Call for Proposals

Overview

Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation programme Hungary-Serbia (Interreg-IPA CBC Hungary-Serbia) launched the Strategic Call for Proposals on March 29, 2016. This was the first call for proposals within the Programme that was approved by the European Commission Decision C(2015)9488 on December 15, 2015.

The Strategic Call for Proposals, under the reference number HUSRB/1601, and the amount of funds of 24,800,000 EUR, was intended for projects of strategic value for the Hungary-Serbia border region – projects which were in line with the relevant national and regional strategies and which have the capacity to make a high impact and improve the quality of life in the border-region area.

The Strategic Call for Proposals HUSRB/1601 was open until September 30, 2016. During this period, the Programme provided the Applicants with assistance with the application process through its Joint Secretariat (JS) and the JS Antenna, as described in Chapter 8.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants. Additionally, the potential Applicants had the option to search for project partners through the online tool Partner Search on the Programme’s website.

Application Package

The Application Package for download

The Application Package was comprised of the following documents: 

• Call for Proposals 
• Guidelines for Applicants and its Annexes
• Eligibility Rules of Expenditures
• Application Form and its Annexes

Duration of the call

March 29, 2016 – September 30, 2016, 24:00 CET, as evidenced by the date on the postal stamp. In case the applications were submitted personally, or via courier service, it was required that the JS receive them by 16:00 CET on September 30, 2016.

NOTE: The original deadline for submission of project proposals within the Strategic Call was August 26, 2016, 24:00 PM CET (16:00 CET in case of personal delivery of the Application). This deadline was extended by the JMC on July 11, 2016.

Eligible area

Supported projects were required to be implemented within the eligible area of the Programme, defined in the document Cooperation Programme, in the area of NUTS III level (or NUTS III equivalent) region, as follows:

• In Hungary: Csongrád, and Bács-Kiskun counties;
• In Serbia: West Bačka, North Bačka, North Banat, South Bačka, South Bačka, Middle Banat, South Banat, and Srem. 

Eligible Applicants

The following organisations were eligible to apply for the funding allocated to the Programme: 

• public authorities 
• bodies governed by public law 
• non-profit organisations governed by private law -  as a general rule

The detailed description of Eligibility of Applicants was available in the Chapter 2 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Budget

The amount of funding available for this Strategic Call for Proposals was 24,800,000 EUR. The indicative financial allocations for respective Priority Axes (PA) together with the minimum amounts of subsidy were the following:

• PA 1: Improving the cross-border water management and risk prevention systems – the minimum amount of IPA contribution is 4,000,000 EUR; 
• PA 2: Decreasing the bottlenecks of cross-border traffic – the minimum amount of IPA contribution is 2,000,000 EUR; 
• PA 3: Encouraging tourism and cultural heritage cooperation – the minimum amount of IPA contribution is 2,000,000 EUR

Please note that the final allocations awarded to projects under this Call could vary, following the assessment and selection of the Applications.

Co-financing rate

On project level, IPA provides support up to 85% of the total eligible expenditure, and the remaining 15% are financed from national sources. Please note, that the sources of funding differ in case of Beneficiaries from Hungary and from Serbia as described in Chapter 6 of the Guidelines for Applicants. In case the Lead Beneficiary concluded the Subsidy Contract with the Managing Authority (MA), an advance in an amount of maximum 15% of the total IPA allocation of a project would automatically be granted from the EU contribution.

Project duration

The planned implementation period of a project was required to be shorter than 12 months and not longer than 36 months. 

Submission of Applications 

It was required that the Application together with the relevant supporting documents was submitted according to the rules set in Chapter 8.5 of the Guidelines for Applicants to the Joint Secretariat (JS). 

Selection process

The description of the assessment process was available in Chapter 9 of the Guidelines for Applicants. 

Results of the Strategic Call for Proposals

Provisional notification date of the results of the Strategic Call for Proposal given during the Call was January 2017. 

Enclosed are the results of the Strategic Call for Proposals, based on the decision of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) of the Programme.

Overview

Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Hungary-Serbia (Interreg-IPA CBC Hungary-Serbia) launched the Second Call for Proposals on October 3, 2016.

Second Call for Proposals, under the reference number HUSRB/1602, and the amount of funds of 21,500,000 EUR, was intended for a broad range of Applicants and actions within the Programme area.

