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ACTIVITIES :: Safer Internet Programme :: Funding:: Open calls :: FAQ Call 2012

FAQ Call for proposals 2012

1 Proposal submission

2 What is the scope of Safer Internet programme?

3 Project types - consortia - funding models - evaluation

4 Information points

Proposal submission

1.1 How do I prepare a proposal? Where can I find more information on how to apply to a call for proposals?

The Guide for Proposers provides guidance on how to make a project proposal. In addition, the following documents should be studied carefully before preparing a proposal:

• The work programme describing the objectives the actions, the means to implement the programme and the evaluation criteria;

• The call for proposals detailing which actions are open under a given call and the deadline for receipt of proposals;

• The model grant agreement setting forth the terms and conditions governing funded projects;

• The European Parliament and Council Decision adopting the programme.

All the above documents can be downloaded from the Programme web site. Please check periodically for latest information.

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1.2 Who can apply? From which countries?

The call for proposals under Safer Internet Programme are open to all legal entities established in the Member States. Legal entities established in EFTA States which are contracting parties to the EEA Agreement (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) may also take part.

Legal entities established in other countries may take part under the conditions set out in Article 2 of the Programme Decision, provided that the country signs a bilateral agreement to join the programme.

If proposals submitted by legal entities from these countries are selected for funding, a grant agreement will only be signed once the necessary steps have been taken for the country concerned to join the Programme through signature of a bilateral agreement.

At the date of publication of the 2012 call no countries had signed a bilateral agreement, although negotiations have been opened with Serbia.

Action 1.1 – Safer Internet Centres of the 2012 call for proposals will be open only for the following countries: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, United Kingdom and Russia

This action is further open to legal entities established in third countries under the conditions set out in article 2 of the Programme Decision.

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1.3 Can organisations established in other countries and International organisations participate?

Legal entities established in non-EU countries other than those referred to in Q 1.2 and international organisations may take part in projects at their own expense with the exception of INTERPOL which has been established as priority for co-operation in the field of fighting against illegal content under the 2012 Work Programme and in accordance with the conditions set out in Annex III of the Decision adopting the Safer Internet Programme.
 

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1.4 Which calls are there in 2012?

There will be one call for proposals in 2012. The call text has been published on 1st February 2012 in the Official Journal of the European Communities, series C . The call has a fixed deadline of 29 March 2012. The call is available on the programme website.

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1.5 Can I get feedback on my proposal idea?

Yes, if you submit a pre-proposal. Guidance on how to submit a pre-proposal and the pre-proposal form are available at Safer Internet - Call for proposals. The deadline for submitting a pre-proposal is 16 March 2012. Pre-proposal replies do not pre-empt evaluation.

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1.6 How can I submit my proposal?

Proposals should be prepared and submitted as follows:

A package should contain only one proposal with the original, the respective copies and the CD-ROM only. If you wish to submit more than one proposal, please send each proposal in a separate package.

Each proposal should be sent to the address of the European Commission specified in the call notice

European Commission
Directorate General Information Society & Media
Safer Internet
Office EUFO 1195
Rue Alcide de Gasperi
2920 Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG

Submission of proposals by fax or e-mail is NOT allowed.

Please note that the deadline applies to the reception of proposals by the Commission. In addition, failure to use the above address exactly as reproduced above could lead to delays in having your proposal received by the Safer Internet programme, and thus to it not being received within the deadline.

See the call text page and the Guide for Proposers for more information on how to submit a proposal.

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1.7 What happens if my proposal does not reach the Commission before the deadline?


It will be excluded from evaluation.

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1.8 Is the current call for proposals open only for the existing awareness centres, helplines and hotlines?

Action 1.1 of the 2012 call – Safer Internet Centres - is open to all eligible applicants from the eligible countries (see Q. 1.2), and not just to organisations and/or consortia who have a running contract with the European Commission. However, as indicated in the Work Programme, only one Safer Internet Centre will be funded for a geographical area. If there are two competing proposals, the evaluators will be required to rank them according to the published award criteria (see point 7.3 of the 2012 Work Programme). Each proposal should also provide letters of support from a range of relevant organisations (central government, media regulator, industry, NGOs). This will be a crucial element for ranking competing proposals.

