History
Founded
in Berlin in 1993, the EUROCIRCLE network is a European
grouping of project managers in the social sectors of
education and employment. In 1995, the network became
a non-profit-making organisation under French law, and
settled in Marseille. Ever since, EUROCIRCLE has been
endeavoring to support project managers in their implementation
of a European approach by initiating European partnerships
in order to set up transnational projects. The service
on this web site, which puts partners in contact with
one another, is structured around an information service
that concentrates on the technical aspects of funding
programs.
Providing
information on European programmes
EUROCIRCLE
implements a strategic and documentary survey of the European
programs focused on the initiatives of the EU and organises
a European platform of transnational project managers.
Information can be one of the obstacles to the emergence
of European projects and, therefore, plays an important
role. Even if the sources of information are abundant,
this does not necessarily mean that they are always available
in time and exploitable by the persons in charge of the
development structures of European projects.
Since 1996 EUROCIRCLE has been editing a monthly information
bulletin in several languages that, at present, has a
circulation of about one hundred in Europe. It targets
programs of European action and initiatives and other
funding tools. The numerous information sites provide
a plethora of information that is updated regularly.
Now, quick access to the essential information, concerning
in particular the deadlines and the texts regarding the
proposals and offers, is of major importance - insofar
as the very short time limits between the publication
of the calls for proposal and the deadline for the deposit
of the dossier leave little time to put a qualitatively
satisfying dossier together. The restructuring of the
Commission’s services and the overhaul of the EU
funding scene encouraged us to develop this website. Our
goal is to accompany the project managers in their research
for funds and transnational partners by putting an operational
platform of information and cooperation at their disposal.
This platform aims to distribute exhaustive and operational
information about the ensemble of funding programs which
have been installed by the European commission, focusing
on the essential elements of managing those in charge
of administration, associations and in the economy. First
of all this service requires the creation of a daily documentary
survey (JOCE), intersection of different sources of information
(official and informal) and treatment of information which
gives the person in charge something which is an overview
but precise enough at the same time. At the moment the
website has a register of about 100 indexed funding tools,
each presented in a synoptic file which renders the key
elements of the program (aim, contents and eligible institution,
backed actions, deadlines, etc.) and offers the possibility
to download the offers and proposal texts, the application
forms and the available guide.
Initiating
transnational partnerships
Besides
the distribution of information on funding programs, concentrated
on the "technical" aspects (deadlines, contents,
procedures), EUROCIRCLE assists also in the creation of
projects. EUROCIRCLE, holding the position of an interface
on a European level, proposes that organisations with
different horizons should integrate into already existing
European networks, thus allowing them to familiarize themselves
with how European projects work and to strike up first
contacts with European partners, while benefiting from
a subsidy as an associated partner. Also, the cooperation
platform allows the organizations carrying an orphan project
(project without a partner) to publish a partner search
file by just filling in the form on-line. The action of
the non-profit-making organisation EUROCIRCLE is meant
to be transverse and is not restricted to a single public
or geographical sector, a single field of action, or a
specific program. Such a transverse approach in the initiation
of transnational projects allows the induction to synergetic
effects by associating partners who act in different complementary
sectors.
Co-operating
to realise the projects
Our aim
is to contribute to the emergence of European projects
which are lead by all different kinds of structures by
providing them not just with European financing but also
with new approaches and a dynamic which represents an
important local impact. The Organisation endeavours to
provide the carrier organisation of projects with personal
support for the launching of their initiative by steering
them towards funding programmes, by offering them, if
need should be, transnational partners and accompanying
them with the implementation of their projects.
Within
this context EUROCIRCLE
- Gives
a first assessment of the possibilities for putting
together a request for financial aid, and establishes
the conditions assessment of the possibilities for
putting together a request for financial aid, and
establishes the conditions necessary in order to be
able to claim European financing (legal conditions,
national co-financing, local network, innovating character,
etc.);
- Proposes
a "travel warrant" by defining, with the
project carriers, the elements which are necessary
to put together the dossiers, and establishing what
his schedule is, endeavouring to use the very short
period of time between the publication of an offer
proposal and the deadline for its deposit as efficiently
as possible;
- Ensures
beforehand that the project will go ahead, that there
is communication between the transnational partners,
realises the current translations for presentations
and co-ordinates the transnational activities (Letter
of Intention).
EUROCIRCLE’s
intervention in favour of the project carriers (organisations,
enterprises, administration, associations) is backed up
by:
- An
expertise, well-founded on a long experience in the
development and managment of projects at European
level;
- A
data base of 400 co-operation partners from 10 European
countries;
- A
network of co-operation partners in Germany, Austria
an Greece;
-
Intermediary partners like BBJ-Italia and BBJ-Brussels,
which play a similar role in their respective countries
and organise European co-operation networks.
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