Latest News and Publications archive
19 November 2007
Programme Closure 2000-2006
Available today is a copy of the letter the Head of European Structural Funds Division within the Scottish Government has issued to Sponsors of all projects who received funding from the 2000-2006 European Structural Funds Programme. This is an important letter which should be read and noted by all who have been involved in the administration of these projects.
Consultation on the future of EU cohesion policy
Partners may be interested to know that the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the future of EU cohesion policy with a deadline of 31 January 2008. More details on the consultation can be found on the Regional Policy Inforegio website. The consultation is part of the wider EU Budget Review taking place in 2008.
04 October 2007
The two ERDF Operational Programmes for Scotland for 2007-13 have now been formally approved by the European Commission. The Highlands & Islands ERDF Programme was approved on 3 September and the ERDF Programme for Lowlands & Uplands Scotland received its approval on 27 September. The two ESF Programmes are expected to be formally approved by the end of October.
When all the programmes have been approved, the final versions of the documents will be made available through this website as well as through the Intermediate Administration Bodies ESEP Ltd and the Highlands & Islands (Scotland) Structural Funds Partnership Ltd.
19 September 2007
The programme for the Ministerial launch of the new European Structural Funds at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 1 October is now available. The keynote speaker will be Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy & Tourism.
We are also delighted to welcome José Palma Andres, Director of DG Regional Policy and Santiago Loranco-Garcia, Head of the Geographical Unit for the UK in DG Employment at the European Commission who will both address the audience.
Places are still available at this event. Registration can be found on the ESEP Ltd website.
13 September 2007
National Rules
Available today are the National Rules. These rules determine eligibility activities and expenditure within projects who have applied for European Structural Funds.
Application Form and Guidance for Applicants
Also available today are the Application Form and Guidance for Applicants. To access these interested applicants should contact the relevant Intermediate Administration Body for more information:
06 September 2007
The European Commission has now formally adopted the 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund Programme for the Highlands & Islands under the Convergence Objective. The final version of the Operational Programme is now available. Partners and potential applicants are advised to review relevant parts of the document for the first round of applications.
News on approval of the other programmes will be posted as soon as they take place.
05 September 2007
A special information event is being held for small organisations seeking advice and support in developing partnerships to meet the new project size threshold in the new Lowlands and Uplands Scotland Programmes.
The afternoon event will cover good practice in identifying partners and developing strong partnerships, not just for applying for Structural Funds support but also with respect to domestic funding.
The event will be held at the Europa Building at the Scottish Government in Glasgow, from 2pm on Friday 14 September 2007. To register and for more information, please contact ESEP Ltd .
04 September 2007
Applications for membership of the advisory groups for all 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes in Scotland are now being invited. Available here is a note which sets out the role of advisory groups and how to apply - interested individuals are recommended to read the note before submitting an application.
Applications will consist of a cover letter and CV and should be sent to europeanstructuralfunds@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or to Phil Raines, European Structural Funds Division, Scottish Government, Meridian Court, 5 Cadogan Street, Glasgow G2 6AT.
The deadline for applications is Friday 28 September. If you need further information, please contact Phil Raines at philip.raines@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
29 August 2007
Ministerial Launch
On Monday, 1 October Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, will launch Scotland's new European Structural Funds Programmes.
The launch event will take place at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow at 2- 4 pm. Full details and instructions for registration can be found at ESEP Ltd.
Additionally, a second event will take place on 5 October in Oban. Details will be made available at Highlands & Islands (Scotland) Structural Funds Partnership Ltd.
First Stage Application for the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes
The first stage application form for the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes is now available. For more information on the First Stage Application process and to obtain a copy of the form interested applicants should contact the relevant Intermediate Administration Body for more information:
Key Questions and Answers on the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes
A short question-and-answer note has been put together to address the main issues raised by applicants and partners on the new programmes.
This updates the Q&A that was provided earlier in the summer and covers the shape of the new programmes, the funding available, the timetable for the first round, key changes in the eligibility and delivery of the new programmes and contact details for further information.
If you have any more detailed questions, please get in touch with the Intermediate Administration Bodies.
IT system for the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes
A contract has been awarded to Real Time Engineering to put in place a new web based claims and applications system for European Structural Funds. This is expected to be operational by Spring 2008.
Information on Advisory Group membership and Guidance for Applicants will be made available on the website in the coming weeks.
15 August 2007
Registration for the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes
Registration for the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes has now opened. Interested applicants should contact the relevant Intermediate Administration Body for more information:
Application forms, applicants guidance and a full timetable for the first round of the new programmes will be available through this and the Intermediate Administration Bodies' websites at the end of August.
30 May 2007
New Structural Funds Publicity Events
The Scottish Government is holding a series of publicity events for the new 2007-2013 Structural Funds programmes.
A full day programme has been devised to cover all points of interest. Morning sessions will concentrate on the major changes in the new ERDF and ESF programmes. Afternoon sessions will cover the practical administration of the new programmes.
These events will take place at venues throughout Scotland: list of events.
If you would like to attend an event please register your interest by completing the appropriate registration form. Information on how to register for:
Contacts are available on these respective websites should you wish to find out about any of these events.