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1.9 Can a hotline or helpline participate in several proposals within the same geographical area?


Yes, it is possible for the organisation running a hotline or helpline to participate in two or more proposals submitted for the same geographical area. However only one hotline and helpline can be funded by the Safer Internet programme and become part of a Safer Internet Centre.
 

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1.10 I haven't found on the forms neither in the Forms A nor in part B any place for signatures. Is it correct that the proposal shouldn't be signed anywhere?


Yes, it is correct. There is no need to sign the proposal.

As indicated on form A1:
"By submitting this proposal, the coordinator declares that (s)he is acting on behalf of all applicants, all of whom
- are aware of this proposal
- agree with its content and submission
- have the necessary internal authorisations to commit their organisation to submitting this proposal,
- are aware that the proposed project may receive only one grant from the Community budget.
The European Commission reserves the right in case of non-compliance with these conditions to eliminate this proposal from the evaluation and/or negotiation process at any time."

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1.11Can proposals be submitted in English only?

Proposals may be submitted in any official language of the European Union. In order to facilitate assessment by outside experts, however, applicants intending to submit a proposal in a language other than English, are kindly invited to add an English translation of at least the narrative part of the proposal (part B).

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What is the scope of Safer Internet?

2.1 What is the overall aim of the programme?

The overall aim of the Safer Internet programme is to promote safer use of Internet and other communication technologies, to educate users — particularly children, parents and carers — in this regard, and to fight against illegal content and harmful conduct online.
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2.2 What are the duration, budget and actions of the programme?

The programme will run for the 5 years 2009- 2013. It has a budget of 55 mio €, to be spent on activities under 4 actions:

(a) ensuring public awareness
(b) fighting against illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online
(c) promoting a safer online environment
(d) establishing a knowledge base

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2.3 What is the difference between illegal content and harmful content, contact and conduct online?

The main form of illegal content covered by this Work Programme is child pornography. Another is racism and xenophobia. Europe-wide standards exist to combat both .

For the purposes of this Work Programme, harmful contact refers to contact preparatory to committing a sexual offence against a child by contacting them online, sometimes referred to as ‘grooming’ .

Harmful conduct refers to bullying and harassment in the online environment, so-called cyberbullying.

Harmful content is content which parents, carers, teachers and other adults responsible for children consider to be harmful to them. The concept of what is harmful also varies across countries and cultures. A variety of means exist to deal with harmful content, all of which need to be used in combination to increase their effectiveness: self-regulation and technical tools, awareness-raising, training and education, and enforcement of legal provisions, where they exist. Depending on national legislation some harmful content may also be illegal, in which case it may be subject of law enforcement measures..

Dealing with illegal content, harmful content, harmful contact and harmful conduct may require different methods, strategies and tools. However, some tools such as awareness-raising can be used for all categories.

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2.4 We are a small regional non profit organisation, can we apply to become an awareness node?

A Safer Internet Centre should cover a whole country, not just one region in that country. Bodies seeking to carry out awareness-raising tasks for Safer Internet Centres will need to show that they have the strong support of national authorities. They should have a clear mandate to educate the public in safer use of the Internet and new media or in media and information literacy, and must have the necessary financial resources to implement that mandate.

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2.5 Which are the topics to be addressed through the awareness raising activities?

 

Safer Internet centres promote public awareness by conveying a positive message about the opportunities of a wider and more intensive use of information and communication technologies while providing adequate information about risks and ways to deal with them.
The awareness actions address issues related to harmful content, contact and conduct. They also address the opportunities and risks of services using new distribution forms, such as peer-to-peer services, broadband video, instant messaging, chat-rooms, social networking sites and access to content and interactive information and communication brought about by the rapid take-up of internet, mobile phones and game consoles by children. They take into account the related issues of protection of privacy and personal data, consumer protection, information, and network security (viruses/spam).

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2.6 What is the difference between a hotline and a helpline?

Hotlines allow members of the public to report illegal content (see Section 2.2) and pass the reports on to the appropriate body for action (Internet service provider (ISP), the police or a corresponding hotline). Hotlines do not investigate offences or arrest or prosecute offenders. They may represent centres of expertise providing guidance to ISPs and other stakeholders as to what content might be illegal.

