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EUR 60 million to combat youth unemployment in Europe. First call of the EEA & Norway grants 2014-2021

EUR 60.6 million are available under the EEA & Norway Grants – Fund for Youth Employment to combat youth unemployment across Europe, addressing the 15 beneficiary countries plus Ireland, Italy and Spain.

The Fund aims to support transnational project initiatives that promote sustainable and quality youth employment in Europe. This involves financing pilot projects that aid young people find employment as well as to transfer measures, that work in one country to others. Funds have also been set aside for research activities on finding out why some measures work better than other.

This is the first call for proposals during the new funding cycle 2014-2021 and it brings a series of novelties:

  • The Fund for Youth Employment is a new initiative of the Donor States, recently launched with the aim of supporting measures that promote youth employment across Europe.
  • It is the first transnational programme of this kind under the EEA&Norway grants, moving beyond the typical bilateral dimension of this mechanism, where Project Promoters from Beneficiary States are encouraged to develop projects in partnership with Donor States partners
  • Organizations from Ireland, Italy and Spain (non-eligible States) are also eligible as part of project consortia
  • Expertise partners from non-eligible EU Member States are also welcome

An eligible project consortium must comprise at least two countries: one lead partner and (at least) one beneficiary partner.

  • Eligible lead partner: any eligible entity established in a Beneficiary State;
  • Eligible beneficiary partner: any eligible entity established in a Beneficiary State, plus Ireland, Italy or Spain;
  • Expertise partners can be any eligible entity established in a Donor State, in a non-eligible EU Member State or international organizations.

Eligible project partners may be entities, public or private, commercial or non-commercial and non-governmental organizations, established as legal persons, including private businesses.

The amount of grant assistance applied for within a project shall not be less than EUR 1 million.
The grant cannot constitute more than 85% of the total eligible costs of the project.

This call follows a two-step evaluation procedure.

  • In the first step, only concept notes shall be submitted for evaluation.
  • Successful applicants from the first step will be invited to submit a full project application.

The deadline for applications of concept notes is August 1, 2017.

Please check our presentation, to find out more details about this funding programme. More details can also be found on the official programme website.