1. Project Adviser, EASME B.2.2
Blue-Action
General Assembly
Alberto Zocchi
Project Adviser, EASME B.2.2
H2020 Climate Action
Blue-Action – General Assembly
Bologna – 18-19/01/2018

2. EASME's mission
Provide high quality support to our beneficiaries, turning EU policy into action.
Ensure that actions funded by these programmes deliver results and provide the Commission with valuable input for its policy tasks.

3. Grant Agreement Preparation
EASME's role
Evaluation
Grant Agreement Preparation
Project follow-up
Policy feedback
In charge of the whole cycle of project implementation:
Evaluation of Proposals
Grant Agreement Preparation
Scientific/Technical and Financial monitoring of projects
Supporting exploitation and dissemination of project results – policy feedback

4. Call - Blue Growth - Demonstrating an ocean of opportunities - H2020-BG-2016-2017
3) The Arctic dimension: the objective is to deepen knowledge and identify sustainable and innovative approaches to tackle the challenges that climate change is posing in the Arctic region and on a global scale. Climate change represents a risk but also opens opportunities. Sustainability issues in the Arctic must also consider indigenous communities and the use of traditional knowledge. Moreover, international scientific cooperation is necessary as, due to the complex logistical constraints, no single country can work on its own. The Arctic may become a test bed for sustainable innovation and science diplomacy.

5. Expected impact (1)
BG –Impact of Arctic changes on the weather and climate of the Norther Hemisphere
The project results are expected to:
Improve capacity to predict the weather and climate of the Northern Hemisphere, and make it possible to better forecast of extreme weather phenomena;
Improve the capacity to respond to the impact of climatic change on the environment and human activities in the Arctic, both in the short and longer term;
Improve the capacity of climate models to represent Arctic warming and its impact on regional and global atmospheric and oceanic circulation;
Improve the uptake of measurements from satellites by making use of new Earth observation assets;

6. Expected impact
BG –Impact of Arctic changes on the weather and climate of the Norther Hemisphere
The project results are expected to:
Lead to optimised observation systems for various modelling applications;
Contribute to a robust and reliable forecasting framework that can help meteorological and climate services to deliver better predictions, including at sub-seasonal and seasonal time scales;
Improve stakeholders’ capacity to adapt to climate change;
Contribute to better servicing the economic sectors that rely on improved forecasting capacity (e.g. shipping, mining);
Contribute to the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) and IPCC scientific assessments, and to the Copernicus Climate Change (C3S) services.
Improve the professional skills and competences for those working and being trained to work within this subject area.

7. Synergies with other projects/initiatives like the BG projects or …
BG : European polar research cooperation:
EU-PolarNet
BG : Developing in-situ Atlantic Ocean Observations for a better management and exploitation of the maritime resources
AtlantOS
BG : An integrated Arctic observation system
INTAROS
BG : Impact of Arctic changes on the weather and climate of the Northern Hemisphere
APPLICATE
BG : The effect of climate change on Arctic permafrost and its socio-economic impact, with a focus on coastal areas
SC : Advanced Earth-system models
PRIMAVERA and CRESCENDO

8. Synergies with other projects/initiatives
….a few more examples:
LIFE projects
Nature projects & mitigation/adaptation to climate change
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Work programme 2018
Annual Arctic Stakeholder Dialogue An annual Arctic stakeholder conference is a main deliverable of the Joint Communication on the Integrated European policy for the Arctic
Framework contract for the Scientific Support to the High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean
Scientific Support to the High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean

9. Communication Obligation to promote projects (Art. 38.1.1)
The beneficiaries must promote the action and its results, by providing targeted information to multiple audiences (including the media and the public) in a strategic and effective manner". […]
Inform the Agency about your communication activities, we can help you spread the word
Before engaging in a communication activity expected to have a major media impact, the beneficiaries must inform the Agency (see Article 52).
Communication strategy
Multiple audiences: not only scientific community, but also various stakeholders policy makers, general public
targeted: ways of communication/ format adjust it to audience
Major media impact: difficult to predict, but in general national/international media, larger than regional impact -> if you are not sure, inform us anyway (eg major achievement from your project)
Create twitter account for your project

10. Submission of deliverables
Step 1
Log into the Participant Portal when a notification is received
Step 2
Complete the deliverable
Step 3
Submit the deliverable to the EC
Step 4
The EU Services assess the deliverable
Note: uploaded deliverables can be deleted and replaced directly. Once a deliverable has been submitted, though, it can't be replaced without an intervention from the project officer: the officer has to reject ('ask for a revision') the deliverable. After this step, the deliverable will be in the 'pending' status again, and you will be able to upload a new version.
Good practice: in case a deliverable is delayed, always consult the project adviser and provide justification
Reccomendation: be on time