Helplines allow parents and children to obtain advice on how to deal with harmful contact (grooming), harmful conduct (cyberbullying), harmful content and uncomfortable or scary experiences of using online technologies.

The helplines would offer one-to-one conversations with trained helpers in real time (online and by telephone).

The helplines may also take reports on grooming and cyberbullying and forward them to the appropriate body for action. These tasks could be carried out by two different organisations within a Safer Internet Centre.

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2.7 Can we submit a proposal to run only a hotline or a helpline?

NO. It is essential that a Safer Internet Centre exists in a country where a hotline or helpline is set up, to assist in ensuring visibility. No stand-alone hotline or helpline will be funded. A single grant will be given for a Safer Internet Centre.

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2.8 Who can run a hotline?

The hotline may be either public or private or a public-private partnership. A public hotline may be run by the police or by another public body, provided that it is prepared to cooperate with other hotlines which are part of the network, whatever their status.

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2.9 Who can run a helpline?

Setting up a helpline has to be done in conjunction with organisations with the necessary experience and infrastructure, such as organisations currently running helplines dealing with calls from children.

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2.10 Is it mandatory to include a hotline and a helpline in the Safer Internet Centre?

All Safer Internet Centres will perform awareness-raising activities. In addition they should include a hotline and/or a helpline.

The extent to which the Safer Internet Centre includes a hotline and a helpline is part of the award criteria that will be applied during the evaluation of the proposals.

In countries where it is not possible to find suitable partners for running hotlines (eg. civilian hotlines do not exist and police hotlines do not want to become part of the consortium for the Safer Internet Centre), as an alternative to a hotline, Safer Internet Centres may also enter into an agreement with a national alert platform to publicise that platform and include a link to it on their Web pages.

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2.11    Is it sufficient to plan the helpline and hotline when submitting a proposal for a Safer Internet Centre or do they already have to be up and running?

The call for proposals is also open to set up new hotlines and helplines (in conjunction with an awareness centre).

As provided for in Special condition n° 7 of the Model Grant agreement, if the proposal is recommended for funding the new hotline will not be allowed to taking report of illegal content form the public before the written approval by the Commission of the following deliverables:

The setting up of a Safer Internet helpline has to be in conjunction with organizations with the necessary experience and infrastructure, such as organizations currently running helplines dealing with calls from children.

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2.12 Can we include in our proposal for a Safer Internet Centre a research study on the use of online technologies by children in our country?

In general no. This activity is covered by a specific, separate action for establishing a knowledge base, with its own share of the programme budget. Under the 2011 Work Programme, national research projects about children's use of online technologies are therefore NOT part of the future tasks of Safer Internet Centres The Safer Internet Centre should exploit existing research and surveys (eg. EUKidsOnline, Eurobarometer) or the results of new research being carried by other organisations, or find funding from sources other than the Safer Internet programme if it wishes to carry out its own research.
There will be scope for targeted surveys to measure the impact of awareness campaigns.
 

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Project types - consortia - funding models - evaluation

3.1 What is a grant agreement?

It is the agreement between the Commission and the beneficiaries of a grant, by means of which the conditions for funding of a selected project are defined.

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3.2 What is an acceptable consortium for a Safer Internet project?

3.2.1.    Integrated networks

Safer Internet Centres

In order to achieve maximum efficiency and impact, each component of the Safer Internet Centre (awareness-raising, helpline, hotline) should preferably consist of a single organisation. The same organisation can apply for more than one component.

The recommended maximum size of a consortium for a Safer Internet Centre is up to four partners if a hotline and a helpline are included. If the consortium is larger, the Commission may require it to be cut down in size or offer a lower rate of funding. However, the Commission may approve additional strategic partners, not requesting funding, committed to specific project activities.

A consortium should aim at a balanced resource and task distribution among partners with well defined roles and responsibilities.

3.2.2.   Targeted projects

The European added value of the proposal will have to be clearly demonstrated, including coverage of several different Member States. A targeted project consortium should be of a manageable size - an indicative size would be 3-8 applicants.

Proposals for targeted projects under action 2.1 of the 2012 call must be submitted by a consortium which includes at least two national police bodies (i.e. law enforcement agencies, police academies, police universities or ministries) from 2 different EU Member States. At least 3 Member States should be involved as end users / target group.