Second Call for Proposals HUSRB/1602 was open until January 31, 2017. During this period, the Programme provided the Applicants with assistance through its Joint Secretariat (JS) and the JS Antenna, as described in Chapter 8.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

This was the Second Call for Proposals, following the Strategic Call, which had been closed on September 30, 2016.

Application Package

Download the Application Package

The Application Package was comprised of the following documents:

• HUSRB 2nd Call for Proposals;
• HUSRB 2nd CfP Guidelines for Applicants;
• HUSRB 2nd CfP Annex I of Application Form;
• HUSRB 2nd CfP Annex II of Application Form;
• Eligibility Rules of expenditures;
• HUSRB 2nd CfP Annex I of GfA Model Subsidy Contract;
• HUSRB 2nd CfP Annex II of GfA Model Partnership Agreement
• HUSRB Users' Manual.

Together with the documents of the Application package was available for download the Users’ Manual of the IMIS 2014-2020 system.

Duration of the call

October 3, 2016 – January 31, 2017, 24:00 (midnight) CET

Eligible area

Supported projects were required to be implemented within the eligible area of the Programme, defined in the document Cooperation Programme, in the area of NUTS III level (or NUTS III equivalent) region, as follows:

• In Hungary: Csongrád, and Bács-Kiskun counties;
• In Serbia: West Bačka, North Bačka, North Banat, South Bačka, Middle Banat, South Banat, and Srem. 

Eligible Applicants

The following organisations were eligible to apply for the funding allocated to the Programme:

• public authorities
• bodies governed by public law
• as a general rule non-profit organisations governed by private law 

For a detailed description of Eligibility of Applicants please consult Chapter 2 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Priorities and Actions of the Programme

• PA 1: Improving the cross-border water management and risk prevention systems
• Action 1.1: Water management and protection against extreme weather conditions
• Action 1.2: Nature protection and conservation of water based habitats

• PA 2: Decreasing the bottlenecks of cross-border traffic
• Action 2.1: Border crossing points, roads and bicycle roads
• Action 2.2: Improving public transport services and railway lines

• PA 3: Encouraging tourism and cultural heritage cooperation
• Action 3.1: Tourist products, services and attractions based on cultural and natural heritage
• Action 3.2: Cooperation in the fields of cultural, community events, sport, leisure, nature protection

• PA 4: Enhancing SMEs’ economic competitiveness through innovation-driven development
• Action 4.1: Enhancing innovation through cooperation between SMEs and research institutions involving young people
• Action 4.2: Encouraging and development of social entrepreneurship

For the indicative list of activities and their detailed description please consult Chapter 1.3 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Budget

Published actions and indicative funds which were available: The indicative amount of 21,500,000 EUR was available within the Second Call for Proposals.

The indicative financial allocations for respective Priority axes and Actions please consult Chapters 1.3 and 1.5 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Please note that the final allocations awarded to projects under this could vary, following the assessment and selection of the Applications.

Co-financing rate

On project level, the EU contribution was up to 85% of the total eligible expenditure.

The remaining 15% would be financed from national sources.

NOTE: the sources of funding differ in case of Beneficiaries from Hungary and from Serbia as described in Chapter 6 of the Guidelines for Applicants. In case the Lead Beneficiary concluded the Subsidy Contract with the Managing Authority an advance in an amount of maximum 15% of the total IPA allocation of a project would automatically be granted from the EU contribution. 

Project duration

The planned implementation period of a project was required not to be less than 6 months and not to exceed 24 months. 

Submission of Applications 

Applications were required to be submitted online via IMIS 2014-2020 Application Module according to the rules set in Chapter 8.5 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

IMIS 2014-2020 Application Module could be accessed via following link:

https://imis2014-2020.eu/imis-web/public#!foAppSrbLogin

Submission deadline was January 31, 2017 at 24:00 (midnight) CET

NOTE: IMIS 2014-2020 Application Module blocked the submission after the deadline, and after the set deadline there was no option to apply.

At the time of the electronic submission of the Application, IMIS 2014-2020 generated a Certification, which was required to be stamped and signed by the legal representative(s) of all Beneficiaries within a project. The original Certification was required to be submitted by postal service to the following address:

Joint Secretariat

of the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Hungary-Serbia

Széchenyi Program Office Nonprofit LLC.

