THE MOST FREQUENT DEFECTS OF APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING FROM THE FUND FOR BILATERAL RELATIONS AT NATIONAL LEVEL

The applicants for funding should avoid particularly the following recurrent defects:

1. The original (paper version) must be identical to the copy (electronic version on a CD).
2. The Application must be delivered to the Ministry of Finance (MF) no later than 30 work days beforehand. If this is not possible, any later submission must be duly substantiated in the Application or in an annex thereof.
3. The title page of the Application must contain identification of the type of the concerned initiative together with the required budget for the initiative.
4. It is necessary to submit all annexes relevant for the concerned Application – invitations to events/meetings/workshops, etc., communication with a foreign entity relating to the concerned initiative, and the agenda/programme of the meetings to justify the number of days of the business trip, etc., price calculation e.g. interpreting and catering), preliminary orders, offer of air tickets, offer of accommodation, etc.
5. The objective of the Fund is not to finance projects but to finance rather broader initiatives in order to prepare or strengthen the basis for the existing or future bilateral relations and it is necessary to consider how the financing of e.g. a particular study contributes to this objective and what contribution it has for the Czech Republic, etc. in accordance with the assessment criteria.
6. The objective of the Fund is not to finance initiatives serving for the preparation of applications in the calls within the framework of the FM EEA/Norway or other grants. The initiative shall have its own objectives and outputs described in the application. Preparation of projects and establishment of bilateral relations for this purpose may be financed from the Funds for Bilateral Relations at Programme Level – information is available from the agents of individual programmes.
7. The budget must be linked with the activities of the initiative and broken down into individual items (e.g. air tickets and public transport tickets separately, not “transport”); the Applicant should also consider the necessity and economy of all expenditures (e.g. a new website if the existing website is functional), see to the eligible expenditures and limits for the Fund (Annex of the Guidelines for Applicants and Final Beneficiaries) and use the fixed exchange rate 26,50 CZK/EUR for the conversion of limits. The total aggregate amount for the initiatives must be written in the conclusion of the Application. All items must be duly explained.
8. The period of implementation should correspond to the setting of the Fund – the Fund was established for the purposes of financing of short-term initiatives.
9. For bilateral indicators for Initiative 1 (participation in educational events) in the Application for Funding the Applicant should indicate the number of participants of events from the institution of the Applicant (or from the organisation of the beneficiary), not the total number of participants in such event. The latter number shall be indicated in Initiative 4 – Organised educational events.