As for area 3 of action 2.1 of the 2012 call "Develop a pilot to test trusted hash code / fingerprint series for preventing re-uploading of identified CSA material" at least two companies representing the ISP, Social Networking Services or file hosting sector must be either partners of the consortium or be involved indirectly, for instance through a project advisory board or a pilot user group, and accompany the implementation of this third area.

 3.2.3   Thematic networks

Thematic networks should cover the majority of EU Member States and be open and proactive in attracting new partners.

3.2.4. Knowledge enhancement projects

The Knowledge enhancement projects under the 2012 call for proposals should involve 3-4 countries (geographically balanced).

 

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3.3 Can a single organisation with a national scope apply for funding of knowledge enhancement projects?

No. Knowledge enhancement projects need to show a clear European added value. The issues addressed should have a European dimension, and the ways proposed to tackle them Europe-wide should benefit a large number of people in the largest possible number of EU countries. A proposal for an activity carried out in a single country and involving only one applicant from that country is unlikely to have European added value.

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3.4 Can we split the role of co-ordinator between technical co-ordinator and administrative / financial co-ordinator?

Only one organisation can be appointed as co-ordinator under the grant agreement. The beneficiaries can, however, agree on a distribution of the work whereby another beneficiary co-ordinates the technical work.

In the case of a consortium of a Safer Internet Centre applicants shall designate a financial/administrative coordinator and a technical coordinator for each component (awareness raising, hotline and helpline, where appropriate)

Within the consortium tasks can be shared - for instance, awareness tasks can be carried out by more than one organisation - but a single organisation should be clearly in charge of co-ordination of awareness raising. The same is true of the hotline and helpline.

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3.5 What is the maximum rate of Community Contribution?

The Community financial contribution for the Safer Internet Centres and the targeted projects will be up to 50% of direct and indirect costs. This percentage may reach a maximum of 75% of the total eligible costs for public bodies, non-profit organisations and SMEs. Indirect costs are up to 30% of personnel costs.

The Community financial contribution for knowledge enhancement projects will be up to 100% of eligible direct costs (no overheads).

The Community financial contribution for Thematic Networks will be up to 100% of eligible direct costs for coordinating and implementing the network. The funding for other beneficiaries will be limited to 100% of travel and subsistence expenses incurred for attending events organised by the network.

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3.6 The 2012 Work Programme foresees that, for members of integrated networks, the EC funding can be increased to 75% for public bodies, SMEs and public organisations. How can a commercial company check if it meets the requirements of the Commission definition of SMEs?

The Commission definition of an SME, as established by the Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6.5.2003 sets the following upper limit for SMEs:

Headcount: max 250
Turnover: max 50m Euro

or

Balance sheet total: max 43m Euro.

Further information on the definition of SMEs and a tool to test if you really are an SME are available at http://ec.europa.eu/research/sme-techweb/index_en.cfm.

During negotiations the Commission will carefully check that the beneficiary is indeed an SME and thus entitled to receive up to 75% EC funding.

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3.7 What are the requirements to be fulfilled by an un-funded partner?

Beneficiaries who do not benefit from a financial contribution from the Community are not required to send a full statement of their eligible costs and total costs and income of the project to the Commission through the coordinator in the format specified by the Commission, or to provide an audit certificate. However they should provide a description of the efforts deployed and the resources used in order to carry out the project.

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3.8 Do all applicants have to fill in the financial viability information forms (C-forms)?

No. Public sector bodies (for example universities) do not have to fill in the C-forms.

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3.9 Is subcontracting allowed?

In principle, proposers should be in a position to carry out the proposed work in its entirety. In some cases it may make sense to subcontract certain tasks. These tasks should be identified in the proposal. However, the proposal should not give the name of the subcontractor. Once a proposal is funded, the beneficiary responsible for the tasks to be subcontracted will need to tender them out and to award the subcontract to the bid offering best value for money.

The subcontracting beneficiary keeps the responsibility for the proper execution of the subcontracted tasks vis-à-vis the Commission.

The terms and conditions for subcontracting are defined in the model grant agreement and the Guide for Proposers.

If you make a proposal which involves sub-contracting for an amount above the threshold. In order to allow the evaluators to apply the award criteria, you should explain :

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3.10 Is subcontracting subject to prior approval by the Commission?

