4.3 Main documents

The Partnership Agreement is a legally binding document signed between all the Project Partners, setting out all the duties and responsibilities of each Project Partner before, during and after the project implementation. Under the coordination of the MUA, Project Partners should negotiate and tailor the Partnership Agreement provisions to the needs of the project and specificities of the Partnership. Project Partners can for instance decide to add further information regarding management structures, ownership, Intellectual Property Rights, management of the ERDF advance payments received etc. However, projects should bear in mind that none of Partnership Agreement’s provisions can go against those of the Subsidy Contract as the latter prevails in all circumstances. The EUI-IA bodies cannot be held liable for the content nor for the use of this agreement.

The Subsidy Contract binds the MUA to the Entrusted Entity. Besides the maximum amount of ERDF granted to the project, it provides all the conditions under which a project is approved and stipulates the legal basis for funding. The Subsidy Contract cannot be amended to include project-specific articles.

The Subsidy Contract is signed at the beginning of the Initiation Phase and relates to both the Project Preparation and Initiation Phase, as well as to the implementation phase. Costs of the Project Preparation and Initiation Phase are covered by two lump sums (as described above) and these lump sums are irrespective of the results of the Initiation Phase validation process. Allocation of the implementation budget is conditioned by the successful validation of the Initiation Phase. In case Initiation Phase is not successfully completed, the Entrusted Entity and Permanent Secretariat decide not to grant funding support to the project and remove it from the list of approved projects.

Approved projects are requested to complete a Monitoring Plan, a pragmatic and dynamic shared document that covers key moments of the project implementation. Unlike the Annual Progress Reports, which enables an ex-post monitoring, the Monitoring Plan aims at setting the framework for a preventative, flexible and ongoing monitoring of the project delivery. It is based on the information provided in the Application Form and identifies:

• Project milestones: significant moments in the project Work Plan such as the completion of a key element such as Work Package, activity, deliverable or output necessary for the smooth delivery of the project. It is recommended to identify no more than 2 milestones per year.
• Reporting deadlines.
• Calendar of the Permanent Secretariat - project contacts planned in accordance with the milestones previously identified.

The Monitoring Plan is agreed by both the MUA (on behalf of the Project Partnership) and the Permanent Secretariat. The Monitoring Plan is not a static document and can be updated to reflect new developments in the project implementation.