1. EDULINK II ACP-EU Co-operation Programme in Higher Education Call for proposals EuropeAid/132023/D/ACT/Multi General outlines Funded by the European Union Implemented by the ACP Secretariat

2. Higher Education Challenges in the ACP Lack of graduates with high-level skills in areas crucial to development Lack of qualified teaching staff, up-to-date curricula and adequate teaching methods Lack of qualified managerial and administrative staff Lack of global and intra-regional linkages

3. Response EDULINK contributes to: Capacity building and regional integration in the field of higher education through institutional networking Fostering higher education of quality, which is efficient and relevant to the needs of the labour market and consistent with the ACP socio-economic development priorities

4. Feedback from the previous Calls 3 Calls for Proposals published, 406 valid proposals received and 66 projects financed (success rate 16%) 1 st call (2006): 5 million EUR 11 projects 2 nd call (2007): 9 million EUR 21 projects 3 rd call (2008): 16 million EUR 34 projects TOTAL: 30 million EUR 66 projects (average project size Euro 450 000) 340 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) involved, out of which 260 from ACP countries

5. Lessons learnt The mid-term evaluation of the Programme concluded that the 66 projects are highly relevant in fostering capacity building and regional integration in higher education in ACP States The number of networked institutions in the ACP with collaborative agreements has significantly increased as a result of the partnerships formed

6. Specific Objective The Specific Objective of the EDULINK II Programme is to strengthen the capacity of ACP HEIs at: Management/administration level Academic level

7. Target Areas EDULINK II target areas are: Energy access and efficiency Agriculture and food security

8. Types of Action and Activities Institutional capacity building Establishment or strengthening of international relations units within HEIs Capacity building of international relations units to support student and staff mobility Improving academic quality Developing and implementing new curricula Organisation of exchanges for training academic staff

9. Financial Allocation The overall indicative amount is EUR 23 300 000: Lot 1 –EDF: EUR 18 300 000 Lot 2 – Budget: EUR 5 000 000

10. Duration and financing Duration: between 12 and 42 months Grants budget: between EUR 200 000 and EUR 500 000 Any grant awarded must be limited to 85% of the estimated total accepted costs

11. Partnerships Applicants and partners must be a public or private HEI, a network of HEI, or a Regional Institution of Higher Education formally recognised by one of the Eligible Countries At least 3 partners, including the applicant, from at least 2 different ACP States Number of institutions from the ACP States must be greater than the number of institutions from the EU or from other non-ACP regions

12. List of eligible countries Lot 1 – EDF The 79 ACP Member States divided into the six regions 27 EU Member states 3 EEA EFTA states Least Developed Countries (LDC) (As defined by the UN) OECD/DAC Member Countries (Only when the Action happens in a Least Developed Country (LDC) as defined by the UN) Lot 2 – BUDGET Same countries as in Lot 1 except the LDC For the other countries see annex I of the Guidelines

13. Suggestions Ensure complementarity of expertise among partners Do not overstretch the partnership Define partnership rules, roles and responsibilities in an ad-hoc internal MOU Include Associates only if they offer real added-value

14. Suggestions Address cross-cutting issues such as, among others, gender equality and environmental sustainability Individual scholarships for studies and training courses are not eligible Actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars and conferences are not eligible

15. Suggestions The Applicant should make sure that a Project Management Unit is set up with a Project Coordinator and a Project Administrator Identify within each partner a Focal Point and an Administrative Assistant Ensure timely and compliant reporting Ensure financial flows among consortium partners

16. Application Procedure The Applicant sends on behalf of the partnership: Application form + Annexes to Edulink PMU, c/o GOPA- Cartermill, Rue de Trèves 45, B1040 Brussels Deadline for submission of proposals: 30 July 2012 (as per postmark) Further information can be asked until 21 days before the deadline to: Call2012@acp-edulink.eu