You can download the fifth newsletter of the project DESK here.
Help us to improve the accessibility of emergency services for autistic people! The ALERRT project survey is now available in 8 different languages! Share your experiences with the availability of services of first responders in:
English 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXPKBFH
Czech https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXPKBFH?lang=cs
Dutch https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXPKBFH?lang=nl
French https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXPKBFH?lang=fr
Greek https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXPKBFH?lang=el
Italian https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LXPKBFH?lang=it
TICTAC Guide is out! It represents an innovative informal educational programme that can be used by any employee who is working in public institutions or any adult people interested in the solution of problems related to their local communities.
For more information and downloading the Guide visit our project webpage!
For people with autism, learning to interact with first responders (police officers, firefighters, and medical emergency/ambulance workers) is critical, such as understanding autism and preparedness to respond effectively and safely to situations involving individuals on the spectrum is to first respondents.
Evidence shows first responders lack autism awareness although they are 7 times more likely to come in contact with an individual with ASD than the average person.
ALERRT’s aim is to provide first responders in Europe with knowledge and understanding about ASD and the skills necessary to recognize, interact, and appropriately treat individuals with ASD in cases of emergency. This will be done through special training delivered by VET trainers, also available on an e-learning platform.
Next to that, a safety kit will be designed for people with ASD and their caregivers, serving as a prevention tool providing first responders with sufficient information needed to recognize their specific situation and adapt their intervention to meet their emergency needs.
The project has started on the 1st of October 2020 and will be accomplished by the end of September 2022.
Our project partners are:
- AUTISME-EUROPE AISBL (Belgium)
- CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE PER LA PROMOZIONE DELL’EDUCAZIONE E LO SVILUPPO ASSOCIAZIONE (Italy)
- COFAC COOPERATIVA DE FORMACAO E ANIMACAO CULTURAL CRL (Portugal)
- STANDO LTD (Cyprus)
DESK TOOLKIT: http://desklms.e-sl.gr
Questionnaire: https://forms.gle/3FP9Gw5GUAiMW8fL8 (please choose the Czech Republic as your country in the first question)
You can download the fourth newsletter of the project DESK here.
Climate change is an existential threat the whole planet is currently facing and requires a large-scale, firm approach. With the right plan and resources, the challenges brought by this climate crisis can be turned into opportunities. That is what the European Green Deal is striving to achieve.
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
This new set of policy initiatives has been introduced by the European Commission in order to address European Union’s ambitious, yet attainable plan: making Europe a climate-neutral continent by 2050, reducing the greenhouse gases emissions to 0. So, the European Commission created a blueprint for accelerating this transition: European Green Deal.
Thus, the Green Deal Call creates the most complex and financially extensive Horizon 2020 programme so far, with 1€ billion available for research and innovation projects that respond to the climate crisis and help protect Europe’s ecosystems and biodiversity. The Green Deal Call aims for clear, discernible results in the short to medium-term, but with a perspective of long-term change.
Areas of support
It will support projects in ten areas, eight of which are:
- Increasing climate ambition
- Clean, affordable and secure energy
- Industry for a clean and circular economy
- Energy and resource efficient buildings
- Sustainable and smart mobility
- Farm to fork
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
- Zero-pollution, toxic-free environments
The remaining two areas reflect the horizontal priorities of strengthening knowledge and empowering citizens. These two imprint a longer-term perspective in achieving the transformations set out in the European Green Deal.
Partnering up for the change
Similar to previous Horizon 2020 projects, participation in the European Green Deal Call requires an elaborate partnership to be formed. Here, three types of European Partnerships can be distinguished:
- Co-funded partnerships involving public authorities
- Co-programmed partnerships between the Commission and private and/or pubic partners
- Institutionalised partnerships
Funding and tenders associated with Green Deal currently open calls – as well as organisations seeking to join or build partnerships themselves – can be found on the European Commission’s website.
