Courses
Spring Academy
Technical Assistance:
Practical Toolbox for better Absorption of the European non-reimbursable Funds
openregistration
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Description
From 24 to 26 April 2024 ESI Funds Academy organizes a workshop in Napoli in the field of Technical Assistance. Participants will become acquainted with best practices when it comes to management and implementation of technical assistance in the financial perspective 2021-2027. The workshop aims at providing recommendations and practical tips when it comes to the best use of technical assistance money, among others in order to improve the capacity of institutions, financing services, staff and trainings.
The European Commission adopted a proposal for the next multi-annual financial framework for the period 2021-2027. The ambition is to modernise the cohesion policy and change it into a simple, flexible and dynamic policy supporting modern investments in all the EU regions. One of the proposed simplifications is related to Technical Assistance. The European Commission would like to introduce a flat rate approach when it comes to settling technical assistance expenses with Member States. During the workshop we will analyse in details the European Commission proposal, looking at both: pros and cons.
The simplified approach towards technical assistance has already been introduced in the financial perspective 2014-2020. Experience suggested that the existing rules had been over-complex and had led to an unnecessary burden on programme managers and final beneficiaries. Therefore, at our workshop we will also have a look at the most interesting examples and Case Studies of the use of Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) in technical assistance projects.
Topics considered:
- Main principles governing technical assistance
- Eligibility Rules for Technical Assistance
- Simplified Management of Technical Assistance
- Eligibility of staff costs
- New rules for reimbursement of the technical assistance funds and services contracts management
- Technical assistance for Management Verifications
After completing the official program of the first day of the Spring Academy the ESIFA is inviting the participants on the Wedesday afternoon to a walking tour and a Get together dinner in a Restaurant in Napoli.
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Programme
Wednesday 24 April 2024
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08.45
Registration and welcome coffee
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09.00
Welcome by the ESI Funds Academy & Introduction Round
Introduction Round using a Pecha Kucha Presentation by every participant. Each participant will prepare a standard Pecha Kucha Presentation (20 slides x 20 seconds), or a short version Pecha Kucha Presentation (10 slides x 20 seconds), and will bring it on USB, or will email it to the speaker after the Registration.
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09.20
The role of TA for the implementation of ESI Funds
- Technical Assistance at the initiative of the Member States;
- Main actors involved in management and control of technical assistance; Who can participate?
- Possibilities of absorption in Technical Assistance
- Which indicators exist? Role and implications at Programme level
+ Roundtable discussions: How to increase absorption rate at Programme level using Technical Assistance funds?
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10.40
Coffee Break
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11.20
Eligibility Rules for Technical Assistance
- Eligibility of TA expenditures;
- TA and public procurement procedures;
- Simplified Cost Options;
- What about publicity requirements?
+ Practical exercise: How to increase the visibility of EU funds using technical assistance?
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12.30
Lunch
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14.00
How to increase absorption rate at Programme level using Technical Assistance
Best practices, Case studies and Advice on how to increase absorption rate at Programme level using Technical Assistance funds and how to increase the visibility of ESI funds using technical assistance
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16.00
End of the official Programme Day One
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18.00
Walking Tour and a networking dinner in Napoli
Walking Tour and a get-together dinner
After the completion of the first day of the Spring Academy we are inviting the participants to a Walking Tour and a networking dinner in a restaurant in Napoli
Thursday 25 April 2024
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09.00
Simplified Management of Technical Assistance. Are you ready for the new challenges that simplifi-cation of TA brings?
- How to simplify the use of TA?
- Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) in TA;
- How to verify Simplified Cost Options
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10.30
Coffee break
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11.00
New rules for reimbursement of the technical assistance funds and eligibility of staff costs
- TA eligibility of staff costs: salaries and other staff costs
- SCOs for salaries and other staff costs
- Practical examples of SCO for salaries and staff costs from different EU countries of the cur-rent and future programming period
+ Exercise: SCOs verification
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12.30
Lunch
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14.00
New rules for reimbursement of the technical assistance funds and services contracts management
- Service contracts: preparation and implementation;
- Public procurement procedures for service contracts: dos and don’ts
- Practical examples of service contracts management using TA funds from different EU countries
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16.00
End of the official Program of Day 2
Friday 26 April 2024
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09.00
Simplified Management of Technical Assistance. Are you ready for the new challenges that simplifica-tion of TA brings?
- How to simplify the use of TA?
- Off-the-shelf SCOs and FNLC in TA;
- What has changed for perspective 2021-2027?
Speakers: Maciej Aulak/Urszula Wójcik
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10.30
Coffee break
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11.00
New rules for reimbursement of the technical assistance funds and eligibility of staff costs
- TA eligibility of staff costs: salaries and other staff costs;
- Practical examples of SCO for salaries and staff costs from different EU countries;
- Practical example of FNLC in a TA project
Speakers: Maciej Aulak/Urszula Wójcik
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12.30
Lunch
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13.30
Technical Assistance for supporting capacity of beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries of the Cohe-sion Policy
- The importance of good capacity of staff in central and local government;
- How to support beneficiaries in strategic planning and investment development?
Speakers: Maciej Aulak/Urszula Wójcik
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15.30
End of the seminar
Handing out of the certificates
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Experts
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Venue
4* Hotel in Lisbon
Novotel Lisboa
Av. José Malhoa 1 1A, 1099-051 Lisboa, PortugaliaNext to the training materials the trainign fee is covering:
a) the Catering during the training (3 Coffee Breaks and a Lunch every day);
b) a Walking Tour in Lisbon in the evening of the First Day of the Training;
c) a get-together dinner in the evening of the First Day of the Training.
