LIFE+ 2007
Project evaluation and selection
LIFE+ committee
28 July 2008
1) Reception and registration of proposals
2) Eligibility phase
3) Financial selection phase
4) Technical selection phase
5) Award phase
6) Setting up the initial long- and reserve lists
7) Revision phase
8) Setting up the final short- and reserve lists
9) Next steps after the committee meeting
10) Lessons learnt for LIFE+ 2008
1. Reception and registration
of proposals
Reception and registration of proposals
• 707 proposals received on CD/DVD
• Information entered into ESAP
• Proposals per component:
LIFE+ Environ. Policy & Governance
325
LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity
264
LIFE+ Information & Communication
118
175
LIFE+ Nature
89
LIFE+ Biodiversity
97
Awareness raising campaigns
21
Forest fire prevention training
86
Waste and natural resources
65
Climate change
49
Water
Strategic approaches
35
Urban environment
24
Forests
Proposals
submitted per
policy area
15
Air
13
Innovation
13
Chemicals
8
Soil
8
Health
7
Noise
2
0
30
60
90
120
150
180
Proposals submitted per Member State
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
IT
ES GR PT DE
FI
FR BE BG UK
SI
S
RO AU NL CY PL SK HU MT EE LV CZ DK IRL LT LUX
Proposals submitted per Member State
200
180
Information and
communication
160
Environmental policy
and governance
140
120
Nature and
biodiversity
100
80
60
40
20
0
IT
ES
GR
PT
DE
FI
FR
BE
BG
UK
SI
S
RO
AU
NL
CY
PL
SK
HU
MT
EE
LV
CZ
DK
IRL
LT
LU
2. Eligibility phase
Eligibility phase
• Checking the general eligibility criteria and the
completeness of the proposal forms submitted
• Check of the financial annexes submitted
(applicants other than public authorities)
• Request for additional information by e-mail if:
- financial annexes are incomplete/missing
- not more than one form is missing/incomplete
- obligatory signatures are missing
Results of the eligibility phase
Proposals retained
585
immediately
request additional information
495
124
Proposals rejected
122
immediately
request additional information
51
71
82%
18%
Eligibility phase: reasons for failure
Ineligible without request for further information (51)
several forms missing or incomplete
43
not submitted in electronic format
2
not submitted via the competent authority
3
beneficiary(ies) not legally constituted in the EU
3
Ineligible after request for further information (71)
no reply within the deadline of 7 working days
36
resubmitted documents/ forms still incomplete
26
beneficiary refused to submit the requested documents
9
3. Financial selection phase
Financial selection phase
• Financial capacity assessment for all
coordinating beneficiaries other than “public
authorities”
• Request for additional proof in case of doubt
about the “public authority” status declared in
the proposal (by letter)
Financial selection phase: results
Proposals rejected
negative assessment (insufficient financial capacity)
assessment not feasible (data incoherent/incomplete)
auditor certificate not unqualified/adequate
proof for public authority status not provided
Proposals not evaluated
70
12%
35
4
5
26
6
1%
Proposals retained
226
39%
Proposals from Public Authorities
283
48%
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Total retained
509
87%
4. Technical selection phase
Technical selection criteria
LIFE+ Environmental Policy & Governance
demonstration or innovation (or support to forest monitoring) ?
LIFE+ Information & Communication
awareness raising campaign (or training for forest fire agents) ?
LIFE+ Nature
25% concrete conservation actions ?
(2 exceptions: marine Natura 2000 inventories + support to monitoring)
best practise or demonstration ?
if relevant, appropriate conservation status (Natura 2000) ?
LIFE+ Biodiversity
25% concrete conservation actions ?
(2 exceptions: development biodiversity indicators + GMO risk assessment)
demonstration or innovation ?
