EU Funding

A record of success across the

South East of England

A report by Anneliese Dodds MEP

Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 3
How does EU funding work?.................................................................................................. 3
The UK and EU funding ......................................................................................................... 4
STRUCTURAL FUNDS ............................................................................................................. 5
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)............................................................ 6
Example: Sustainable Routes, Thames Valley .................................................................. 7
Example: Retrofit South East, Petersfield .......................................................................... 7
INTERREG ............................................................................................................................. 7
Example: IMPRESS Health 2 in Kent and beyond ............................................................ 8
Example: Improvements to St Marys Parish Church, Ashford ......................................... 8
Example: The POSSE project, Reading ............................................................................ 8
URBACT ................................................................................................................................. 9
European Social Fund (ESF) ................................................................................................. 9
Example: Oxford City Council welfare reform programme ................................................ 9
Example: Job Deal Hampshire......................................................................................... 10
Your local LEP...................................................................................................................... 10
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)............................................ 13
Example: EAFRD projects funded through the West Kent Leader programme .............. 15
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) ................................................................. 15
Example: the Hastings FLAG ........................................................................................... 16
OTHER EU GRANT-FUNDED PROGRAMMES .................................................................... 16
Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) .......................................................................... 16
Creative Europe ................................................................................................................... 16
Example: the Stick Man, Orange Eye Ltd ........................................................................ 17
Horizon 2020 ........................................................................................................................ 17
Example: Oxfutures .......................................................................................................... 18
Connecting Europe .............................................................................................................. 18
Example: ........................................................................................................................... 19
Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme ...................................................................... 19
Example: Tackling child-to-parent violence, Brighton ...................................................... 19
The Asylum and Migration Fund.............................................................................................. 19
Europe for Citizens .................................................................................................................. 20
LIFE - Programme for the Environment and Climate Action ............................................... 20
Example: LIFE projects, the New Forest.......................................................................... 21
COSME ................................................................................................................................ 21

Other support for entrepreneurs .......................................................................................... 21

Mentoring .......................................................................................................................... 21
Erasmus for entrepreneurial exchange ............................................................................ 22
Erasmus +................................................................................................................................ 22
Example: Construction ECO-project, ............................................................................... 23
Connecting Classrooms........................................................................................................... 23
NON-GRANT FUNDING FROM THE EU ............................................................................... 23
European Investment Bank (EIB) ............................................................................................ 23
Example: University of Kent, Canterbury ......................................................................... 24
Juncker investment package ................................................................................................... 24
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 25

INTRODUCTION
Although we only pay a penny in the pound of our taxes to the EU, a huge variety of
projects in the South East have been funded by the EU over the years. In fact there
are almost undoubtedly projects funded by the EU operating on your doorstep,
wherever you live in the South East, from Milton Keynes to Dover via the New Forest!
This booklet offers a quick guide to the main EU funding streams and examples of
how they have been used in the South East. It is not exhaustive however, and links to
additional sources of information are provided where appropriate. These should be
cross-checked with information within this guide. The details provided here are up to
date as far as possible at the time of going to press but it is advisable to check on the
relevant programme websites to make sure nothing has changed in the interim. If you
have any comments on this guide, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at
contact@AnnelieseDoddsmep.uk.
The guide covers, first, the different formats of EU funding, then considers different
categories of EU funding. Grant funding is examined first, covering European
Structural and Investment Funds, then the most significant other forms of European
project funding. An exhaustive list of EU grant funding opportunities can be found here;
this is not provided within this guide. After discussing grant funding, the guide then
covers the Erasmus+ programme, and non-grant funding such as that from the
European Investment bank.
How does EU funding work?
At the end of 2013, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union
came to an agreement on the budget for the EU for the next 7 years (2014-2020)
multiannual financial framework. A huge part of this new budget plan - 960 billion
euros- is used for EU funding instruments, programmes and initiatives; and a fair
chunk of this is allocated to projects in the South East.

EU funding comes in different forms. It can provide an on-going grant for a

considerable period time, or for a short period of time; or can be used as a loan rather
than a grant (as with the European Investment Bank). It can either be used to fund a
project by one organisation in one country, or to fund a cluster of different
organisations working together on a common project. Most often, those programmes
run directly by the EU Commission require organisations to find project partners in
other EU countries (and, potentially, countries beyond the EU). As well as attending
conferences and networking events, social media resources like the EUs own funding
portal, facebook and linked in have helped substantially with locating potential project
partners, as well as making sure that projects fit within EU rules 1.
EU funding can be delivered direct to organisations by the EU, or it can be mediated
through national governments or other authorities (as is the case with structural funds
for example). Finally, EU calls for applications can either be completely open (where
organisations bid for funds in an open-ended way), or different parts of the EU will
launch calls for funding relating to specific issues, in which case, organisations need
to tailor their funding proposals to the requirements of that call.
Within the European Parliament, Labour has argued that EU funds should be used
prudently, focused on those who need them most, and managed as locally as possible.
In debates around structural funds in the European Parliament, the Socialists and
Democrats (Labours political group) ensured that a substantial amount of funding was
ring-fenced for the European Social Fund, which is focused on ensuring smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth by combating poverty and unemployment in
innovative ways. Labour has also argued consistently that EU funds should be
targeted properly where they are needed, and an essential element of that is ensuring
local control over funds where appropriate. We have also tried to ensure adequate
support within the EU funding budget for measures combating climate change and
promoting biodiversity.
The UK and EU funding
As the EU has expanded, the proportion of EU funds going to the UK has diminished,
but their absolute value has remained substantial, and in some areas the UK punches
above its weight. For example, the UK comes only second to the Netherlands in its
share of research funding per head 2.