Prior Commission approval will be required if the value of the subcontract exceeds 20% of the beneficiary's budget or EUR 100,000 (whichever is the lower) or where the subcontractor is based in a third country.

If the proposal is successful, the issue of the sub-contracting will be examined during project negotiations.

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3.11 Under which circumstances is it possible to award subcontracts to entities established in third countries?

The consortium will have to demonstrate that no other subcontractor from a Member State or associated State can provide a service comparable to the one offered by the subcontractor from a third country. Apart from the fact that subcontracting to entities situated in third countries requires the prior written approval from the Commission, the same subcontracting rules apply as for entities situated in a Member State or an associated State.

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3.12 My organisation is a public body which is not permitted to sign a "financial joint responsibility" clause

This clause should not prevent your organisation from participating in submitting a proposal. In duly justified cases, alternative solutions could be found during negotiations to safeguard the financial interests of the Community.

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3.13 How will I be informed of the evaluation result?

Proposal coordinators will receive an evaluation summary report (ESR) with the overall score and comments explaining the result. The Commission selects projects for funding on the basis of the ESR. The Safer Internet helpdesk will not provide information on evaluation results.

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3.14 Can contributions in kind brought to a project count towards a beneficiary's own cost share?

The Commission funds eligible costs incurred by the beneficiaries during the project at the funding rate applicable to the chosen project type. Contributions brought to a project free of charge do not give rise to any costs. They can therefore not count towards the beneficiary's own cost share.

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3.15 Which is the maximum amount that could be requested for targeted projects, thematic networks and the knowledge enhancement projects? How many targeted projetcs, thematic networks and knowledge enhancement projects can be selected?

According to the Work Programme 2012 (page 30), the indicative EU contribution are as follows:

·          For the Targeted project (TP) to Enhance law enforcement agencies' identification and analysis of illegal material: 1 million Euros

·          For the Thematic network (TN) to promote positive online experiences for young children: 0.45 million Euros

·          For the 2 Knowledge enhancement projects (one to investigate the impact on young people of convergence of technology and one to identify child friendly search tools): 1,1 million Euros (indicatively up to 500,000 for action 4.1 and up to 600,000 for action 4.2).
 

It is envisaged to select only 1 TP (covering the 3 areas mentioned in the Work Programme and call for proposals), 1 TN and 2 knowledge enhancement projects.
 

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3.16 Which is the maximum amount that could be requested for a Safer Internet Centre? Does a breakdown by country exist? How long could be the grant agreement for a Safer Internet Centre?
 

The EC does not provide indicative maximum amounts by country to the applicants.

Each applicant should work out the budget itself on the basis of the human and financial resources that they can dedicate to the project (staff, costs for organising events and campaigns, budget for taking part in the European network etc.) and their co-financing capacity. Of course the budget must be as realistic as possible (i.e taking into consideration the size of the country and their internet population). If a proposal is successful but the EC considers that the budget is excessive, the maximum EC funding will be reduced and the new budget breakdown will be discussed during negotiations.

In order to get an idea of the current budget distribution among Safer Internet Centres, applicants can have a look at the budget of the current projects on the Programme website http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/projects/centres/index_en.htm

 

Proposers for Safer Internet Centres should calculate their budget on the basis of a project period which should go from the date of the expiry of the current grant agreement for a Safer Internet Centre in their country until end of August 2014. Therefore the maximum duration of the project could be up to 28 months.
For checking the expiring dates of the current grant agreements of the Safer Internet Centre, please consult the projects' pages on the programme website: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/projects/centres/index_en.htm

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 3.17 Where can I find the template for assessment for Safer Internet Centres?


Work Package 2 in Part B of Safer Internet Centres mentions as task " Conduct assessments of all components of the Safer Internet Centre by using the standard EC template".
Proposers can have a look at the content of the template here.
Should the proposal be retained for EU funding, the Safer Internet Centre will have to provide its assessment report (= online version of the EC template) via an online platform administrated by INSAFE.
 

Information points

4.1 How can I contact the Commission?

You can send an e-mail to the Helpdesk at saferinternet@ec.europa.eu

Please also check periodically the Safer Internet web site for the latest information.

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