Public call for participation in the Program for the Improvement of Cooperation and Capacity Building at the Regional and Local Level

The Development Agency of Serbia (hereinafter: RAS) through the implementation of the Program for the Improvement of Cooperation and Capacity Building at the Regional and Local Level (hereinafter: the Program) aims to improve economic and regional development through the strengthening of inter-institutional cooperation and capacities of ARRA and LGUs. Support is implemented as co-financing of a part of justified project costs, which are aimed at:promotion of the importance of regional development and regional development entities, as well as the importance of joining the EU, knowledge of available funds and priority projects for financing;networking of partners at the bilateral, multilateral, regional and local level through the improvement and strengthening of inter-institutional cooperation;improving the capacity of regional development entities in the areas of: management development projects, attraction of direct investments and export promotion; access and withdrawal of funds from various sources of funding (EU and other funds); support for encouraging more even regional development through the implementation of inter-institutional activities and the creation of support mechanisms for MSMEs and entrepreneurs (through the collection of data on the needs of the economy, data processing and analysis), i.e. stimulating business association into clusters and industrial clusters in priority sectors: machinery and equipment industry, food industry, wood and furniture industry and rubber and plastic industry.CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAMARRA and LGUs, as partners, have the right to participate in the Program and use grant funds, if they meet the following general conditions: that they have signed an agreement on the cooperation of partners on the project;that they have settled their obligations based on taxes and contributions;that they have provided mandatory participation for the realization of the project in accordance with this program;yes for the same activities for which they are applying for grants, they did not use incentive funds from the budget of the Republic of Serbia, the budget of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and the budget of LGUs or donor organizations.The applicant can nominate a maximum of one project. All project partners are considered as Applicants.Funds cannot be used for projects connected to political parties.FINANCIAL FUNDSThe total budget of the Program amounts to 20,000,000.00 dinars.Available funds are approved per project as co-financing in the amount up to 50% of justified project costs without VAT.The maximum amount of grants is 2,000,000.00 dinars, excluding VAT.The deadline for the completion of contracted activities and realization of payments within the approved project is 18 months from the date of signing the contract with RAS.COSTS PROJECTEligible costs are costs for which approve grants under this project, which meet the following conditions:that they were incurred during the implementation of the project;That they are listed in the planned budget of the project;That they are necessary for the implementation of project activities;They are not financed from any other sources of financing (double financing must not occur).The following are recognized as justified project costs:I Costs co-financed by RAS:1. Costs of preparation and organization of events (training, seminars, conferences, etc.):1.1 Costs of hiring lecturers and trainers;1.2 Costs of translation;1.3 Costs of renting space and/or equipment;1.4 Costs of preparation, production and procurement of promotional material (costs of design, production of invitations, publications, leaflets, brochures, instructions, folders, pens, USB etc.);1.5 Travel expenses of persons engaged in the project (tickets, rental of means of transport, tolls, fuel) - only up to 20% of the value of the costs;1.6 Accommodation costs of persons engaged in the project - only up to 20% of the value of the costs.2. Costs of analysis:2.1 Costs of feasibility studies, design and technical documentation;2.2 Costs of conducting research and analysis;2.3 Costs of publications (studies, analyzes and research reports).3. Costs of development and improvement of support services to encourage more even regional development:3.1 Costs of preparation and development of a new service, provided there is guaranteed financial sustainability after the end of financing by RAS;3.2 Costs of improving existing services;3.3 Costs of hiring specialized experts;3.4 Costs of creating a system for monitoring and evaluating services.II Costs recognized only as the Applicant's own participation:1. Costs of preparation and organization of events (training, seminar, conference, etc.):1.1 Costs of refreshments for participants (catering, soft drinks);1.2 Travel costs of participants (tickets, rental of means of transport, tolls, fuel);1.3 Costs of accommodation of participants.2. Costs for increasing the visibility of the project (advertisements, billboards, totems, promo films, appearance in the media, creation of internet presentations)2.1 Costs of printed advertising;2.2 Costs of audio and video advertising;2.3 Costs of internet advertising.3. Project management costs (can be up to 20% of the total value of the project):3.1 Salaries of employees of the applicant/partner engaged in the project;3.2 Costs of renting office space for the duration of the project;3.3 Overhead costs of office space for the duration of the project (costs of electricity, heating, water, telephone, etc.);3.4 Procurement costs consumables for the needs of the office where the project will be implemented (paper, toners, pens, folders and more).REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR COMPETITIONThe submitted application must be complete.The documentation that must be submitted when submitting the project proposal is:1. Form 1 - Project application (completed and signed by the Applicant);2. Form 2 - Statement of the applicant on acceptance of the conditions for the allocation of funds;3. Form 3 - Statement on the granted state aid of low value (de minimis state aid);4. Form 4 - Project budget;5. Form 5 - Budget narrative;6. Form 6 - Structure of partner participation in the project;7. Form 7 - Data on project partners;8. Agreement on cooperation on project implementation concluded between partners (ARRA and LGUs, as well as other partners)9. Certificate from the competent tax administration that the applicant has settled all public revenues (taxes and contributions), which must not be issued before the date of publication of the Public Call (original);10. Financial documentation: Balance sheet, income statement and statistical report of the applicant for the year 2018 with a copy of the Certificate of Registration of the regular annual financial report for the year 2018 issued by the APR, i.e. the Decision on the adoption of the final account of the budget of the local self-government unit for the year 2018. (If the applicant did not receive the Certificate of Registration of the regular annual financial report for the year 2018, submit the balance sheet, income statement and statistical report for the year 2018, signed and certified by the person responsible for compiling the financial report and the written statement of the applicant's legal representative on the credibility and identity of the copy submitted to the APR for final processing);11. Form 8 - Checklist (supplementary form - not mandatory).RAS reserves the right to, if necessary, request additional documentation from the Applicant, but only for complete applications. Application method and deadline for submitting applicationsProject applications with all accompanying forms and documentation are submitted in person or by registered mail to the RAS, in printed and electronic form (on USB), to the address: Belgrade, Kneza Miloša 12/III, office 301, with the indication: Application for the Public Call for Participation in the Program for the Improvement of Cooperation and Capacity Building at the Regional and Local Level.The Public Call is open until funds are used up.Instructions for implementation of the Program and all accompanying forms are available on the RAS website: documentationText of the Public InvitationInstructions for the implementation of the Program for improving cooperation and capacity building at the regional and local levelForm 1 - Project applicationForm 2 - Declaration of acceptance of conditionsForm 3 - Statement on state aidForm 4 - BudgetForm 5 - Narrative of the budgetForm 6 - Structure of participation of partners in the projectForm 7 - Data on partnersForm 8 - Control listForm 9 - Request for payment​Form 10 - Final report