There are fairly strict rules about what the EU can and cannot fund. First of all, grants from
the EU cannot be used to produce a profit for any organisation or company, and they cannot
be used to fund activity that has already happened. Most of the time, EU funding needs to be
matched by funding from other sources, such as local authorities or local government. The
use of the funding must be transparent- so funded projects will need to report fairly regularly
on what they are doing with the money. The choice of what is funded by the EU is impartial,
and according to criteria that are publicly available. Finally, EU funding is non-accumulative;
that means, that if you get an EU grant one year you should not assume that makes it more
likely you will receive funding again the next year.
2
For details of how EU research funding is supporting projects in the South East, please see
my report on The EU, Science, Innovation and Jobs in the South East of England, which
can be downloaded here.
4

It should however be mentioned here that the current UK government has decided not
to opt in to certain funds available at EU level. While the UK government has argued
that it would rather not participate in particular programmes for a variety of reasons,
this has prevented access for local actors to certain funding streams.
For example, the UK government chose not to take up funds from the 3.5billion euro
Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, which could help with the running of
foodbanks for example, and in provision of services for the homeless. It also decided
not to make a claim on the Solidarity Fund following the last bout of flooding in the UK
over the winter of 2013-14. The Solidarity Fund supports countries and regions
affected by major natural disasters, and since 2002 helped in the aftermath of over 50
disasters by funding infrastructure repair, providing temporary accommodation and
securing prevention of further impact from freak weather conditions or other problems.
Following the floods of summer 2007, the then Labour Government obtained funding
through the solidarity fund which helped reimburse public authorities in Oxfordshire as
well as the other two British flooding epicentres, Yorkshire and Humberside and
Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. The UK has also opted out of the Justice and
Internal Security EU funding streams.
The UK also, now, suffers from a lack of regional bodies which can offer expertise on
EU funding. While the previous Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) were not
perfect, they did accrue experience in delivering EU funding. In some regions, the EU
advisory element of RDAs has been retained, so for example, the East of England has
an EU Office. In the South East, some bodies have created their own centres of EU
expertise, such as the Kent and Medway NHS Europe Centre, which aggregates
expertise on health and research funding across the county of Kent.
STRUCTURAL FUNDS
Structural funds form the most significant EU funding stream, and are probably what
most people think of when they hear the term EU funding. They are the core policy
tool for what the EU calls its cohesion policy- the overall term for its policies focusing
on creating sustainable economic growth and improving citizens quality of life. One
stream of structural funds, so-called cohesion funds, are not available to the UK
because they are focused on the poorest countries in the EU. However, the UK does
qualify for the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF), the European
Social Fund (ESF), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EARDF)
and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
In order to identify what these funds should focus on, the European Commission
negotiates with national governments and, where available, regional authorities, to
draw up what are known as Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes.
Once the latter have been approved, bids are opened for organisations to deliver
projects.
The UK is in a rather strange position when it comes to accessing these funds, since,
following the UK governments decision to abolish Regional Development Agencies, it
lacks any kind of regional decision-making structure. Initially, Local Enterprise
Partnerships (LEPs) were tasked with developing ideas and practical plans for projects
5

to be delivered through structural funds (a process integrated with the production of

Growth Deals). More recently however, it appears that the so-called managing
authorities for these funds will not be LEPs but central government instead, which
removes the decentralised control of these funds that exists in every other EU country.
There has been a long hiatus in signing off the Operational Programme for 2015
because of wrangling between the UK Government and the European Commission
over reasons including the suitability of LEPs as a funding delivery mechanism.
Thankfully, this has now, finally, been resolved for the European Regional
Development Fund (if not yet for the Social Fund), which is essential as a number of
projects are currently lacking desperately-needed funding.
As can be seen below, the allocations to LEPs from structural funds are substantial .
The South East overall is set to receive 428million from the European Regional
Development Fund and European Social Fund (8.7% of the total, out of a national pot
of 4.9billion), and 34million from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development (19% of the total, out of a national pot of 177million). At 462million,
this represents a substantial injection of funds into the South East economy. (To put it
in perspective, if it were smoothed over the funding period from 2014-2020, European
structural funds for the South East amount to just under a third more per year than
central government funding for Slough Borough Council, a large urban unitary local
authority in the region).
LEP allocations for ERDF and ESF 2014 to 2020
m
13.8
67.0
45.5
19.3
42.9
185.1
28.5

LEP Allocation
Buckinghamshire Thames Valley
Coast to Capital
Enterprise M3
Oxfordshire LEP
Solent
South East
Thames Valley Berkshire

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

The ERDF is the biggest single source of EU funding. It is focused on promoting
cohesion between regions by encouraging sustainable development and, where
appropriate, structural adjustment. As a richer economy, there are particular
stipulations concerning what the UK can spend ERDF funds on. In particular, it must
invest 80% of the funds into four key priorities: research and innovation, information
and communication technologies, the competitiveness of SMEs, and the low carbon
economy. The final 20% of the funds must contribute to climate adaptation and
mitigation.
A full list of ERDF-funded projects in the South East from the last programming
period, 2007-13, is available here. Priorities for ERDF funds in England have been
integrated with those within local Growth Deals, drawn up by LEPs. Organisations in
the South East hoping to access ERDF funds should therefore contact their relevant
LEP.