There will be opportunities to raise queries about the new programmes at the events. However, to ensure all areas of interest are addressed we would be pleased to receive any questions prior to the event. Space for questions is provided within the registration form.
We look forward to seeing you in the near future.
09 May 2007
Scottish 2007-13 Structural Funds Operational Programmes
The Scottish Executive has submitted the four Scottish 2007-13 Structural Funds Programmes to the European Commission as the start of formal negotiations. The documents can be found here:
As part of the negotiations, the documents may be revised again before they are formally approved. Partners may also be interested in a paper setting out key questions and answers about the new programmes.
The Executive is aiming for the Programmes to be formally launched in October, but there will be a series of publicity events and workshops for the Programmes across Scotland in June and July. Details of these events will be published soon.
Strategic Environmental Assessments
Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) Statements have now been published for the:
The SEA Statements describe the process of appraisal through which environmental protection and sustainable development have been considered for the new Programmes. The Statements also describe how the findings of the earlier Environmental Reports have been taken into account in the development of the respective Programmes.
17 April 2007
Territorial Co-operation - Cross Border - Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland
Time is running out
The consultation period for the new Northern Ireland, Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland cross border programme for 2007 - 2013 ends on 30 April. This is your chance to offer views on the proposed Operational Programme being developed under the 'European Territorial Objective' (INTERREG IV).
An electronic version of the consultation document can be found at www.seupb.eu/consultation.htm.
Responses to the consultation can be made directly to the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) or online.
02 April 2007
Shadow Round
Following the appraisal of applications for grant funding under the European Social Fund (ESF), 58 applications under the Shadow Round have been approved with a total grant value of £10.4 million.
- 6 applications under the new ESF Programme Highlands and Islands with grants worth £0.4 million, and
- 52 applications under the Lowlands and Uplands Programme worth £10 million have been approved.
Before offer letters are issued some technical and eligibility checks are still to be completed.
A full list of all projects to receive funding and the maximum project costs and grant awards is available on the Intermediate Administrative Body's (IAB) websites, which are responsible for administering the ESF programmes in that area;
Consultation
The summary of the consultation responses and the Executive's response to the points are also now available today:
19 March 2007
The responses to the public consultation on the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes are now available. These not only include the individual written responses to the consultation, but summary notes of the workshops that were held in December. The summary of the consultation responses and the Executive's response to the points raised will be published shortly.
14 March 2007
The Shadow Round
Applications for ESF funding made through the Shadow Round are progressing as follows:
ESEP, the appointed Intermediate Administrative Body (IAB), responsible to administer the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland (LUPS) ESF and ERDF programmes, received a good response, with the level of ESF grants requested exceeding the available funds for this round.
Highlands & Islands Partnership Programme (HIPP), the appointed Intermediate Administrative Body, responsible for administering the Highlands & Islands (H&I's) programmes, also received a good response, with the level of ESF grants requested falling within the available funds for this round.
Currently all applications for both LUPS and Highlands & Islands areas are being reviewed and scored. An announcement of the projects to be offered funding will made on Thursday 5th April 2007.
Public consultation on the draft 2007-13 Operational Programmes
Responses to the public consultation on the draft 2007-13 Operational Programmes will be published within the next two weeks. The link to the consultation page setting out partner responses will be available through this site. The Executive's response is expected to be published soon after.
A summary of the consultation process and initial analysis of the distribution of responses can be found in Paper 2 of the Structural Funds Forum papers for the 12 February meeting, published on 22 February.
22 February 2007
Available today are the agenda and papers from the last Scottish Structural Funds Forum, held in Glasgow on Monday 12 February 2007. This meeting is generally held twice a year and brings together senior partners from across the Structural Funds community in Scotland. The Forum is chaired by Allan Wilson MSP, the Deputy Minster for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.
20 February 2007
The Shadow Round for ESF Priority 1 in Highlands and Islands and Lowlands and Uplands Scotland closed to applications on Friday 16 February. The appraisal process is now underway and successful applicants should be notified in April 2007.
22 January 2007
The Shadow Round
The Shadow Round applications window will run until Friday 16th February. Applications will then be appraised by advisory groups, and announcements on funding, subject to clearance from Ministers, will follow in April.
The application forms, new National Eligibility Rules, and a Q&A for applicants will be available on the new Intermediate Administration Bodies' websites from noon on Monday 22 January. These web sites are:
Further details are available from the shadow funding arrangements section of this website.
22 December 2006
We can now provide more details on the timetable for applications, appraisal and decision of potential projects under the shadow round of funding announced in November. As previously stated, £12 million is being made available for the round - £10 million for Lowlands & Uplands Scotland, £2 million for the Highlands & Islands. The shadow round will only apply to Priority 1 in the two new ESF programmes for Scotland. Application information packs will be available from 22 January 2007.
Further details are available from the shadow funding arrangements section of this website.
21 December 2006
We can confirm today that the tender process to appoint one or two new bodies to administer Structural Funds Programmes for 2007-2013 in Scotland is now complete. Two bodies have been appointed and these bodies are newly termed Intermediate Administration Bodies (IABs).