WE MUST ACT QUICKLY
The deadline for submitting project applications within the Green Deal Call is January 26, 2021. Selected projects are expected to start in autumn 2021.
WHERE WE CAN HELP
With its experience in diverse European programmes and network of contacts, European Development Agency can assist your entity in building the partnerships required for Green Deal Call enrolment. By deploying its know-how, mobilising its reliable partners, and constantly supporting the partnership-formation process, European Development Agency desires to be a game changer in collectively tackling climate change.
Key questions for “Unlocking Youth Potential”
On September 1, 2020, EEA and Norway Grants supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway opened a call for “Unlocking Youth Potential”. As the Grants contribute to a more socially and economically equal Europe, the current Call targets NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) individuals. Aware that COVID-19 pandemic further limits access to the labour market for vulnerable citizens, the Grants finance finding new, transnational solutions for youth unemployment.
Key questions
When? Application window spans from September 1, 2020 until January 5, 2021.
Who? Target groups include 25-29 years old NEET individuals living in small towns, suburbs, or in rural areas; NEET young mothers; and 25-29 years old long-term unemployed individuals.
How much? Funding per project has to be minimum 1 million euro and maximum 2 million euro; total funding allocated for this Call is 11.5 million euro.
Where is the funding going?
This Call has three focus areas; each project can adress issues within one focus area alone.
1. Innovation and exploration – projects developing innovative, experimental solutions addressing youth unemployment;
2. Transfer of know-how and good practice – projects transferring know-how and good practice on youth employment initiatives across European countries;
3. Analysis and research – projects supporting transnational research networks that share ideas, theories, practices, and experiences on how to evaluate and perform impact studies of initiatives aiming to address youth employment in the eligible countries.
Who does what?
Lead partner
- Submits the application
- Enters the contractual relation with the Fund operator
- Establishes contractual relations with the beneficiary partners and expertise partners pursuant to the Partnership Agreement
- Maintains communication with the Fund operator on behalf of the project consortium
- Receives and distributes the grant among the consortium’s members
- Reports to the Fund operator on the project performance and results
Beneficiary partner(s)
- Are entities established in one of the 15 Beneficiary States of the EEA and Norway Grants, or in Ireland, Italy or Spain
- Participate in project consortia: minimum one beneficiary partner is needed; there is no limit on the maximum number of beneficiary partners
Expertise partner(s)
- Share expertise, experience, and know-how
- Cannot benefit directly from the Fund, yet they can benefit via professional cooperation, promoting extended and strengthened European networking, and the mutual development and exchange of expertise and good practice
Who can unlock youth potential?
Eligible project partners that are entities, public or private, commercial or non-commercial, and non-governmental organisations, established as legal persons. Also, EEA Grants distinguish between entities coming from Beneficiary States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia), Eligible Beneficiary Partners (Ireland, Italy, and Spain) and Expertise Partners (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Donor States, and international organisations). Also, the composition of the project partnership must respect additional rules:
- Entities from at least two countries have to be involved;
- Each project must engage one lead partner and at least a beneficiary partner;
- If one entity is the lead, respectively beneficiary partner, they cannot join another consortium within this Call
- Lead, respectively beneficiary partners selected for Active Youth Call are not eligible for this Call; expertise partners can be involved in project under successive calls.
How can the funding be spent?
The latest the eligible expenses can extend is April 30, 2024. Every project consortium must provide co-financing, potentially an advance payment as well. Non-governmental organisations can entirely cover the co-financing share by means of voluntary work. Eligible expenditures include:
- Staff costs
- Travel costs and subsistence allowances
- Consumables and supplies
- Equipment costs
- Project contract requirements costs
- Subcontracting costs
- 15% flat rate of the total eligible staff costs
- Project administrative expenditures not directly attributable to the project
- Voluntary work as in-kind contribution of NGOs as project co-financing
Which are the expected results?