Example: Sustainable Routes, Thames Valley

The Sustainable Routes programme is run by the organisation Ngage. It focuses on
enabling businesses to reduce the financial and environmental cost of travel, providing
grants of 1,000 to different businesses to help them reduce their carbon footprint.
Over the lifetime of the programme it is predicted that over 600 businesses will have
been awarded grants to cover costs such as introducing remote and flexible working
and video conferencing, and facilities for employees cycling to and from work.
The Sustainable Routes programme involved an ERDF contribution of 1,279,928,
which was then match funded up to 2.5million. The programme period is October
2009 to December 2015, although the contribution from ERDF was for the 2007-13
programming period. Partners included the National Business Travel Network,
Buckinghamshire County Council, Milton Keynes Council, Reading Borough Council,
Wokingham Borough Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Sustrans.

Example: Retrofit South East, Petersfield

This project was focused on retrofitting a small community of homes in Petersfield,
East Hampshire, and using the experience to develop expertise in advanced lowcarbon refurbishment across local and regional businesses and other organisations.
The project transformed the 14 homes concerned, and involved the provision of
business advice to 85 SMEs. The total budget for the project, which ran from 2009 to
2011, was 843, 000, of which the ERDF contribution was 421,000.
INTERREG
Although a separate programme in its own right, the EU's 'European Territorial
Cooperation' programme, INTERREG, is funded by the ERDF. This EU programme
supports projects between neighbouring regions which are nonetheless divided by
a national border. Rather confusingly, there are no less than eight INTERREG
programmes which cover the UK: Two Seas, England-France (Channel), NW
Europe, North Sea, Atlantic Area, Interreg Europe, URBACT and INTERACT. Full
details of all can be found on the European Commission's website on Territorial
Cooperation funds.
The different INTERREG programmes operate on the basis of different territorial
areas. Hence, there is an INTERREG France (Channel) England Programme,
which has gone through a series of iterations (these are then referred to in the
programme name; we are currently within the INTERREG Va France (Channel)
England Programme, for example).
Some areas of the South East are eligible for both the Channel programme and the
Two Seas programme (Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent are
eligible zones; Surrey is classified as an adjacent area for proposal purposes).
The South East region is also covered by the Interreg IVb (North West Europe)
programme. This programme is focused on the challenge of achieving sustainable
economic growth in a context of relatively high population levels. As with the Two
Seas and Channel programmes, projects in this programme need to include
partners, in this case, from neighbouring countries within North West Europe.
7

Finally, the so-called Interreg IVc programme involves co-operation across all of
the 28 members of the EU and Norway as well.
The Channel Programme will be launched later this year, whilst the Two Seas
programme was launched in November of last year. Whereas Upper Normandy was
previously the managing authority for the Channel Programme, this responsibility
has transferred to Norfolk County Council. The managing authority for the Two Seas,
Interreg IVb and Interreg IVc programmes is the Region Nord Pas-de-Calais.
Example: IMPRESS Health 2 in Kent and beyond
The IMPRESS Health 2 project is a cross-channel research project to find out why
some people are being diagnosed comparatively late with HIV, and how earlier
testing could be promoted. In 2012, over half of the people diagnosed with HIV in
Kent and Medway had received a late diagnosis. This is bad for their health, and
also means that they are unable to take steps to stop passing on the virus to others.
The analysis being carried out within the project should help to reduce the numbers
of late diagnoses in the future. The IMPRESS Health 2 project receives 967,880 of
funding from the INTERREG IVa France (Channel) England programme. As well as
the local authority, charities and health care organisations in Kent and Medway, it
also involves partners in Picardie, France. The lead partner for the project in the UK
is Kent and Medway NHS Trusts Health and Europe Centre.

Example: Improvements to St Marys Parish Church, Ashford

The beautiful St Marys Parish Church, situated right in the centre of Ashford, Kent,
benefited from a 1.2million grant for sustainable renovation. Changes to the church
enabled it to perform a dual function as both a place of worship and a hub for arts
and performance. The funding was provided through the Greenov project, which
brought Ashfords Borough Council together with seven other organisations across
Europe, all focused on sustainable development. The Greenov project is funded
through the INTERREG IVb programme. The renovation has enabled the church to
host a number of high-profile acts in Ashford.

Example: The POSSE project, Reading

The Promotion of Open Specifications and Standards in Europe (POSSE) project
was led by Reading Borough Council from 2012 until 2014. It supported the
development of EU-wide 'open' specifications and standards in the area of road
transport management. These kinds of 'open' specifications and standards help
transport systems to be better integrated such that, for example, automatic
responses can be developed across different elements of the transport system
during key events, and a more holistic view of the traffic situation can be developed.
They have also been shown to reduce the costs of capital investment and
procurement. The project involved Reading acting as an Urban Traffic Management
and Control demonstrator town, informing developments in five transfer sites across
Europe and in the process further developing its own expertise in the area of Open
8

