Research Executive Agency Paola CHIARINI REA Unit S2- Space Research A good start: Scoping and guiding rules Kick-off Meeting SWIFF 2 nd February 2011

Grant agreement: Core text + Annexes Annex IDescription of Work (DoW) IIGeneral conditions III Related to specific funding types Not applicable IVForm A Accession to the grant agreement  Each partner signs 3 copies of Form A  coordinator Once signed by the coordinator: 1 copy retained by coordinator, 1 copy sent back to beneficiary, 1 copy sent to the REA  The coordinator shall send to the REA one signed Form A per beneficiary at the latest 45 calendar days after the entry into force of the grant agreement VForm B Request for accession of a new beneficiary to the Grant Agreement Termination also possible (see Annex II – General conditions) VIForm C Financial statement submitted by each beneficiary at the end of the reporting period To be submitted via SESAM (FORCE) at the end of the project Then printed, signed and posted All partners should read these!

Grant agreement: Core text + annexes Annex VII Forms D Certificate on the financial statements  The certificate shall be submitted for claims of payments when the amount of the EC financial contribution claimed by a beneficiary as a reimbursement of costs is equal to or exceeds € , when cumulated with all previous payments for which the certificate has not been submitted  Verified as factual by an external auditor  Public bodies, secondary and higher education establishments and research organisations may opt for a competent public officer to provide their certificate on the financial statements and on the methodology. Forms E Certificate of the methodology  Optional, suitable especially for beneficiaries with multiple participations in FP7  Beneficiary may request to opt for this certificate on the methodology for the calculation of costs, which it uses to prepare its cost claims with regard to both personnel and indirect costs  This certificate must be forwarded in the form of a detailed description verified as factual by its external auditor  When this certificate is accepted, the requirement to provide certificates on the financial statements for claims of interim payments shall be waived  Details and advantages explained in 'Guidance Notes on Audit Certification ' ( )

 Coordinator to send a three-monthly (1 page)  Overview on status of the activities, progress achieved, problems potentially encountered or envisaged, way ahead  Mention that the internal deliverables are in line with the work plan, if it is (hopefully) the case Communication with REA Project Officer Be pro-active in case of problems/questions do not hesitate to contact the REA Project Officer.

Reporting and review  Deliverables –To be submitted at the date scheduled in the work plan, –Via SESAM, –If a deliverable is « late », explain the reason, the corrective action undertaken, the estimate date of delivery The PO will make an assessment of the situation.  Annual technical reviews –Planned at the end of each reporting period Usually the review takes place 2 or 3 weeks after the submission of the report and deliverables –Present the work carried out, the main achievements and the use of the resources Participation of the coordinator, participation of WP leaders to be discussed pn a case- by-case basis –REA is assisted by external reviewers

 Reports –Give a clear account of the project activities during the reporting period What did you do? What did you achieve? Which problems did you encounter? How did you spend your budget? Any deviations? –Personnel: Who worked on the project? How many person*months? How much? »KEEP TIMESHEETS –Travel: which trips? Where? How much in total? »Meetings: collect participants’ signatures (especially if you reimburse or claim travel costs) –Any subcontracting? –Etc. –Clear, informative, straight to the point, concise –Transparent communication –On time Periodic progress report

 A couple of important rules –Purchase cost of durable equipment and Depreciation Durable equipment (e.g. software, computers, etc.) is subject to depreciation, according to the national accounting rules of each partner please see p. 58 and following of the Financial Guidelines (there is a new version dated at ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf).ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf –Participation in conferences and other public events The participation in national and international conferences, workshops and events can be charged to a project ONLY if justified by a public presentation of the project activities and results. The participation "just to listen and network" cannot be charged to a project. The participation of several project partners and/or several representatives of the same partner has to be clearly justified. In the case of the presentation of the project, the FP7 funding has to be properly acknowledged (see Art. II.30 of Annex II - General Conditions to the Grant Agreement). In addition a copy of the submitted paper and/or the presentation, and the event agenda, have to be delivered to the REA project officer (i.e. as supporting documents to the Periodic Report). Periodic progress report

 Reports –Use of the resources Periodic progress report * All the entries are examples and purely for illustration Travels: - distinguish between travels claimed under RTD and travels for dissemination (OTHER) - indicate « purpose » of travel Equipment: please note that equipment has to be depreciated Note to the coordinator: if one partner overspends, it is up to the coordinator to decide how much the partner can claim as EU contribution (i.e. full amount if the overspending is due to anticipated work, or only the budget share agreed for the reporting period and lower than the amount which could be claimed).

Prefinancing and Payments  Prefinancing –160% of the average EC contribution per period paid to the coordinator within 45 days following the date of entry into force of the grant agreement  Guarantee Fund –5% of maximum EU contribution –No collective financial responsibility in FP7 as was the case in FP6 (still collective scientific responsibility) –At the final payment, the amount contributed to the Fund shall be returned to the beneficiaries via the coordinator  Payments –Linked to submission of complete and correct report, signed form C’s and deliverables –« The Commission shall evaluate and approve project reports and deliverables and disburse the corresponding payments within 105 days of their receipt. »  Only if necessary, beneficiaries are allowed to transfer budget between different activities and between themselves in so far as the work is carried out as planned in the Description of Work, and upon agreement of the PO  Keep time sheets

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