European Regional Development Fund ‘Call for Activity’ launched

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12/04/2011

The East Midlands 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Competitiveness Programme has officially launched a third open Call for Activity under the Programme's Priority Axis 1.

Up to £19m of ERDF funding is being made available under Priority Axis 1 (PA1), which seeks to create a high value-added economy by supporting innovation and sustainable business practice and building on the region's key strengths. The Call for Activity invites expressions of interest from applicants that can demonstrate they can contribute significantly towards the achievement of PA1 objectives, outputs and results through eligible activities.

Managed by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the East Midlands 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme is providing €268.5m (currently equivalent to approximately £229m) of investment support across the East Midlands between 2007 and 2013. When combined with match funding this will provide a total Programme value of €537m (equivalent to approximately £458m).

The deadline for expression of interests under this latest call for activity is12 noononFriday 27th May2011

.The associated Prospectus and Expression of Interest (EoI) form are available to download from the Applying for Funding pages of the Programme's website at:

www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk

Please also note that the Government has today (Tuesday 12th April) also launched round two of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF2).  The Regional Growth Fund is a £1.4bn fund which is designed to encourage enterprise, growth and jobs in the private sector and support regions that are dependent on the public sector and is a potential source of match funding for ERDF projects.emdahas worked with the RGF Secretariat to align the RGF2 application process with the Call for Activity under ERDF Priority Axis 1 to co-ordinate the assessment and appraisal of bids seeking support from both funds. The deadline for RGF2 applications is 1st July 2011. Projects seeking RGF2 and ERDF support will need to satisfy the relevant criteria for both funding programmes.

RGF2 is inviting applications for programmes of activity as well as for individual projects. Whilst ERDF cannot be used to support programmes of activity as defined in the RGF2 guidance, RGF2 programmes can identify individual project proposals to be co-funded by ERDF and RGF2.

Any projects wishing to discuss proposals for RGF2 and ERDF jointly funded projects or seeking further advice on ERDF eligibility and contract requirements should contactemda's ERDF team at

europeanenquiries@emd.org.uk

For more information on the Regional Growth Fund please visit:

www.bis.gov.uk/policies/regional-economic-development/regional-growth-fund

For more information about the East Midlands ERDF Competitiveness Programme visit

www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk

Ends

Notes to editors

About ERDF nationally

The ERDF Programme aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by supporting regional economic development.

The ERDF objectives for England are:

• Promoting innovation and knowledge transfer
• Stimulating enterprise and supporting successful business
• Ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption
• Building sustainable communities
• Improving accessibility and connectivity (for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly only - as part of their Convergence Programme).

A Programme Monitoring Committee consisting of regional stakeholders such as RDAs, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, Sub-regional Partnerships, Higher Education Institutions, Trade Unions, and the private and voluntary sectors will monitor and oversee programme implementation in each region.

For more information on ERDF funding generally, please visit

www.communities.gov.uk/citiesandregions/european

or

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/feder/index_en.htm

About ERDF in the East Midlands

The East Midlands is eligible for €268.5m between 2007 and 2013, which when combined with match funding, provides a programme value of approximately €537m - a significant investment in the economic development of the region.

The East Midlands qualifies as a competitiveness and employment region under the EU's Cohesion Policy, which aims to meet the EU Lisbon objective to become 'the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social inclusion.'

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is responsible for the programme management and delivery of the region's 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme. From 1st July 2011, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) will take on management of ERDF in the East Midlands.

To find out more about ERDF, the region's strategy for delivering the funds, how to apply for funding and how the programme is managed, please visit

www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk

About

emda

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine regional development agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development. 10 years on, independent evaluation showsemdahas:

• Had a significant impact on the region's economy
• Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
• Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
• Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year and had a wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone. 

The Government has announced that the Regional Development Agencies will be abolished by March 2012. During this transition period,emdacontinues to make best use of its resources to create a strong, sustainable and balanced economy in the East Midlands.

For more information, visit

www.emda.org.uk

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