traffic Specifications and Standards. The ERDF contribution to POSSE was

1.24million.
URBACT
This EU programme, which is part of the INTERREG suite of programmes, supplies
funding for networks of cities to work together on common issues and work with
local partners on devising an action plan to combat the problem. Information about
deadlines for applications can be found here.
Example: ESIMeC, Basingstoke and Deane
The ESIMeC project lasted between 2009-12 and included eight European
medium-sized towns and cities, including the South Easts Basingstoke and Deane
borough, whose council was the lead partner. ESIMeC was focused on developing
new economic strategies to capitalise on the assets and specificities of mediumsized towns and cities, to make them better equipped to cope with both short and
long-term economic downturns. The ESIMeC project produced a cookbook of
workforce development recipes for economic recovery, covering areas like skills
forecasting, green growth and preparing young people for the world of work. In the
area of skills forecasting, the project produced a special tool and manual which
enabled cities to bring together different approaches to understand the needs of
local businesses.
European Social Fund (ESF)
This fund invests in people, with a focus on improving employment and education
opportunities. It also aims to help disadvantaged people at risk of poverty or social
exclusion. As with the ERDF, in England LEPs have drawn up proposals for the use
of ESF funds. Again as with the ERDF, English applicants need to find matched
funding for ESF funds. This match funding can come from a variety of sources,
including local and national government (e.g. the Department for Work and Pensions),
governmental agencies (such as the National Offender Management Service), and
others including the Big Lottery fund.
Example: Oxford City Council welfare reform programme
This project is focused on individuals having to claim Local Housing Allowance
(Housing Benefit for people who rent privately, as opposed to for people living in
social housing), who cannot afford the full cost of their rent in Oxford. This leads to
people being at risk of homelessness. This has become a problem since the
introduction of welfare reforms by the current government which have reduced the
value of the Local Housing Allowance, particularly in relatively high-cost rental areas
like Oxford.
The project is an example of innovative social policy development, and runs from
June 2014-June 2015. It attempts to help people access the labour market so that
they can cover some of the shortfall between incomings and outgoings in rent,
themselves. By the end of its first six months, the project had engaged 139 people,
with 25 people already helped into work.

Example: Job Deal Hampshire

Job Deal Hampshire focused on supporting ex-offenders into work. It helped them to,
for example, produce CVs and applications, and provide advice about job
opportunities and interviews, as well as helping them access training opportunities.
The project helped one ex-offender, for example, to access a special qualification so
that he could apply for a position as a qualified paint sprayer at a Formula 1 company.
The project was run in the South East by the company Serco, and was join funded by
the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the ESF. The ESF
contribution amounted to 7,200,000 over four years up to the end of 2014.
Your local LEP
For queries concerning ERDF and ESF expenditure, the best place to contact may be
your local LEP. Please find details of the LEPs in the South East European
Parliamentary region below.

10

Name

Address

Tel. no.

Email

Areas covered

South
East LEP

South East LEP Secretariat

c/o Essex County Council
County Hall
Market Road
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH
2nd Floor
Oxford Centre for Innovation
New Road
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX1 1BY

03330 138
761

http://www.southeastlep.com/
contact

01865
261433

info@oxfordshirelep.com

Essex, Southend, Thurrock, Kent, Medway

and East Sussex (NB this LEP, the biggest
outside London, extends well beyond the
South East European Parliamentary
constituency into the East region European
Parliamentary constituency).
Oxfordshire

The Saunderton Estate

Wycombe Road Saunderton
Buckinghamshire
HP14 4BF

01494
568951

info@buckstvlep.co.uk

Buckinghamshire

Solent LEP Office

Ground Floor
Building 1000
Lakeside North Harbour
Western Road
Portsmouth
PO6 3EZ

02392 688
924

info@solentlep.org.uk

Hampshire

Oxfordshi
re LEP

Buckingh
amshire
Thames
Valley
LEP
Solent
LEP

11

Coast to
Capital
LEP

Arun House
Hurst Road
Horsham
RH12 2DN

01403
333840

See
www.coast2capital.org.uk/con
tactus#sthash.AIGiHEoA.dpbs

West Sussex (and up to Croydon, which is

in the London European Parliamentary
constituency)

Enterpris
e M3 LEP

c/o Hampshire County Council

The Castle
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 8UJ
100 Longwater Avenue Green
Park, Reading,
Berkshire
RG2 6GP

01962
846755

info@enterprisem3.org.uk

North Hampshire and South West Surrey

0118 945
0200

info@thamesvalleyberkshire.
co.uk

Berkshire

Thames
Valley
Berkshire
LEP

12

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)

The EAFRD is overseen by the European Commissions Directorate General for
Agriculture and Rural Development. It is used for a number of different purposes in
relation to rural development. These include the protection of the environment, support
for rural economies and communities, and action to increase the competitiveness of
rural businesses including in farming and food production and forestry.
Some of EAFRD is delivered through the LEADER programme, which is a specific
method for delivery of both EAFRD funds and some British government funding which
come under the aegis of the so-called Rural Development Programme for England.
The LEADER programme is led by Local Action Groups or LAGS which involve
private sector, government and third sector representatives. They decide on which
projects to fund and how the overall programme will be implemented in their area.
Overall, the LEADER budget for the UK amounts to 140million, which is one twentieth
of the European contribution to the Rural Development Programme for England. LAGs
have had to develop new Local Development Strategies which they submitted to Defra
last year.
Sign-off of the programme was held up but finally approved in February 2015. In
contrast to the previous spending period, the current LEADER programme is expected
to focus more strongly on job creation and the promotion of sustainable economic
growth, compared with other objectives. Although programmes have not yet been fully
approved, a list of the submitted LEADER programme areas is below (which is unlikely
to change substantially for the new funding round).

