FAQs

Can I still participate in my project from 1 January 2021?

The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU confirms that 2014-20 ETC programmes will be able to continue with UK project partners, and UK project partners can continue delivering their projects in line with existing programme rules and timescales. 

Can I bid for more money in currently open or future funding calls?

Yes. The Withdrawal Agreement between the EU means that UK organisations can still apply for funding and can deliver projects until project closure. UK organisations can and should continue to secure funding and deliver successful projects for the current programming period.

Can I stop doing administration or audit tasks after 1 January 2021?

The Withdrawal Agreement means that your project can continue as planned, including under the existing terms of your contract. You are still subject to the same eligibility rules as set out in your contract, you still have to follow all audit and first level control requirements, and you will remain liable for any irregular expenditure that you claim.

Will I still be able to do all the activities in my contract from 1 January 2021?

The Withdrawal Agreement means that your project is still able to continue, and please be reassured that the programme wants to support you to deliver successfully. If you are concerned that you may no longer be able to undertake some activities in full, you should discuss this with your JS contact. 

Will all existing expenditure still be eligible?

Your project can continue as planned under the existing terms of your contract, and all expenditure remains eligible providing it is delivered in line with the programme eligibility rules as set out in your contract. You will still have to follow all audit and first level control requirements, and you will remain liable for any irregular expenditure that you claim. 

Will additional banking / transaction fees from January be eligible?

Office and administrative expenditure, which includes bank charges for administering an account, is covered by your existing overheads budget line, i.e. a flat rate of [15%] of each partner's staff costs.

Will any additional costs related to the movement of people and goods be eligible?

If there are any such additional costs, these would be eligible for your project provided they are in line with programme rules and the terms of your contract. You may want to speak with your JS officer to clarify any specifics relating to your project.

Please be aware that the expectation is that you manage this within your existing project budget; any requests for additional budget would need to be managed through the programme’s modification procedures.

Can I still hold my .eu domain name from 1 January 2021?

Please see guidance on this from gov.uk. This will apply to all UK organisations. You should follow the advice here, including to contact your domain registrar to understand what this means for you. You should also contact your Lead Partner or Joint Secretariat contact to seek their advice.

A number of UK-based ETC project partners have already transferred domain registrations to one of their EU project partners, and this may be something that you wish you explore within your project.

Will there be changes to how can I store, access and share data as part of my work in the project?

If the UK and the EU reach a data sharing agreement to enable the free flow of data, you can continue sharing data within your project. However, if no agreement is reached, you may be unable to do so in the same way you do now. The programme will ensure you are kept up-to-date on this, and will provide any further guidance as necessary. 

More information is available on the gov.uk website.

Will I still be granted access to programme IT systems via their portals?

Yes, you will still be able to access the programme IT systems you need to be able to manage your project and receive payment.  

Can you confirm that we can continue as lead partner for the project whatever happens? Will it still be acceptable for a UK Lead Partner to undertake all the functions and responsibilities or should we now look to find a lead partner from a Member State?

The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU means that the UK will continue to participate in current programmes until they end. UK organisations currently acting as lead partners in projects should therefore continue to undertake all functions and responsibilities as at present. 

Will we continue to process Claims?

Yes. We recognise how important it is at this time of uncertainty for organisations to maintain cash flow and avoid unnecessary disruption to project finances. Where you are able, please submit your full claim in line with the Grant offer Letter, with supporting documentation as normal, on eMS.

Please provide all of the supporting documentation, where you cannot please provide what you can.

If you are unable to meet the GoL claims deadline please inform the Joint Secretariat (JS), letting your contact know when you expect to submit your claim.

Documentary evidence:

We recognise that it may be difficult to gather some documentary evidence at this time. Where possible please provide the requested evidence. If this isn’t possible in the immediate future, we will not hold up payment of your claim, but we will contact you at a later date to ensure that the relevant evidence is provided.

We will review the need to extend these arrangements for a longer period as the position develops.

You must however ensure that you continue to maintain a complete and robust audit trail as claims will be verified/audited as usual or at a later point by both your FLC and the JS/MA and normal evidence requirements will apply.

Project will underspend in 2020, will this money automatically be lost to the project?

No. We recognise that it may not be possible for some projects to operate as normal and that this may impact on performance. We will work with you to reprofile finances and will also consider extensions to end dates, if possible within the programme time frame, to allow projects to catch up.

Will the project automatically be penalised if outputs cannot be delivered as a result of the impact of COVID-19?

No. As with finances we will work with you on a case by case basis to review profiles as necessary, it is not necessary to submit a project modification at this point, although may be requested at a later date to confirm agreed outputs. No penalty will be applied for reduced output levels that are agreed by the Managing Authority (MA) in line with the current programme performance guidance.

Will the programme continue to support project costs where activity has ceased or is temporarily suspended?

No.  Please note salary costs cannot be covered where delivery has ceased or is temporarily suspended.

It is important to note also that where employers choose to formally redeploy project staff to activities outside of the project, regardless of whether the project continues to deliver or is suspended, those salary costs are ineligible for support.

Will projects be able to cover the costs of staff should they fall ill due to the Coronavirus?

Yes. In line with the current national eligibility rules, if staff engaged 100% of the time on the project are certified or self-certified as sick, we will pay salary costs and contractual sick pay as normal.

If staff engaged 100% are in isolation and unable to undertake any project work and the employer is obliged to pay them, we will treat this in the same way as sick pay and cover the costs as normal.

Where staff time is only partially spent on a project using either the hourly rates or percentage methodologies these need to be applied using existing rules.

In line with Question 4, if project activity has ceased or is temporarily suspended or staff have been redeployed, costs relating to sick pay are not eligible for support since such will not be working on the project.

Can funds be used to meet part of the 20% employer contribution to wage costs under the HMT scheme?

No. Where delivery has ceased and employers seek access to support under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the programme will not contribute towards salary costs.

If staff are off sick, we are concerned about the impact this will have on the finances we can claim. Can we (a) increase the percentages claimed by other employees who are not currently claiming 100% of time and (b) can we bring in staff replacement cove

(a) Yes. Part time staff can increase their percentage to cover sick absence.

(b) Staff replacement cost is eligible usually for long term sick absence.

Increase in PT percentage working time and short term replacement costs are eligible as long as there is a contract in place prior to the staff member delivering.

The European Commission is considering changes to regulations e.g. state aid in response to the situation, must we follow the current rules?

Yes. The European Commission has proposed a series of limited flexibilities under CRII and the Temporary Framework for State Aid in response to the current emergency.

However, until further guidance is issued you must continue to follow current state aid and procurement rules and regulations. We will let you know if the position changes.

Can we change our project activity under current rules to help businesses respond to the situation?

Yes. We recognise there are opportunities for existing projects to amend their approach or refocus their support to assist businesses respond to the current situation. It is important to note that the situation is evolving and therefore it may not be possible for JS / MA staff to respond immediately. However, if you wish to revise your project please provide your JS contact with details in the first instance.

Can we change how we deliver the project activity?

Yes. If you wish to adopt remote delivery such as remote or online methods or make other changes to how you deliver the project this is fine. During the crisis we will accept electronic evidence of support if it is not possible to provide hard copies and ‘wet’ signatures and have recently updated our programme manual accordingly. There is a requirement for hard copies and “wet” signatures to follow “once the crisis has subsided”.

Would cancellation fees be eligible?

Yes.  Where a project incurs costs for activities that could not be delivered due to events or decisions beyond their control (e.g. meetings are cancelled by third parties or following Government advice), that expenditure will be eligible as long as the JS / MA is assured that reasonable steps have been taken to minimise that cost, that costs cannot be reimbursed from other sources and clear evidence is maintained of the payment and cancellation status/circumstances.

If we need additional IT to support remote working is that an eligible cost?

Yes. If you need additional equipment or software to allow project staff to work remotely this may be included in claims.

How do I inform and get agreement from the Managing Authority for any changes set out in this note?

In the first instance you should contact your JS contact by email clearly setting out all of the changes you anticipate as far as you are able. Your JS contact will consider and indicate MA consent (where possible) in email form. There will be no requirement for a project modification submission for COVID19 actions unless specifically requested.  Modifications for non COVID19 reasons should be submitted as per programme rules.

Submission of Full Applications: In respect of current applications, will our application be deselected if we fail to meet the application submission date?

We recognise it will be difficult for some projects to meet the current deadlines. Where you are able, please submit your application by the agreed deadline. If you are unable to meet the deadlines please contact your facilitator, we will consider extensions on a case by case basis.  Further calls for submissions are available later in the year.