How to manage an Erasmus+ project

With the new Erasmus+ Programme 2021-2027 and the adoption of the Lump Sum funding model, the European Commission has introduced significant simplification in the reporting procedures for funded projects.
The new rules stipulate that:

• Periodic and/or final financial reporting is no longer required, thus it is no longer necessary to submit supporting documents for costs incurred in carrying out project activities (such as invoices, timesheets, etc.) to the Coordinator or the funding organisation.
• As far as timesheets are concerned, a new internal policy is in force. The reporting of person-hours dedicated to a Lump Sum project will only be required if the faculty member/researcher is simultaneously participating in one or more projects that involve a different form of funding, and for which timesheets are mandatory. This reporting obligation begins only when the faculty member/researcher starts dedicating working-hours to non-Lump Sum projects. This measure will help monitor the working-hours annually devoted to projects funded by the EU, ensuring that the limit set by the European Commission of 1720 hours per year is not exceeded.
• The project is evaluated solely from a qualitative perspective based on interim and final reports, as well as relevant documentation proving the effective implementation of planned activities and the achievement of stated objectives (e.g., deliverables, publications, meeting minutes, reports, dissemination materials, etc.).
• During the project design phase, however, it will still be necessary to estimate a detailed and realistic project budget for internal use.

Grant eligibility

The Erasmus+ 21-27 Model Grant Agreement dedicated to Actions funded under the Lump Sum budget model provides specific cost eligibility criteria. In particular, when reporting the implementation of project activities and thus requesting the final financial contribution, which is based exclusively on the actual implementation of all Work Packages, previous cost eligibility criteria are replaced as follows (Art. 6.1 and 6.2):

• The Lump Sum contribution is eligible if:
  • it matches the estimated project budget;
  • Work Packages are completed and activities successfully carried out by the beneficiaries and/or the expected results have been achieved according to the project description and during the project duration (except for activities related to the submission of the Final Project Report, which may be carried out later).

Audit

Since European projects are implemented through public funding, they may be audited by external auditors representing the Programme managing authorities.

In the specific case of Lump Sum grants, with which most of the E+ 2021-2027 Actions are funded, financial audits focused on cost analysis and report will not be carried out.
The audits will focus on the analysis of the technical implementation of project activities, the achievement of project objectives, and other aspects of the Grant Agreement.

During an audit, however, auditors may request access also to financial and accounting documents archived by the beneficiary organisation in accordance with internal and/or national accounting regulations in order to verify the accuracy of the activities reported.

Audits are conducted on a random basis during the project implementation period and up to several years after its completion, depending on the funding programme. This requires the relevant Department to ensure adequate and orderly archiving of all documents proving the correct and accurate implementation of activities and the achievement of project objectives.

VAT Exemption for Erasmus+ Projects

Article 72, paragraph 1, letter c) of the DPR 633/72 provides that "the supply of goods and services made to the European Union" and to a series of EU Bodies detailed in the same regulation "even if made to companies or entities for the implementation of research and association contracts with the EU" are exempt from VAT.
Please note that, according to a statement by the Italian Erasmus+ National Agency INDIRE, the VAT exemption does not apply to projects funded under the Erasmus+ Programme. Therefore, all costs incurred within an Erasmus+ project must be subject to VAT.

The Erasmus+ Programme considers communication and dissemination activities of funded projects and their results highly important. They are crucial to promote the impact of the project at all levels.
It is essential to recognise the high importance of these activities and define a detailed and effective dissemination strategy during the project design phase.
There are numerous initiatives aimed at disseminating and communicating the results of Erasmus+ projects, such as publications, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, specific meetings, and much more.

Project communication

In your Personal Area, a document about Ca’ Foscari’s communication and dissemination activities is available.
Discover all the Communication and Public engagement activities Ca’ Foscari promotes.
Ca’ Foscari communication policy [ITA]  and useful guidelines on how to promote news and events are available on the University’s official website. The Communication and Institutional Promotion Office supports faculty members and researchers in promoting their project, its activities and results through articles, interviews, social networks, and press releases.

Project events

To organise project events, it is possible to book one of the representative spaces of the University. The event calendar is managed by the Cultural Promotion Office.
To insert an event on the University web calendar, please write to:  eventi@unive.it
To create event posters, please contact:  grafica@unive.it
Official logos and templates [ITA] are available for faculty members. Along with the University logo, the logos of the funding organisation and/or the financing programme must always appear in materials related to the project. It is therefore necessary to consult the guidelines on visual identity provided by the Erasmus+ Programme.

Website and exploitation of results

To request a feasibility assessment for possible support in creating the project website, you can contact the Web Unit of ASIT - Computer Services and Telecommunications Area.

Although to a lesser extent than research projects, also education and training projects may have the possibility of exploiting their results, in terms of marketing and protection of research findings (intellectual property rights, data and information confidentiality).

For such activities, the PInK - Promoting Innovation and Knowledge service supports faculty members in delicate legal matters, technology transfer opportunities, and intellectual property issues. The office must be consulted during the drafting and signing phase of contracts and agreements related to project activities that involve intellectual property and results exploitation (Partnership Agreement, Consortium Agreement, etc.).

Erasmus+ Open Access Requirement for educational material

Erasmus+ promotes the Open Access of project outputs to support learning, teaching, training, and youth work. In particular, Erasmus+ beneficiaries are committed to make any educational resources and tools which are produced in the context of projects supported by the Programme – documents, media, software or other materials – freely available for the public under an open licence (e.g. the widely used Creative Commons Attribution or Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licences for creative works, the GNU Public License and GNU Lesser Public License for software, or the Open Database License for databases).

The materials should be easily accessible and retrievable without cost or limitations, and the open licence must allow the public to use, reuse, adapt and share the resource. Such materials are known as ‘Open Educational Resources’ (OER). To achieve this aim, the resources should be uploaded in an editable digital form, on a suitable and openly accessible platform.

While Erasmus+ encourages beneficiaries to apply the most open licences, beneficiaries may choose licences that impose some limitations, e.g. restrict commercial use by others, or commit others to apply the same licence on derivative works, if this is appropriate to the nature of the project and to the type of material, and if it still allows the public to use, reuse, adapt and share the resource. The open access requirement is obligatory and is without prejudice to the intellectual property rights of the grant beneficiaries.

Erasmus+ Open Access for research and data

Although research should not be an E+ project priority, Erasmus+ encourages beneficiaries to publish research output through open access pathways, i.e. in ways which are free of cost or other access restrictions. Beneficiaries are also encouraged to apply open licences to this research output. Whenever possible, data collected by projects should be published as 'open data', i.e. with an open licence, in a suitable format and on a suitable open data platform.