EAFRD allocations to Local Enterprise Partnerships in England, 2015-2020

Local
Enterprise
Partnership
Buckinghamshire Thames
Valley
Coast to Capital

Total EAFRD allocation in Indicative

Euros (s)
equivalent (s)
1,978,506
1,584,177
4,790,449

3,835,682

Enterprise M3

4,430,352

3,547,355

Oxfordshire LEP

3,488,507

2,793,225

Solent

2,912,578

2,332,083

South East

18,069,267

14,467,947

Thames Valley Berkshire

1,405,133

1,125,081

13

Sterling

Local Action Groups in the South East

Prospective
Local Action
Group

Accountable Body

Website

Aylesbury Vale
and Rural Milton
Keynes (Clay
Vales)

Ngage Solutions Ltd

http://www.leaderprogramme.org.uk/aylesbury-vale-miltonkeynes#.VOUI7vmsXuo

Chilterns

Ngage Solutions Ltd

Fieldfare

Winchester City
Council

http://www.leaderprogramme.org.uk/chilterns#.VOUI__msX
uo
http://www.fieldfareleader.org.uk/localaction-group/

Isle of Wight

Natural Enterprise Ltd

http://www.naturalenterprise.co.uk/upload
s/content_documents/778/Isle_of_Wight_
LDS_2015_-_2020.pdf

Kent Downs and

Marshes

Kent County Council

http://www.kentruralnetwork.org.uk/leader

Loddon and
Eversley

Hampshire County
Council

http://www.ruralfunding.co.uk/

New Forest

New Forest District

Council

http://www.newforestleader.org.uk/

South
Oxfordshire

Southern Oxfordshire
District Council

Not available

Surrey Hills (now

renamed Rural
Surrey)

Surrey County Council

http://www.surreyhillsleader.org/

Sussex Downs &

Coastal Plain

West Sussex County

Council

http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/default.asp
x?page=8191

14

Horsham, Lewes
and Mid-Sussex

West Sussex County

Council

http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/default.asp
x?page=8191

Weald and
Rother Rural
Partnership

Rother District Council

http://www.warrpartnership.org.uk/

West Kent

Sevenoaks District
Council

http://www.westkentleader.org.uk/

East Kent

Action with
Communities in Rural
Kent

http://www.ruralkent.org.uk/ourwork/EastK
entLeader.htm

Example: EAFRD projects funded through the West Kent Leader programme
During the last LEADER programme period, which finished at the end of 2013, West
Kent LEADER awarded over 1.25million in grants to over 60 projects. These covered
a diverse range of activities in the West Kent area. Grants were used, for example, for:
the purchase of a log splitter for firewood production; the conversion of a barn for
business units; diversification of a farm into cheese making including conversion of
farm building, purchase of a woodchip boiler and hire of equipment; the purchase of a
forest trailer and crane; the promotion of locally-sourced breakfast menus; and the
provision of trees, seating, street lighting, bollards and litter bins to improve a village
centre.

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

The final structural fund available to UK applicants is the European Maritime and
Fisheries Fund. This is the successor to what was called the European Fisheries
Fund, which closed at the end of November last year. The new fund is intended to aid
the European fishing industry to become more competitive. Full details have not yet
been released by the UK government of the new fund; they will appear on the Marine
Management Organisation website later this year.
The previous fund, the European Fisheries Fund, provided funds to enable people
working in the fishing industry to take practical steps to improve their business. This
included providing grants for vessel upgrades, developing aquaculture businesses
(involving fish for human consumption either directly or e.g. as farmed fish food),
15

improvements to ports and fisheries management, and the sustainable development

of fisheries. The latter task was delivered by Fisheries Local Action Groups or
FLAGs. The only FLAG based in the South East is in Hastings.
Example: the Hastings FLAG
Hastings FLAG received a total of 963,000 in funding from the Marine Management
Organisation, which was comprised of equal parts from the EFF and from Defra. The
project runs from April 2014 until December 2015.
As home to the largest under 10m shingle beach-based fleet in the UK, Hastings
fishing industry is unique, but was also under pressure for reasons including quota
restrictions in the Channel. The FLAG supports the local fishing industry, working in
partnership with the Hastings Fishermens Protection Society. FLAG supports a large
number of projects in the local area, including the revitalisation of the tradition of a
Herring Fair in Hastings, training programmes for local young people and the
purchase of equipment to aid the local fishing industry.

OTHER EU GRANT-FUNDED PROGRAMMES

Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI)
This programme is focused on promoting high-quality employment, decent social
protection, combating social exclusion and poverty, and improving working conditions.
Unlike the programmes mentioned above, EaSI works through the setting of an annual
work programme and different activities and priorities, with organisations then bidding
in relation to these according to a rolling set of deadlines. You can see the current
EaSI work programme here.
There are three elements to the EaSI programme, which are described as axes. The
largest axis is the PROGRESS axis, which is focused on the modernisation of
employment and social policies. The EURES axis then covers the promotion of job
mobility, and the Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis is, as its name
suggests, focused on improving access to microfinance and promoting social
entrepreneurship.
The PROGRESS axis covers social policy experimentation and the promotion of social
inclusion and poverty reduction, analysis of this activity, action to promote learning
across organisations and support for key NGOs and networks, and would probably be
the most likely fund that South East region applicants would focus on.
The overall budget for PROGRESS at EU level for the period from 2014-20 is 561
million euros.
Creative Europe
Creative Europe is a new EU programme intended to support European cinema and
the cultural and creative sectors, enabling them to increase their contribution to jobs
and growth. It is described as support[ing] tens of thousands of artists, cultural and
16

audio-visual professionals and organisations in the performing arts, fine arts,

publishing, film, TV, music, interdisciplinary arts, heritage, and the video games
industry.
The programme consists of two sub-programmes; the Culture sub-programme to
promote the culture sector, and the MEDIA sub-programme to support the audiovisual
sector.
Funding opportunities come under five different headings: Producer Support,
Distribution Support, Training and Networks, Audiences and Other Initiatives.
Creative Europe funding has been or is being used to support the following
activities, as examples: help for independent production companies to develop new
projects and/or programmes, and for video game producers to produce new game
concepts; support for distribution, e.g. to release films that might not otherwise be
economic; help for training film and TV industry professionals, and in the
development of access to markets for European professionals working in the
audiovisual industry; and support for film festivals and networks of European
cinemas, and to improve access to European audiovisual works.
Advice for potential participants in Creative Europe is available from the British Film
Institute
(via
england@mediadeskuk.eu)
and
the
British
Council
(creative.europe@britishcouncil.org)
Example: the Stick Man, Orange Eye Ltd
Under the Support for TV Programming strand of Creative Europe, Orange Eye Ltd,
a firm based in Aldershot, is coordinating a project funded to the tune of 194,457 euros.
This is to produce a TV programme based on the well-known childrens Stick Man
book.