Technical selection phase: results
LIFE+ Environmental
Policy and
Governance
240
4
80
LIFE+ Information and
Communicaton
4
131
LIFE+ Nature
36
Evaluated
Rejected
64
LIFE+ Biodiversity
39
0
100
200
300
Technical selection: reasons for failure
LIFE+ Environmental Policy & Governance
Neither innovation nor demonstration:
4
LIFE+ Information & Communication
Not within the scope of LIFE+ information & Communication:
4
LIFE+ Nature
Not within the scope of this component:
Neither best-practise nor demonstration:
Less than 25% for concrete conservation actions:
Insufficient/ inadequate Natura 2000 conservation status:
5
2
18*
14*
LIFE+ Biodiversity
Not within the scope of LIFE+ Biodiversity:
Neither innovation nor demonstration (but often best-practise):
Less than 25% for concrete conservation actions:
6
23
10
5. Award phase
Award phase: evaluation criteria
Name of the award criterion
Maximum
score
Minimum
Pass
score
Significant
divergence
1. Technical coherence and quality
15
8
>3
2. Financial coherence and quality
15
8
>3
3. Contribution to the general
objectives of LIFE+
25
12
>4
4. European added value
25
12
>4
5. Complementarity and optimal use of
the EU funding
10
5
>2
6. Transnational character
5
-
>1
7. National added value according to
the LIFE+ national authority
5
-
>1
Total
100
Award phase: 181 project retained
LIFE+ Environment
Policy &
Governance
236
137
76
LIFE+ Information &
Communication
60
95
LIFE+ Nature
37
Evaluated
Rejected
25
LIFE+ Biodiversity
17
0
100
200
300
Technical Selection & Award:
success rate (%)
44%
LIFE+ Nature
LIFE+ Environment
Policy & Governance
41%
LIFE+ Information &
Communication
20%
13%
LIFE+ Biodiversity
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
6. Setting up the initial longand reserve lists
Setting up initial long- and reserve lists
Constraints:
• listing according to merit (scores)
• at least 50% for projects for Nature & Biodiversity
• respect of the national allocations (if possible)
• at least 15% for transnational projects (if possible)
STEP 1: nature & biodiversity (inside Natl. Allocations)
STEP 2: nature & biodiversity (≥ 50% available budget)
STEP 3: remaining projects (inside Natl. Allocations)
STEP 4: remaining projects (until 100% consumed)
STEP 5: reserve list (10% Nature & Biodiversity; 10% others)
The initial list
N° projects
Amounts allocated (€)
Step 1
59
93.683.955
Step 3
99
134.636.670
Step 4
140
186.960.541
28
65.939.620
Reserve list
The initial list: national allocations
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LUX
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK
0
5.000.000
10.000.000
15.000.000
20.000.000
25.000.000
30.000.000
7. Revision phase
Revision phase
168 projects admitted to revision
(140 long-listed + 28 reserve listed projects)
Revision aimed at clarifying open questions
and improving the quality of the proposals
some « Killer questions » to be asked
Result:
 Revised/reduced project budgets
 Exclusion of ineligible costs/actions
 Withdrawal of proposals possible
Revision phase: outcome
• 13 proposals withdrawn (either by Commission
or by beneficiary itself)
• budget reductions in the remaining projects
• EC contribution for « Forest Focus » proposal
reduced from 45 to 16.1 million €
8. Setting up the final shortand reserve lists
The final list
N° projects
Amount allocated
Step 1
56
83.386.435
Step 2
60
95.180.963
Step 3
100
130.433.781
Step 4
143
186.055.696
12
11.667.979
Reserve list
Final shortlist: summary
Number of projects:
LIFE+ amount to be committed:
% of this amount for:
- projects for Nature & Biodiversity:
- transnational projects:
143
186.055.696 €
51,2 %
30,5 %
The final list: national allocations
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LUX
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK
Blue: national allocation used
White: national allocation not used
Yellow: national allocation surpassed
(all amounts in €)
0
5.000.000
10.000.000
15.000.000
20.000.000
25.000.000
30.000.000
Final shortlist
LIFE+ Nature
LIFE+ Biodiversity
Aw areness raising campaigns
Forest fire prevention training
Waste and natural resources
Climate change
Water
Strategic approaches
Urban environment
Forests
Air
Innovation
Chemicals
Soil
Health
Noise
Proposals submitted
vs. projects retained
per policy area
0
50
100
150
200
Final list by Member State and by component
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LUX
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK
LIFE+ Environment Policy & Governance
LIFE+ Information & Communication
LIFE+ Nature & Biodiversity
0
5.000.000
10.000.000
15.000.000
20.000.000
25.000.000
30.000.000
35.000.000
9. Next steps after the LIFE+
Committee meeting
• Successful applicants invited to submit 3
paper copies of the proposal, with original
signatures
• Unsuccessful applicants informed by
letter about the reasons for project failure
10. Lessons learnt for LIFE+ 2008
• Eligibility criteria softened (> incomplete forms)
• Financial viability check restricted to private
bodies
• Clarifications provided on the scope of LIFE+
Biodiversity and LIFE+ Information and
Communication