CULTURE (2007-2013)

CALL FOR PROPOSALS — EACEA/21/07

Special actions of cultural cooperation with and in third countries

(2007/C 180/09)

1.   Legal basis

This call for proposals is based on the Decision No 1855/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 establishing the programme Culture (2007-2013) (1) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Programme’).

2.   Objectives and description

The Programme is part of the European Union's ongoing commitment to enhance the cultural area shared by Europeans and based on a common cultural heritage through the development of cultural cooperation between the creators, cultural players and cultural institutions of the countries taking part in the Programme, with a view to encouraging the emergence of European citizenship.

The Programme may also be open to cooperation with other third countries, which have concluded association or cooperation agreements with the Community, provided that the latter contain cultural clauses, and this on the basis of supplementary appropriations and specific procedures to be laid down.

The Programme provides for Community intervention to support ‘special measures’ and in this framework support may be given to cooperation with third countries and international organisations.

3.   Purpose of the call for proposals

In order to meet the objectives of the Programme and taking into account:

This call for proposals aims to support bi-annual cultural cooperation projects (2007-2009) focusing on two major Asian countries: China and India.

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Executive Agency’) is responsible for carrying out the call for proposals.

4.   Budget available and duration of the project

The total budget granted for this call for proposals should be EUR 1,8 million.

Financial support will be granted to approximately 10 cooperation projects (5 projects for cooperation with India and 5 projects for cooperation with China). The maximum duration of the project is of 24 months.

The level of Community co-financing shall not exceed 50 % of eligible costs associated with each project (maximum ceiling of EUR 180 000 per project).

5.   Eligibility criteria and selection criteria

Eligible applicants must be public or private cultural organisations with legal status, whose main activity lies in the cultural sphere, and which are able to demonstrate at least a 2 year long experience in the field of cultural project design and management at the international level, in particular in China and India. Those organisations must be involved both in the design and the implementation of the project, and also make a real and significant financial contribution to the project's budget. Those organisations must provide at least 50 % of the total budget of the project.

Those organisations must have their registered legal seat in one of the countries taking part in the Programme (2). Those organisations must also have the financial capacity and operational capacity to complete the cooperation projects.

Eligible projects will correspond to bi-annual cultural cooperation projects which involve cooperation of at least 3 partners from at least 3 different eligible countries. The eligible project must also involve at least one associate partner either from India, for an action to take place in/with this country, or China, for an action to take place in/with this country. The cooperation must be supported by a signed declaration of partnership between the partners and the associate partner(s). At least 50 % of the activities carried out under the cultural cooperation projects shall take place on the territory of the third country in question (respectively India or China). Priority could be given to cooperation projects with associate partners having their legal seats registered in China or in India.

6.   Award criteria

Awarding of a grant is not only dependent on examination of the eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria. Decision will be determined on the basis of the award criteria.

The award criteria can be outlined as follows:

7.   Deadline for submitting applications

1 October 2007

8.   Additional information

The specifications which complete the call for proposals EACEA/21/07 are integral part of the call for proposals. Applications must satisfy the requirements laid down in the specifications and must be submitted using the application forms provided for this purpose.

The specifications, the application pack and all the relevant forms are available on the Internet site of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency:

http://eacea.cec.eu.int/static/index.htm

(1)  OJ L 372, 27.12.2006, p. 1.

(2)  The 27 Member States of the European Union, the EEA, the candidate countries Croatia, Turkey and FYROM subject to the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the participation of each of those countries in the new Culture Programme in 2007 and the countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, including Kosovo (under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244)), subject to the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the participation of each of those countries in the new Culture Programme in 2007.