Horizon 2020
Horizon 2020 (H2020) covers a wide variety of programmes including the following:
the Framework Programme for Research & Technological Development (FP), the
Competitiveness & Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the European
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Please see my booklet on the South East
and research funding for elements of Horizon 2020 falling under the Framework
Programme.
Horizon 2020 as a whole is focused on a number of core aims, which include: the
growing need for sustainable healthcare; improved security and privacy; a lower
carbon economy; and intelligent transport. Funding through Horizon 2020 is provided
through calls for proposals and calls for tenders.
In order to rationalise European funding projects, Horizon 2020 now covers
previously discrete programmes such as the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) fund. As
with IEE, Horizon 2020 includes an Energy Efficiency Call which focuses on tackling
non-technological (i.e. economic, administrative and skill-related) barriers to the
spread of efficient use of energy and greater use of new and renewable energy
sources.
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Horizon 2020 also includes the Active and Assisted Living programme. This focuses
on bringing organisations across Europe together to develop ICT measures to help
with active and healthy ageing. Innovate UK (formerly known as the Technology
Strategy Board) is the UK contact point for this funding stream. Examples of
involvement of UK companies and organisations in the previous version of the
programme can be found here.
Horizon 2020 is also the EU funder for Eurostars, a joint funding stream from both the
EU and those countries involved in the Eureka network (South Korea, Turkey and
Israel as well as most EU countries). The responsible organisation for the programme
in the UK is, as with AAL above, Innovate UK. Eurostars funding is open to SMEs who
devote at least 10% of their turnover to research and development activity (what is
described as R and D performing SMEs). The maximum grant is 360,000 per UK
participant, with funds being provided for projects that involve other partners within the
EU/Eureka network. The UK has a strong success rate in applications for Eurostars,
comprising 16% of successful project participants.

Funding for Horizon 2020 is provided on the basis of calls to tender and for projects.
Details of current funding opportunities can be found here. A dedicated website for
Horizon 2020 applicants from the UK is available here.
Example: Oxfutures
This programme involves co-funding from the Intelligent Energy Europe fund (now
incorporated within Horizon 2020), alongside funding from Oxford City Council and
Oxfordshire County Council, in order to deliver 20million of investment into local
energy projects. The first programme of its kind, it is designed to offer a new
approach to financing community energy projects. Oxford City Council will receive a
return of 5% on its contribution to the fund, which overall is intended to lead to the
installation of 7.6 megawatts of renewable energy capacity. This includes 1
megawatt of solar panels on over 20 schools in Oxfordshire, 1 megawatt of
renewables for local businesses and potentially up to 5 megawatts of community
schemes. The project will work on an innovative share basis. A social enterprise,
the Oxford Low Carbon Hub, provides the initial construction funding, but once
renewable infrastructures are built a community share offer is launched. Funds
received upon sale of the shares then enable the Hub to pay back the loan from
Oxford City Council and then provide more project funding.

Connecting Europe
Connecting Europe is a new programme of funding for 2014-2020. The Connecting
Europe Facility covers both transport and digital connections, and includes co-funding
for so-called TEN-T networks. It will invest 31.7 billion to upgrade Europe's transport
infrastructure, build missing links and remove bottlenecks. By focusing on transport
modes that are less polluting, the Connecting Europe Facility will push our transport
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system to become more sustainable. It will also give consumers more choice about
how they want to travel. In addition, the Digital element of the programme has a budget
of 1.14 billion euros. Out of this, 170 million euros are earmarked for Broadband
activities, while 970 million euros are dedicated to Digital Service Infrastructures (DSIs)
delivering networked cross-border services for citizens, businesses and public
administrations. These projects are to contribute to improving economic
competitiveness, promoting the interconnection and interoperability of national,
regional and local networks, and promoting access to such networks, thus supporting
the development of a Digital Single Market.
Example: TEN-T funding in the South East
Numerous projects have been funded affecting the South East over the last twenty
years by predecessors to the Connecting Europe Facility. Examples include 5 million
euros in 2011 for the line from Southampton Port to the West Coast Main Line which
was on top of 1 million euro for this purpose in 2003, 27 million euros for Channel
Tunnel Rail Link Works in 2006 following 25 million euros for this purpose in 2004 and
20 million in 2003, and 1 million euro for Reading Station in 2004.
Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme
The new Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme integrates the previous EU
programmes Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Daphne III, and the sections
Antidiscrimination and Diversity and Gender Equality of the PROGRESS
programme. The programmes main objective is enhancing the awareness of EU law
and of the rights, values and principles underpinning the Union. Funds from this
programme can be used for a variety of activities including analysis, training, mutual
learning and cooperation, and support for key organisations e.g. in networking but also
in their implementation of actions with European added value.
Applicants need to consider annual work plans produced by the Commission for this
programme, which detail what will be funded, how much will be allocated, and an
indication of the timetable. The allocation of funds is organised by the Commission by
a call for application for action grants or operating grants.
Example: Tackling child-to-parent violence, Brighton
The Responding to Child-to-Parent Violence (RCPV) project is coordinated by two
Brighton-based organisations, and funded partly by the Daphne programme (now part
of the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme). The two lead organisations are
the University of Brighton and Brighton and Hove Council, with the project also
involving social workers, NGOs and academics from a variety of other EU countries.
The project involves work to identify the scale of child-to-parent violence, to understand
the experiences of some of the children and parents involved, and to develop
interventions to prevent this largely hidden type of violence.
The Asylum and Migration Fund
This brings together many pre-existing EU funds such as the European Refugee
Fund, the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals and the
European Return Fund. Unusually the EU provides a greater contribution than usual
19