Szép utca 2, 4.em

H-1053 Budapest, Hungary

by February 7, 2017, as evidenced by the date on the postal stamp.

Selection process

The description of the assessment process can be found in Chapter 9 of the Guidelines for Applicants. 

Info Days

Joint Secretariat and the JS Antenna organized several full-day seminars Info Days in the following schedule:

1. Szeged – 24 November 2016, 09:30–16:00 (local time)
2. Novi Sad – 28 November 2016, 09:30–16:00 (local time)
3. Subotica – 29 November 2016, 09:30–16:00 (local time)
4. Kecskemét – 30 November 2016, 09:30–16:00 (local time)

Additional Resources for Applicants

Prospective Applicants were encouraged to visit the page Downloads of the Programme website where other relevant documents, such as: Cooperation Programme; Guidelines for Implementation of Information and Publicity Measures for Projects; publications summarizing the projects implemented within the previous programme Hungary-Serbia IPA CBC, and much more were available.

Section Frequently Asked Questions on the Programme website was regularly updated during the Application period, and provided additional information, explanation or guidance to the prospective Applicants.

Partner Search online tool was available to organizations looking for partnering organizations to develop joint applications.

An added value to regular support from the Joint Secretariat and the JS Antenna, to the  prospective Applicants were the Programme Managers’ Tips,  a weekly series of posts on the Programmes’ pages on Facebook and LinkedIn via which the Programme Managers shared useful information for Applicants (and Beneficiaries) based on their practice.

Results of the Second Call for Proposals

Provisional notification date of the results of the Second Call for Proposals given during the Call was June 2017. 

Enclosed are the results of the Second Call for Proposals, based on the decision of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) of the Programme.

Overview

Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Hungary-Serbia (Interreg-IPA CBC Hungary-Serbia) launched the Third Call for Proposals on 1 June 2019.

The Third Call for Proposals, under the reference number HUSRB/1903, and the amount of IPA fund of 10.38 million EUR, is intended for a broad range of Applicants and actions within the Programme area.

Duration of the Call

1 June 2019 – 30 September 2019, 15:00 CET

During this period, the Programme will provide the Applicants with assistance through its Joint Secretariat (JS) and the JS Antenna, as described in Chapter 8.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Application package

Download the Application Package

The Application Package is comprised of the following documents:

• Application Package - zip. File
• HUSRB_3rd Call for Proposals
• HUSRB_3rd CfP Annex I of GfA_Draft Subsidy Contract
• HUSRB_3rd CfP Annex II of GfA_Draft Partnership Agreement
• HUSRB_3rd CfP Guidelines_for_Applicants
• HUSRB_3rd CfP_Annex I of Application_Form_CORRIGENDUM
• HUSRB_3rd CfP_Annex II of Application_Form
• HUSRB_Eligibility Rules of Expenditures

Together with the documents of the Application package the Users’ Manual of the IMIS 2014-2020 system is available for download, as well.

NOTE – Corrigendum of the Annex I of the Application Form

The Annex I of the Application Form was corrected on 17 July 2019. The change refers to section asking Applicants to acknowledge that they were not involved in more than three partnerships submitting an application in the present Call for Proposals.

Submission of Applications 

Applications are required to be submitted online via IMIS 2014-2020 Application Module according to the rules set in Chapter 8.5 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

IMIS 2014-2020 Application Module could be accessed via following link:

https://imis2014-2020.eu/imis-web/public#!foAppSrbLogin

Submission deadline is 30 September 2019 at 15:00 CET

NOTE: Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered formally non-compliant and will not be considered further.

At the time of the electronic submission of the Application, IMIS 2014-2020 generates a Certification, which must be stamped and signed by the legal representative(s) of all Beneficiaries within a project.

The original Certification must be submitted by postal service to the following address:

Joint Secretariat

of the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Hungary-Serbia

Széchenyi Program Office Nonprofit LLC.

Szép utca 2, 4.em

H-1053 Budapest, Hungary

by 8 October 2019, 24:00 (midnight) local time (Central European Time) as evidenced by the date on the postal stamp. 

Eligible area

Supported projects are required to be implemented within the eligible area of the Programme, defined in the document Cooperation Programme, in the area of NUTS III level (or NUTS III equivalent) region, as follows:

• In Hungary: Csongrád, and Bács-Kiskun counties;
• In Serbia: West Bačka, North Bačka, North Banat, South Bačka, Middle Banat, South Banat, and Srem. 

