Processing of Applications
All applications that fall within the objectives and framework of the programme will be subject to two independent assessments by the Nordplus administration. Applications are received and processed by the Nordplus programme office responsible for the sub-programme in question (if any funds are allocated, the contract will be signed and payment issued by the designated Nordplus office). All applications are handled by at least one other programme office. The programme offices may obtain external expert assessments of the applications. The decision determining which applications will receive grants is made by the Nordplus Programme Committee on the basis of a recommendation from the administration. Read more about the Nordplus Programme Committee at the end of the handbook.
Applicants to the general annual deadline in February will be notified approximately three months after the deadline, while applicants to the supplementary deadline for preparatory visits in October will be notified approximately six weeks after the deadline. If the project is approved, the coordinating organisation will receive a contract. Part of the grant amount or the full grant will be paid once the contract has been signed and returned to the Nordplus administration. The programme offices send information to all applicants regarding the outcome of the application, and a summary of results from the entire round of applications is provided at www.nordplusonline.org.
Applications can be awarded a full grant (the amount applied for), a partial grant (only some of the activities will receive a grant or the budget will be reduced) or they may be rejected. The main reasons for rejection are:
- Ineligibility
- The application is not of sufficient quality in relation to the assessment criteria
- Tough competition for funding can mean an application that meets the evaluation criteria is nevertheless not recommended for funding
Reduced grant: In some cases, approved applications are awarded a lower amount than the amount applied for. The most typical reasons for this are:
- The application budget includes expenses that are not eligible for grants
- Imprecise calculations
- Too big a budget in relation to the activities and results described
- Too big a budget in comparison to the total available budget for the entire sub-programme
The rejection letter will describe the main reason for rejection. For further explanation of why an application was not approved for a grant or for information on how to improve an application, please contact the main administrator for the sub-programme in question.
How to appeal
All applicants may ask for an explanation as to why their application was rejected. Please note, however, that an explanation is not the same thing as an appeal. An appeal is only possible if the applicant can argue that the decision is based on formal procedural errors made by the Nordplus administration. Any appeal must be provided in writing to the programme office responsible for the relevant sub-programme
. The appeal must clearly state any mistakes that the applicant considers were made.
The programme office will decide - if need be in cooperation with the rest of the Nordplus offices - whether an appeal is valid. If the appeal is deemed valid, the programme office decides whether the application should be reassessed or whether to recommend it for a grant award. The Nordplus Programme Committee has the final say on any award.
If the appeal is deemed invalid, the programme office will inform the applicant of the outcome and also provide information on the applicant's right to appeal the decision to the Nordplus Programme Committee. An applicant who does take the appeal further must present his/her version of the case for why the decision of the programme office is not accepted as well as the communication in the case. Similarly, the programme office presents its version of the case to the Nordplus Programme Committee.
The Nordplus Programme Committee makes a subsequent decision regarding the case.