to projects funded through this route, with a three-quarter contribution coming

through this route, and a full 90% where projects involve a number of different
countries. UK applications are routed through the Home Office.
In 2012, Theresa May commented on how the UK had benefited from the funding
streams that have now been amalgamated into the Asylum and Migration Fund:
[t]he current EU migration funds partly finance our charter flight programmes and
have enabled the UK to expand the range of destinations and programme
parameters. The UK also has a well-established resettlement programme due to
the co-financing from the current EU migration funding streams. Without this
funding UK Border Agency would not be able to continue the scale of resettlement
activity currently undertaken. Furthermore, the current European fund for the
integration of third-country nationals has become an important source of funding for
third-country nationals seeking to integrate into British society.
Europe for Citizens
The Europe for Citizens programme is designed to connect communities across
Europe, and provides relatively small amounts of funding to a large number of
projects for this purpose out of its pot of 164 million euros for the period from 20142020. Streams within this programme include Network of Towns, which has funded
a number of British towns in their town twinning activities, and European
Remembrance, which was focused on events related to commemoration of the
Second World War in Europe.
LIFE - Programme for the Environment and Climate Action
This is the EUs main funding programme focusing on the conservation of nature and
the promotion of sustainable development. The new programme for the period 20142020 is sub-divided into two strands: Environment, and Climate Action. The budget for
the Environmental strand is 2.6billion euros, while that for climate action is 0.8billion
euros. Almost four fifths of the funding is allocated to project grants within individual
EU countries, whilst 15% is earmarked for projects spanning more than one country.
The Environment strand supports projects in the fields of: nature and biodiversity;
waste; resource efficiency; environment and health, including chemicals and noise;
and air quality and emissions, including urban environment information and
governance.
The Climate Action strand supports projects in the fields of: implementation and
development of EU policies and legislation and mainstreaming of activities across
policy areas; improvement and application of the knowledge base around climate
change; the development and implementation of integrated strategies and action
plans; and the development and demonstration of innovative technologies and
systems, and methods and instruments for their replication, transfer or mainstreaming.
The responsible UK government department (Defra) has contracted Beta
Technologies Ltd as the national contact point for LIFE applicants. Their website
includes up-to-date information about funding opportunities and how to apply.
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Example: LIFE projects, the New Forest

The New Forest is well-known as a biological hot spot, containing a wide variety of
different types of habitat, including rare bog woodland, and many rare flora and fauna,
including the richest moss and lichen flora in lowland Europe. One of the largest
projects ever to be funded by the LIFE scheme was based in the New Forest and
focused on restoring vulnerable habitats and ensuring the long-term viability of
conservation efforts in the area. The project was worth 5.2million of which half was
covered by the EU and the other half by a variety of project partners. This was followed
by an additional LIFE project with the EU contributing 1million, which focused
specifically on the sustainable management of wetlands in the New Forest.
COSME
COSME is the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and
Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), running from 2014 to 2020. The project budget is
2.3 billion euros overall. It aims to support access to finance and to markets for SMEs,
to help new entrepreneurs, and to promote business growth and creation.
When it comes to access to finance, COSME promotes lending to SMEs by providing
financial intermediaries with a Loan Guarantee Facility (LGF). By controlling the
Equity Facility for Growth (EFG), it also provides finance for funds providing venture
capital and mezzanine finance for SMEs. The LGF and EFG are both managed by the
European Investment Fund (EIF). Details of the financial intermediaries used by the
EIF are available here. Calls for proposals and tender relating to the promotion of
business growth and creation, within the COSME programme, are available via the
Participants Portal.
SMEs across the South East can also access services from the Enterprise Europe
Network via the contact point for the South East, which is
Oxford Innovation Services Limited
Oxford Centre for Innovation
New Road
Oxford
OX1 1BY
The contact point offers services including: information on EU legislation and EU
programmes; help finding a business partner abroad; advice on how to access finance;
support for innovation and technology transfer; and obtaining SME's views on EU
legislation.
Other support for entrepreneurs
Mentoring
The European Commission also provides free mentoring via the European Network of
Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs. The national contact person for the network is
Lisa McMullan, and one of the mentors is based in the South East of England:
21

