stationery, photocopying, postage, telephone and fax costs, heating, electricity or other forms of energy, water, office furniture, insurance).

Two periodic reposts shall be submitted for projects with a duration between 18 and 24 months:

• the first periodic report – after 12 months, and
• the final report – at the end of a project.

Paymets are linked to periodic reports. According to the maximum possible duration of the project (18-24 months), two prefinancing instalments and the final payment are planned:

• The first prefinancing payment of 50% of the grant after the signature of a grant agrrement and accession forms;
• The second prefinancing payment of 30% of the grant after the submission and approval of the first periodic report.
  Where the spending of the previous prefinancing is less than 70%, the amount of the next prefinancing payment will be reduced by the difference between the 70% threshold and the amount used;
• The final payment (payment of the balance) after the submission and approval of the final periodic report.

Lump sum payments are made only after full completion of the corresponding work package. This means:

• The entire work package must be implemented as described in the Grant Agreement;
• All activities must be implemented and all deliverables must be achieved;
  -The Granting Authority must verify that the work has been carried out according to the project description.

To facilitate eligibility for the second prefinancing payment, applicants should structure the project proposal so that at least one work package is completed by the end of the first reporting period. Since lump sum payments are conditional upon the completion of work packages, this approach will help ensure that the second prefinancing payment can be made.

Beneficiaries will have to report regularly to the Granting Authority on the progress of the project in accordance with the timing and conditions stated in the Grant Agreement. The reporting will take place via the electronic system, using the templates provided there. There will be two types of reporting in the system: 

• Continuous reporting module: active for filing continuously since the start of the project and 
• Periodic reporting: active for filing at the end of a reporting period. 

The Periodic Report is the pre-condition for receiving payments (a second prefinancing and the final payment). Generally, in the case of a project with 18-24 months’ duration, the first periodic report is submitted after 12 months of project implementation and then the final report – after completion of project activities. Please note that it is not a rule and frequency of the reporting will be determined case by case (i.e., individually for each project) and will be detailed in the Grant Agreement.

The Periodic Report consists of technical and financial parts. The technical part presents general overview of the project implementation. The financial part includes the financial statement and reporting on the status of completion of work packages planned under the project. After filling in the status of work packages completion part, the system automatically generates the financial statement for current reporting period. Together with the Periodic Report, documentation supporting the achievement of deliverables will have to be submitted.

IMPORTANT. A work package (WP) is considered completed only if all planned activities have been carried out and all associated deliverables have been achieved. Payments for partially completed work packages are possible only at the end of the project, as part of the final payment. This should mean that if a certain WP has not been completed by the submission of the Periodic Report, such WP cannot be declared as completed and respectively, lump sum linked to it cannot be paid.

An example. A project with 18 months’ duration and EUR 500 000 grant is being implemented. A project promoter received the first pre-financing amounting to 50% of the total grant (EUR 250 000). During the assessment of the periodic report, it was concluded that only 60% of the first prefinancing was used (EUR 150 000). The amount of the second prefinancing will be reduced, by deducting the unspent sum of the first prefinancing payment.

Lump sum funding is a form of simplified cost options, which, contrary to reimbursement of the actual costs, removes obligation to justify actual costs incurred (i.e., lump sums shall be estimated using the same methodology as if these costs were declared under an actual cost-based grant agreements; however, project promoters will not be asked to submit the documents justifying the actual costs incurred to the Granting Authority).

The Detailed Budget Table (Annex 1 to the Call Conditions) establishes the maximum grant amount, which constitutes 80% of the total project costs. 20% of project costs are automatically deducted from the total project costs and shall be co-financed by the applicant and co-applicants. Please note that calculations are done for each beneficiary (individual entity) and for each of their work package.

The Declaration of Honour for Beneficiaries (Annex 6 ) includes the following provision: ‘During the implementation of the project My organisation will make co-financing contribution not less than 20 %, unless otherwise specified in the consortium agreement, towards the eligible costs of the project that are not covered by the project funding and any other costs (including non-eligible costs) necessary for the implementation of the project’.

Payments for partially completed work packages are possible only at the end of the project, as part of the final payment. This should mean that if a certain WP has not been completed by the submission of the Periodic Report, such WP cannot be declared as completed and respectively, lump sum linked to it cannot be paid.
Therefore, we recommend planning your WPs in alignment with the Reporting Periods to ensure adequate cash flow. Additionally, consider splitting longer-duration WPs to facilitate more effective financial management.

Costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence must be calculated using unit costs fixed by the authorising Decision C(2024)5405. These costs cannot be indicated under any other cost type and category. If a particular instance of travel, accommodation or subsistence in the action is not covered by one of the unit costs mentioned in Decision C(2024)5405, actual costs may be used. When unit costs are available, their use is mandatory in line with eligibility criteria.
For more detailed information please see worksheet ‘Travel Costs’ of Detailed Budget Table (Annex 1 to the Call Conditions).

As it is detailed in Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions, eligible cost categories under this Call are the following ones:
A. Direct personnel costs:
A.1 Employees (or equivalent) person months
B. Purchase costs:
B.1 Travel and subsistence per travel or day
B.2 Other goods, works and services
C. Indirect costs
To be eligible, costs must:

1. Be attributed to the beneficiary.
2. Be related to the duration of the implementation period of the project (except for costs related to the submission of the Final Report of the project).
3. Be estimated in eligible cost categories.
4. Be linked to and necessary for the implementation of the project, i.e., achieving the objectives of the project.
5. Be established in accordance with the usual cost accounting practices of the beneficiary.
6. Be identifiable and verifiable.
7. Comply with the applicable national and EU legislation, including accounting and public procurement rules.
8. Be reasonable and justified and comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular in terms of economy and efficiency.

In line with the above-mentioned eligibility requirements, property purchases do not fall under eligible cost categories and are therefore considered ineligible expenses.

Personnel costs are eligible if they:  
– fulfil general eligibility conditions; 
– are related to the personnel working for the applicant(s) under an employment contract (or an equivalent appointing act).
Please note that salary costs:

• should not exceed the average rates corresponding to the applicant’s usual policy on remuneration and must be not significantly different from the costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the applicant;
  – should be in accordance with national law, the collective labour agreement and the employment contract/equivalent appointing act.

More detailed information about the eligible cost category ‘Direct personnel costs’ can be found in the Detailed Budget Table template, sheets ‘Instructions’ and ‘Cost Eligibility Conditions’.

By signing ‘Declaration of Honour for Beneficiaries’, (Annex 6 to the Call Conditions), applicants make commitment to make co-financing contribution of no less than 20% during the implementation of the project. The applicants will not be asked to account for 20% co-financing additionally. 

Co-financing under this Call should be related to the eligible cost categories, i.e., excluding ineligible costs and contributions under this Call. A list of ineligible costs/ contributions is provided in Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions, and includes:

1. Costs related to return on capital and dividends paid by the beneficiary.
2. Debt and debt service charges.
3. Provisions for future losses or debts.
4. Interest payable.
5. Currency exchange losses.
6. Bank charges levied by the beneficiary’s bank for transfers from the Granting Authority.
7. Excessive or reckless expenditure.
8. Deductible or refundable VAT (including VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authorities).
9. Costs incurred or contributions made for activities implemented during a suspension of the Grant Agreement.
10. In-kind contributions by third parties.
11. Costs or contributions for personnel of a national (or regional/local) administration for activities that are part of the administration’s normal activities (i.e., not undertaken only because of the grant).
12. Costs related to the purchase of land and real estate as well as infrastructure.
13. Costs related to the purchase of furniture, equipment, and vehicles.
14. Costs related to repair, refurbishment, reconstruction, or any construction works.
15. Regranting. This includes any financial support or distribution of funds to third parties such as bursaries, vouchers (e.g. supermarket or transport vouchers), stipends, sub-grants, fixed lump sums to participants.
16. Amortization and depreciation costs

Such costs are ineligible costs, please refer to Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions.

Such costs are not foreseen in the Call Conditions as an eligible cost category. Cost category ‘B. Purchase costs’ includes only purchase costs.
For a detailed list of ineligible costs and contributions, please refer to Section 3.3 of the Call Conditions.

This expenditure does not align with the eligible cost categories outlined in the Call Conditions.

As lump sum funding generally does not require financial audits, such costs are considered ineligible.

As stipulated in the Call Conditions Section 1.4 – Disability Employment Package, the Package is one of the flagship initiatives of the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030. It provides a framework of practices, tools, and guidance to improve employment outcomes for persons with disabilities.

You can find detailed information, including toolkits, catalogues of good practices, and guidance documents, on the official European Commission website: https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/eu-employment-policies/disability-employment-package_en.