ESEP Ltd will administer funds in the Lowlands & Uplands Scotland (LUPS) area and the Highlands and Islands (Scotland) Structural Funds Partnership Ltd will administer funds in the Highlands and Islands (H&I) area.
All bidders have been notified of this decision.
29 November 2006
Available today is the SEA environmental report for Lowlands & Uplands ERDF. The Executive is seeking views on this report. For more information and details on how to respond, please visit the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) area of our website.
14 November 2006
Available today is the SEA environmental report for Highlands & Islands ERDF. The Executive is seeking views on this report. For more information and details on how to respond, please visit the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) area of our website.
6 November 2006
The Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Allan Wilson MSP, announced in Parliament last week that a £12 million shadow round of funding will be available next year. The funding is to be aimed at helping projects dealing with vulnerable client groups. For more click into our Shadow Funding arrangements page of this website.
03 November 2006
Available today is the Annual Summary(ASD) Document 2005. This document summarises the Annual Implementation Report (AIRs) for key activities undertaken and provides an overview for performance and progress in the Scottish Structural Funds Programmes throughout the year.
25 October 2006
As reported in our latest news on 15 September, a tender process is underway to appoint one or two new bodies (to be known as Intermediate Administration Bodies - IABs) to help the Scottish Executive administer projects under the new Structural Funds Programmes. Bidders have now been through the initial Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) phase.
Today therefore marked a key milestone in the tender process, with 7 successful candidates invited to submit a full tender to win the contract(s) on offer. The contractual period will start from 1 January 2007.
24 October 2006
The Scottish Executive today launched a public consultation on draft 2007-2013 Structural Funds Operational Programmes for Scotland. This consultation seeks stakeholder views on Programmes for Highlands & Islands and for Lowlands & Uplands Scotland. The consultation documents can be accessed from the Structural Funds 2007-2013 section of this website.
23 October 2006
UK Competitiveness Objective funding announced. The Department of Trade and Industry announced today how it will distribute the UK Competitiveness Objective allocation across the UK for the 2007-13 period. The figures were released as part of the revised UK National Strategic Reference Framework which can be accessed from the DTI website.
Further details will be available on this website shortly.
11 October 2006
Available today are the papers from the last Scottish Structural Funds Forum, held in Glasgow on 2 October. This meeting is generally held twice a year and brings together senior partners from across the Structural Funds community in Scotland. The Forum is chaired by Allan Wilson MSP, the Deputy Minster for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.
05 October 2006
The Executive is launching its consultation on Future Structural Fund Programmes. You can find more information and an update on other developments in programming our new newsletter 'Structural Funds in Focus'. For other information on Structural Funds post 2006 please see our Structural Funds 2007-2013 pages.
02 October 2006
Available today are the reports produced for the Executive on (i) Review of ESF Social Inclusion Measures by EKOS and (ii) the European Social Fund The 2005 Beneficiaries Survey by MORI. Both studies focus on the issues particular to Scotland and the impact being made by the 3 Scottish ESF Programmes.
15 September 2006
Published today in The Herald, The Scotsman and The Press & Journal are our adverts asking potential contractors to register interest in helping to administer projects under the new Structural Funds Programmes from 2007. The details are also available via Government Opportunities/Contrax Weekly and the Executive's procurement website.
05 September
A new £6m fund to support renewable energy developments in the East of Scotland has been set up.
The Sigma Sustainable Energies Fund is being financed by a range of partners - including the Executive and Scottish and Southern Energy - to stimulate growth in the fast-growing renewables sector.
29 August 2006
The European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament recently held an inquiry into future Structural Funds in Scotland 2007-2013. A number of key partners provided evidence, including the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Allan Wilson MSP. The Committee's report and the Scottish Executive response to the Committee's report is now available.
02 May 2006
At the beginning of each programming period annual financial allocations are made to each Programme. Available today is the Progress on Targets, known as N+2, broken down by Programme for the period January to April 2006.
24 March 2006
An update to our Programme preparations for Structural Funds post 2006 is available today. This includes links to key documents such as the Community Strategic Guidelines and the National Strategic Reference Framework.
17 February 2006
Available today 'Making Every Euro Count' a report produced by Hall Aitken for the Scottish Executive. This report looks at the need for a new approach when the current EU Structural Funds programmes end in 2006.
10 February 2006
New today are the papers for the Scottish Executive Structural Funds Forum which took place on 30 January 2006. The Hall Aitken report is not finalised at this time, but will be published as soon as it becomes available.
11 January 2006
New today are the papers for the Structural Funds Post 2006 Stakeholders Event which took place at the Business Learning and Conference Centre in Dunfermline on 10 January 2006.
22 December 2005
The UK Presidency successfully negotiated agreement on the EU budget at the European Council held on 15 and 16 December. Our Structural Funds Post 2006 pages will guide you through the latest implications for Scotland.
14 December 2005
New today are the papers for the Structural Funds Post 2006 Stakeholders Events, the first of which took place in Inverness on Thursday 08 December 2005.
31 October 2005
For information on future programming, including details on the the Commission and UK proposals, visit the new and updated Structural Funds Post 2006 page