Sarah Steel - The Old Station Nursery

The Old Station Nursery
7 Park Road
Farringdon
SN7 7BP
sarahsteel@theoldstationnursery.co.uk
07725 049744
Erasmus for entrepreneurial exchange
The Erasmus programme (on which see more below) also provides support for young
entrepreneurs to undertake cross-border exchanges so that they can learn from
experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other countries. (You can also
serve as a host entrepreneur as well). Relevant UK local contact points for the scheme
for South East-based young entrepreneurs are:
EISC Ltd, 53 Bugle Street, Southampton, SO14 2LF
Contact person: Ms Elina Dmovska
Tel.02380206162 info@eiscltd.eu
Euclid Network, 8 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RL
Contact person: Ms Giorgia Chille
Tel. 02070144621 Giorgia.Chille@euclidnetwork.eu
University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT
Contact person: Mr Nicolas Ulloa Olgiun
Tel.02031083287 nicolas.olguin.10@ucl.ac.uk
UnLtd, 123 Whitecross Street, Islington, London, EC17 8JJ
Contact person: Ms Julie Nicholson
Tel.07713069584 julienicholson@unltd.org.uk
Erasmus +
Erasmus + is a wide-ranging programme which covers a variety of different activities
funded by the EU which are focused on education, training, youth and sport. Whereas
previously the programme in the UK was dealt with by the Department of Education,
the responsible Department is now that for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In
practical terms however, the programme is jointly administered by the British Council
and Ecorys. The latter manage bids for adult education and vocational training, while
the British Council covers school, university and youth applications. Sport and socalled Jean Monnet activities are not devolved however and are managed centrally
by the EU.
Education and Training is the best funded element of Erasmus+, receiving 1,536.5
million euros for example under the 2015 call. This compares with 171 million euros
for youth, 11.4 million euros for Jean Monnet and 16.8 million euros for sport. Generally
speaking, Erasmus+ now provides funding for mobility for individuals engaged in
22

education or other forms of learning; cooperation to promote innovation and best

practice; and support for policy reform (e.g. the engagement of young people with
policy makers).
Contact details for the UK are as following:
For Higher Education, Youth, and School Education:
British Council, in partnership with Ecorys UK - British Council
10 Spring Gardens
London, SW1A 2BN
Tel: 0161 957 7755 www.erasmusplus.org.uk general.enquiries@britishcouncil.o rg
For Youth, Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education:
British Council, in partnership with Ecorys UK - Ecorys UK
Albert House
Quay Place
92-93 Edward Street
Birmingham
B1 2RA
Tel: 0845 199 2929
www.erasmusplus.org.uk
erasmusplus@uk.ecorys.com
Example: Construction ECO-project, Chichester College
Funding from Leonardo (now part of Erasmus+) was used to help support a renovation
project undertaken by construction students from Chichester College, led by their
Lecturer Neil Redman. The two-week-long project involved the students being
engaged in the renovation of a chateau and outbuildings in Tinchebray, France, which
were being converted into an eco-hotel.
Connecting Classrooms
The Connecting Classrooms funding stream, run through the British Council, creates
partnerships between clusters of schools in the UK and around the world. There is
funding of 1500 per school in the partnership. All educational establishments with
students aged from 3 to 18 years are eligible to apply. Partnerships last for between
two and three years.
NON-GRANT FUNDING FROM THE EU
European Investment Bank (EIB)
The European Investment Bank provides loans and finance, rather than grants. These
loans can, however, be paid off over a relatively generous schedule (albeit not a noncommercial one). The EIB has supported numerous projects in the UK including major
enhancements of the Southampton freight port and improvements to a number of
educational, health, energy and transport facilities. Overall, the EIB has provided more
23

than 1.6billion in the last five years to UK universities and colleges, and its largest ever
loan to a higher education institution was in the South East, with a 200 million loan
for Oxford University having just been announced (September 2015).
Example: University of Kent, Canterbury
The University of Kent, Canterbury is receiving 75 million from the European
Investment Bank, which will be repayable over 25 years. The funding will help with
the development of the universitys Templeman Library on its Canterbury campus,
and support improvements to research and teaching facilities at its Medway campus.
The funding will also be used to provide a new space for the universitys schools of
business and of mathematics, and enable the expansion of other schools. A key part
of the project is the reduction of the universitys energy costs linked to the
development, with this anticipated to amount to a 19% reduction over time. In
addition to benefiting the university and its students, the funding is also to be used to
provide new facilities for the Kent Law Clinic, which is the universitys pro-bono legal
advice service.
In addition to EIB general call funding, specific programmes within the EIB are
earmarked for different areas of investment. These include the JESSICA and ELENA
programmes. The JESSICA programme (Joint European Support for Sustainable
Investment in City Areas) is an EU initiative with the objective to assist all regions to
establish strategies for sustainable urban development and realise urban
development projects through the set-up of (revolving) financial instruments. The
ELENA programme (European Local Energy Assistance) is a technical assistance
facility supporting the preparation and implementation of cities and regions
sustainable energy projects. It aims to increase the capacity of local authorities by
providing advisory services and financial aid for measures such as feasibility and
market studies or energy audits, promoting cross-sectoral approaches and
encouraging the exchange of best practice among actors.
Juncker investment package
The Juncker investment package is a flagship programme for the new European
Commission, and an official recognition that mere structural change within economies
has not delivered economic growth. The investment package overall is intended to
stretch to 315 billion euros, with a ratio of 16 to 1 private to public funding. The exact
impact of the project on existing EU funding is difficult to call at this stage. The draft
proposal for the package has some of the funding for the package coming both from
the EIB and from Horizon 2020 and Connecting Europe Facility funds.
National governments were required to submit a list of projects which could be funded
by the Juncker investment package. The list for the UK did not, it appears, include any
projects explicitly within the South East, although some areas of potential investment
mentioned in the government list could have covered this region (e.g. upgrading all
railway stations to make them accessible for disabled people). The package will
provide an Advisory Hub for potential project applicants to gain advice about how to
access the funds, although the precise details of how this will work have not yet been
set out.
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CONCLUSION
Despite being in aggregate terms one of the less disadvantaged areas of the EU, the
South East of England has benefitted substantially from EU funds over the years. This
report has shown how EU funding has paid for everything from street lighting in a small
village to major civil engineering projects in the transport sector, not to mention
significant investment in local peoples skills in a range of areas. Crucially, much of
these EU funds have been controlled, not by central government in London, but by
community groups, local councils, local businesses and educational institutions, from
Milton Keynes to Dover and almost everywhere else in between.

25