Eligible Applicants

The following organisations are eligible to apply for the funding allocated to the Programme:

• public authorities
• bodies governed by public law
• as a general rule non-profit organisations governed by private law 

For a detailed description of Eligibility of Applicants please consult Chapter 2 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

The partnerships must have eligible partners from both sides of the border, each satisfying the eligibility criteria for Applicants. The minimum setup is that the Lead Beneficiary has at least one partner organization from the other side of the border, i.e. one cross-border Beneficiary.

The maximum number of Beneficiaries is six, including the Lead Beneficiary.

Priorities and Actions of the Programme

PA 1: Improving the cross-border water management and risk prevention systems

• Action 1.1: Water management and protection against extreme weather conditions
• Action 1.2: Nature protection and conservation of water based habitats

PA 2: Decreasing the bottlenecks of cross-border traffic

• Action 2.1: Border crossing points, roads and bicycle roads
• Action 2.2: Improving public transport services and railway lines

PA 3: Encouraging tourism and cultural heritage cooperation

• Action 3.1: Tourist products, services and attractions based on cultural and natural heritage
• Action 3.3: Cooperation in the fields of cultural and community events
• Action 3.4: Cooperation in the fields of sport, leisure and minor actions related to nature protection

PA 4: Enhancing SMEs’ economic competitiveness through innovation-driven development

• Action 4.2: Encouraging and development of social entrepreneurship
• Action 4.3: Enhancing entrepreneurial innovation involving research institutions through scholarships for young people

For the indicative list of activities and their detailed description please consult Chapter 1.3 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Budget

The indicative amount of 10.38 million EUR is available within the Third Call for Proposals.

For the indicative financial allocations for respective Priority axes and Actions please consult Chapters 1.3 and 1.5 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Please note that the final allocations awarded to projects under this could vary, following the assessment and selection of the Applications.

Co-financing rate

On project level, the EU contribution is up to 85% of the total eligible expenditure. The remaining 15% will be financed from national sources.

Please note that the sources of funding differ in case of Beneficiaries from Hungary and from Serbia as described in Chapter 6 of the Guidelines for Applicants.

Once the Lead Beneficiary concludes the Subsidy Contract with the Managing Authority, an advance in the amount of maximum 15% of the total IPA allocation of a project will automatically be granted from the EU contribution.  

Project duration

The planned implementation period of a project must not to be less than six months and must not exceed 18 months. 

Selection process

The description of the assessment process can be found in Chapter 9 of the Guidelines for Applicants. 

Info Days

During the application period, the Joint Secretariat will organize Info Days. 

Info Days in Hungary:

• Kecskemét, on 30 July 2019, 09:30–16:00, at the Bács-Kiskun Chamber of Commerce (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Kereskedelmi és Iparkamara), 6000 Kecskemét, Árpád krt. 4.  
• Szeged, on 27 August 2019, 09:30–16:00 - Art Hotel, 16 Somogyi Street, 6720 Szeged

Info Days in Serbia:

• Novi Sad, 14 August 2019, 09:30–16:00, at Sheraton Novi Sad, Polgar Andraša 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
• Subotica, 28 August 2019, 09:30–16:00 – Council Hall of the Subotica City Hall, Trg Slobode 1, 24000 Subotica

Due to the high interest and the venues' capacity, attendance at the events requires prior registration. You may register by sending an e-mail to dban@interreg-ipa-husrb.com, specifying: the event you will attend, the name of the represented organisation/institution and the name(s) of attendee(s).

Additional resources for Applicants

Prospective Applicants may visit the page Downloads of the Programme website where other relevant documents, such as: Cooperation Programme; Guidelines for Implementation of Information and Publicity Measures for Projects; publications summarizing the projects implemented within the previous programme Hungary-Serbia IPA CBC, and much more.

Section Frequently Asked Questions on the Programme website will soon be made available.

Partner Search online tool is available to organizations looking for partnering organizations to develop joint applications.

Previously, the Programme launched the Strategic Call for Proposals (29 March 2016 – 30 September 2016) and the Second the Second Call for Proposals (30 September 2016 – 31 January 2017).

Results of the Third Call for Proposals

Enclosed are the results of the Second Call for Proposals, based on the decision of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) of the Programme.