11. Submission of reports
Step 1
Log into the Participant Portal when a notification is received
Step 2
Complete Financial Statement and contribute to the Technical Part of the Periodic Report; E-sign and submit Financial Statements to the Coordinator
Step 3
The Coordinator approves the elements of the Periodic Report & submits to the EU
Step 4
The EU Services review the report and accept or reject it (90 days)
Step 5
Interim Payment
Scope of the report
Keep it short and administration oriented
Cooperate (high number of participants can be an issue)

12. Checks and Reviews (GA art. 22)
The project needs to be carried out according to Annex 1 (Description of the Action, DoA)
Checks, reviews, audits and investigations
Planned for months 21 and 39 and 51
Next review expected by August 2018 after receiving the First progress report by June 2018.
DoA = workplan is your guiding document for the next X years: the project needs to be implemented as in DoA!
Milestones = major progress points, use them for your internal project review and to check whether or not the project is on schedule
Agency has the right to carry out checks, reviews, audits
Checks: eg if report is consistent with then DoA
Review: in-depth examination of the progress and proper implemenation of the action, according to the DoA
Can be on the spot review or review meeting in Brussels
They consist in an in-depth examination (often done with the help of independent experts) of the progress of the action, and in particular:
− the degree to which the work plan has been carried out and whether all deliverables were completed
− whether the objectives are still relevant and provide scientific or industrial breakthrough potential
− how resources were planned and used in relation to the achieved progress, and if their use respected the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness
− the management procedures and methods of the action
− the beneficiaries’ contributions and integration within the action
− the expected potential scientific, technological, economic, competitive and social impact, and plans for using and disseminating results.
Right to carry out reviews
The Commission [or the Agency] may — during the implementation of the action or afterwards — carry out reviews on the proper implementation of the action (including assessment of deliverables and reports), compliance with the obligations under the Agreement and continued scientific or technological relevance of the action.
Reviews may be started up to two years after the payment of the balance. They will be formally notified to the coordinator or beneficiary concerned and will be considered to have started on the date of the formal notification.
If the review is carried out on a third party (see Articles 10 to 16), the beneficiary concerned must inform the third party.
The Commission [or the Agency] may carry out reviews directly (using its own staff) or indirectly (using external persons or bodies appointed to do so). It will inform the coordinator or beneficiary concerned of the identity of the external persons or bodies. They have the right to object to the appointment on grounds of commercial confidentiality.
The coordinator or beneficiary concerned must provide — within the deadline requested — any information and data in addition to deliverables and reports already submitted (including information on the use of resources). The Commission [or the Agency] may request beneficiaries to provide such information to it directly.
The coordinator or beneficiary concerned may be requested to participate in meetings, including with external experts.
For on-the-spot reviews, the beneficiaries must allow access to their sites and premises, including to external persons or bodies, and must ensure that information requested is readily available.
Information provided must be accurate, precise and complete and in the format requested, including electronic format.
On the basis of the review findings, a ‘review report’ will be drawn up.
The Commission [or the Agency] will formally notify the review report to the coordinator or beneficiary concerned, which has 30 days to formally notify observations (‘contradictory review procedure’).
Reviews (including review reports) are in the language of the Agreement.
Reviews normally concern mainly the technical implementation of the action (i.e. its scientific and technological implementation), but may also cover financial and budgetary aspects or compliance with other obligations under the GA.

13. Summing Up Seek collaborations
Transparent and regular communication with the Project Adviser
Communicate your action through targeted information to multiple audiences and keep us informed
Acknowledge EU support
Timely high quality deliverables
Keep records
Achieve significant impact!

14. Policy feedback
FP9 – 2021/2027
New programme should be finally adopted by autumn 2020
Projects should lead to the production of peer-reviewed publications that may be taken into account in the development of the IPCC 6th Assessment Report.
Scientific papers should be accepted for publication about six months before the date of the final approval session. October 2020 for WGI (scientific base); April 2021 for WGII (risk), and January 2021 for WGIII (mitigation).

15. Become an independent expert
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Read excellent proposals
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16. Thank you for your attention!
Alberto ZOCCHI
Project Adviser
EASME, European Commission Unit B2: H2020 Environment and Resources +32 2 
Guillaume DECANIS
Financial Officer
EASME, European Commission Unit C1: Finance H