- Improved employment situation of NEETs/target group
- Increased participation in education and training of former NEETs/target group
- Increased number of NEETs/target group experiencing social inclusion
- Innovative approaches on lowering youth unemployment have been developed or adopted
- Increased transnational cooperation on labour market issues
- Increased knowledge of the effects of employment initiatives targeting NEETs/target group
- Increased capacity on evaluating effects of employment initiatives for NEETs/target group in research institutions
- Increased use of impact studies among policymakers
- Increased knowledge on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on NEETs/target group
For further guidance, there are devoted sections on the EEA Grants tackling Frequently Asked Questions and project basic procedures.
Kick-off conference of „Advanced coGeneration Options for Reintegrating local Assets” – AGORA – Good Governance through social innovation
The newest Interreg Danube Transnational Programme – AGORA was officialy launched in a digital kick-off conference uniting more then 27 stakehoders and official representatives of the Lead Partner and the National Authority.
The overall objective of the project “Advanced coGeneration Options for the Reintegration of local Assets”- AGORA, is to improve the capacity of public administrations at local and regional level to become more credible and active leaders of local regeneration through development, testing and integration of new operational and political instruments for the revaluation of urban assets.
Under the coordination of the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca and by capitalizing on its experience in recovering and enhancing abandoned land and buildings (developed in the URBACT II Refill Project) and participatory urban actions, AGORA tests and facilitates the adoption in partner cities of new innovative and mediation tools between key actors at the urban level in order to capitalize on and reintegrate unused local assets (abandoned public and private buildings and land), connecting them with local and foreign economic opportunities.
The duration of the project is 30 months, starting with 1st of July 2020 and the total eligible budget of the project is 2,396,870.05 Euro.
The results of the projects aim to obtain:
- Better participatory governance strategies;
- Innovative governance framework for assessment, monitoring and benchmarking;
- Public service co-creation, co-implementation and co-evaluation;
- Transferability: AGORA Toolkit for cities and planners;
- Mutual learning, knowledge and pilot transfer.
3D-Help, a project led by EuDA aimed at providing adult people with education in the technology of 3D-Printing, has received a remarkable evaluation from the Czech National Agency. Motivated by the EU’s identification of this development as one of the most important emerging technologies as well creation of many new jobs and opportunities where digital literacy is required, projects’ partners worked on making EU adults competent in 3D-Printing.
Four different organizations joined us in the project: SC Ludor Engineering SRL in Romania, Macdac Engineering Consultancy Bureau Ltd in Malta, Social Innovation Fund in Lithuania, and Strojarska Technička Škola Fausta Vrančića in Croatia. Each of them was responsible for one of six project outputs defined in the beginning. As a lead partner, EuDA handled two of them.
With the finalization of the project, we have successfully executed the following outputs:
- Guidelines on the use of 3DP in Adult Education
- 3DP Case Studies for Adult Education
- Curriculum of a 3DP Course for Adult Training
- 3DP Course Content for Adult Training
- 3DP Trainer Guidelines
- 3DP e-Learning System for Adult Training
The content of the project and its outputs have been greatly appreciated by the Czech National Agency.
The feedback prepared by the Agency noted that 3D-Help was the first Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership for Adult Education project to address 3D Printing in the Czech Republic. It highlighted the international dimension of the project and recognized its benefits, such as strengthening partners’ network of strategic partners in industry and creating new connections to help them engage in international research collaboration. The project’s activities and outputs were valued for creating a space for gaining new contacts, experience, knowledge, information, trends, and skills.
The NA acknowledged the project’s success in aligning with the plan defined at the beginning and appreciated EuDA’s effective management, proper monitoring of the project budget, and time organization. The project’s impact on the target groups has been very positively evaluated – through its outputs, we achieved to get the participants acquainted with 3DP technologies, raise awareness of the potential of 3D Printing and motivate the disadvantaged groups to learn about 3DP and ICT tools in general.
Find more about the project here.