PrintFAQs
Home > About EEDA > International > European funding programmes > European Social Fund (ESF) > FAQs
FAQs
- What is ESF?
- Who can apply for funding?
- Who is responsible for ESF in the East of England?
- What is EEDA's role in ESF?
- What's the value of EEDA's Plan?
- What is Co-financing?
- What is the ESF Regional Framework?
- How long is the tendering period?
What is ESF?
The European Social Fund (ESF) provides the employment element of the Competitiveness and Employment objective of the Structural Funds programme. It was set up to help reduce differences in living standards between the regions of the European Union (EU) by:
- reducing unemployment;
- improving and developing the skills of employed people;
- investing in industrial or rural areas which are in decline.
Who can apply for funding?
Any organisation that is legally formed can apply for funding. Applications by a consortium are welcome as long as the application is led by one legal entity. Individuals cannot able to apply for ESF funding. ESF funding is accessed through open and competitive tendering as required by the European Commission.
Who is responsible for ESF in the East of England?
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as the Managing Authority, has the overall responsibility for ensuring the ESF Regional Frameworks meet the priorities and targets as set within the ESF National Operational Programme (OP).
All Co-Financing Organisation (CFO) activity will be monitored and approved regionally through the European Programmes Strategy Group (EPSG), chaired by the Government Office for the East of England (GO East), to ensure it meets the needs of the region as set out in the ESF Regional Framework.
What is EEDA's role in ESF?
EEDA has become a Co-financing Organisation (CFO) in 2002 and continues to be firmly committed to maximising the skills opportunities provided by the region's European Social Fund programme, in tune with priorities established in the ESF Regional Framework and the strengthening role for RDAs in skills development. Under the new programme, EEDA will deliver £6.64 million of ESF to improve and increase employment opportunities in the region and enhance the capacity of companies and their workforce to make the most of new challenges and respond effectively to economic shocks.
What's the value of EEDA's Plan?
EEDA's ESF allocation for the period 2007-11 is £6.64 million. £2.87 million will support activity in Priority 1 and £3.77 million will be spent in Priority 2.
What is Co-financing?
Co-financing brings together ESF and mainstream public funding as a single funding stream through CFOs such as EEDA. This means that organisations wanting to deliver ESF activity on behalf of EEDA will be applying for a project tender that is 100 per cent funded.
What is the ESF Regional Framework?
The purpose of the ESF Regional Framework for the East of England is to establish how ESF spending can support regional priorities to tackle worklessness and low skills, within the parameters of the agreed ESF Programme for England for the seven years duration of the programme.
How long is the tendering period?
In order to enable organisations to develop and submit strong applications for EEDA's tender package of complex activities, a tendering period of eight weeks is granted. Tendering will start on Monday 25 February 2008 and finish on Friday 18 April 2008.
Share this page:
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon