Pilot Projects to carry out ESF related Counterfactual Impact Evaluations Alina Ungureanu, Impact Assessment and Evaluation Unit

Objectives of the calls To provide robust evidence on the net effects (impacts) of the ESF interventions being evaluated through the chosen pilot projects To further raise awareness on counterfactual impact evaluations and on the use of their findings To enhance MS capacity to effectively implement CIEs

First call for proposals Launched on 17 April 2013 Dead-line for applications: 21 June 2013 Total amount allocated: €1 million 3 projects selected by the Evaluation Committee: from Italy, Hungary and Spain First pre-financing granted to the three beneficiaries; implementation has started

On going projects: Italy Title: Post-secondary vocational training courses: are they effective for Italian unemployed youth with a high school diploma? Grant awarded: €120,000.00 Method: PSM Duration: 14 months Data sources: administrative data coming from five Italian regions, each representing a separate ESF Managing Authority

On going projects: Hungary Title: Counterfactual Impact Evaluation of an ESF-funded Active Labour-market Intervention in Hungary Grant awarded: €100,080.00 Method: PSM and DiD Duration: 13 months Data sources: administrative data

On going projects: Spain Title: Evaluation of ESF training interventions for employment in Castile-la-Mancha Grant awarded: €108,953.18 Duration: 12 months Method: PSM + DiD, complementary qualitative methodologies Data sources: administrative data + surveys to fill in data gaps

Second call for proposals A survey was sent to all members of ESF Evaluation Partnership on 25 June 2013 The questions focused on: main reasons for not applying in the first call interest in applying if a similar call launched if yes, on what particular ESF intervention Replies have been received from 18 MS Second call was launched on 7 October 2013 Total amount allocated: €650,000 Dead-line for applications 29 November

Main changes to facilitate applications: Eligibility criteria To be eligible, applicants must be either an authority in a Member State which is in charge of ESF evaluation or a research/academic body in consortium with the aforementioned authority Proposals can be submitted by a single applicant or by a group of several applicants (consortium) composed of a lead applicant and co-applicants.

Widened thematic scope and no minimum ceiling The applicants can carry out evaluations of any suitable ESF funded intervention in their Member State There is no minimum ceiling for the requested grant, to enable applications of Member States that rely heavily on administrative data and/or internal human resources for their evaluations

Increased co-financing rate The grant will not exceed 95% of the total eligible costs of the pilot project The applicant has to guarantee the co-financing of the remaining 5% This 5% cannot be funded under other EU funds – including Technical Assistance Priority Axes of the ESF Operational Programmes

DG EMPL guidance on CIEs published in EN, FR and DE The EN version is currently under: http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=10805&langId=en The FR version http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=10805&langId=fr The DE version http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=10805&langId=de

Thank you for your attention! Link to the text of the second call for proposals (dead-line 29 November) http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=629&langId=en&callId=395&furtherCalls=yes Thank you for your attention! Georgeta-Alina.Ungureanu@ec.europa.eu Kamil.Valica@ec.europa.eu