What is the ECPGR Grant Scheme?
The ECPGR Grant Scheme provides funding for Activities proposed by ECPGR Working Groups and approved by the Steering Committee or the Executive Committee. Activities should contribute to the priorities and targets of the Plant Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe and the priorities established for the relevant ECPGR Phase.
Depending on funding availability, the Secretariat regularly opens calls for ECPGR-funded actions to support these Activities.
How often are calls published?
Calls are published once a year, normally in October, with four months allowed to prepare a proposal.
What Activities can be funded?
Proposed Activities must address the priorities specified in the relevant Grant Scheme Call.
In particular, proposals should explain:
- Which priority and target(s) of the ECPGR Strategy (currently, the Plant Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe) the Activity addresses; note that specific priorities and targets may be the focus of each Call.
- How the Activity will contribute significantly to these target(s); and
- How this contribution will be achieved.
Activities may take different forms. There is no restriction on whether an Activity consists primarily of meetings or other types of actions, provided that it addresses an eligible priority and meets the requirements of the Call.
Activities already covered by other funding mechanisms, such as the EURISCO budget, are not eligible. Activities expected to be achieved mainly through national funding are also excluded.
Who can participate?
Who can receive ECPGR funding?
ECPGR Working Group members from countries eligible for ECPGR funding – i.e. those who are regularly paying their contributions to ECPGR – can participate as funded partners in a proposal. Usually, only one partner institute per country receives funding, unless unique expertise is offered by additional partners.
An Activity may involve members from one or several Working Groups.
Who cannot receive ECPGR funding?
Countries that are not eligible to receive ECPGR funding are those that, under ECPGR Rule of Procedure 2.6, have not paid their ECPGR contributions for one year.
Working Group members and observers from these countries may participate as self-funded partners, where appropriate, but cannot receive ECPGR funding.
Can organizations or individuals who are not ECPGR Working Group members participate?
Yes. Self-funded partners may participate in an Activity even if they are not eligible to receive ECPGR funding.
Such partners must cover their own costs and cannot claim funding from the ECPGR Grant Scheme.
How many partners can participate in a project and how are they selected?
There is no established limit to the number of partners. However, given the limited funding available, projects typically include around 12–15 partners. The final selection of partners is at the discretion of the Activity Coordinator, in consultation with the Working Group Chair.
Can an Activity involve more than one Working Group?
Yes. Activities can involve several ECPGR Working Groups.
One Working Group Chair must be designated as the submitting Chair and submit the proposal on behalf of the participating Working Groups. The submitting Chair should obtain the endorsement of the other relevant Working Group Chairs.
Can an Activity involve an EVA Network?
Yes. The ECPGR European Evaluation Network (EVA) activities are prioritized in the Plant Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe. Please note that the Activity proposal still needs to be submitted by a Working Group Chair. EVA Network partners who are eligible Working Group members may participate as funded, while other partners in the EVA Network can participate as self-funded.
How to submit a proposal?
Who is responsible for submitting the proposal?
Proposals can only be submitted by the Chair of an ECPGR Working Group.
Where an Activity Coordinator has prepared the proposal, the Activity Coordinator provides the completed documents to the Working Group Chair, who submits the application through the online proposal system.
Can an ECPGR Working Group member be the Activity Coordinator?
Yes. Any member of an ECPGR Working Group can act as Activity Coordinator.
The Activity Coordinator should work closely with the Working Group Chair and keep the other members of the Working Group informed about the proposed Activity.
The Activity Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Activity and preparing the final Activity report. The Activity Coordinator is assigned a fixed share of the budget (10%) to cover the costs of coordinating the Activity and preparing the final report.
Does the proposal need to be discussed within the Working Group?
Yes. Activity Coordinators are expected to prepare proposals in close coordination with the Working Group Chair and the rest of the Working Group.
Working Group Chairs/Activity Coordinators should seek Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from Working Group members who are proposed as participants. EoIs should specify the contribution that each participant plans to make and their level of commitment to the Activity.
Can a member approach the Working Group Chair with an Activity idea?
Yes. Members are encouraged to contribute ideas for Activities that address the priorities of the Call. However, the formal proposal must be submitted by the Working Group Chair, so Activity Coordinators and Working Group members should coordinate closely with their Chair from the early stages of proposal development.
What funding is available?
How much funding is available?
The total budget available depends on the individual Call. The available budget and any specific limits applicable to individual Activities are stated in each Call for Proposals.
How much can one Activity receive?
The expected maximum budget for an Activity involving one Working Group is around €30,000 per proposal.
The budget could be increased where an Activity involves more than one Working Group.
Applicants should always check the specific Call for Proposals for the applicable budget limits.
What costs are covered?
Eligible expenditures include:
- Staff costs
- Equipment
- Supplies
- Travel and meeting costs
Overheads are not eligible.
There is no restriction on whether an Activity takes the form of a meeting or another type of action.
Is there a budget allocation for coordination?
Yes. The Activity Coordinator is assigned a fixed share of the budget (10%) to cover the costs of coordinating the Activity and preparing the final report.
How are the proposals selected for funding?
Proposals for Activities will be evaluated and selected by the Executive Committee, according to criteria specified in the call. Broadly, these include
- The anticipated impact of the Activity Proposal on the effective achievement of the targets of the Plant Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe
- The quality of the proposal and the likelihood of the Activity reaching the expected results
- The applicability of the results to the entire European Region versus just a few countries or a single country
- The appropriateness, quality and diversity of the partnership submitting the Grant
- Level of co-financing or in-kind contributions of Activity partners and cost effectiveness of the Activity in advancing the targets of the Plant Genetic Resources Strategy.
What are the steps to prepare and submit a proposal?
- The Working Group Chair promotes the Call and gathers Activity ideas from the Working Group
- The Working Group Chair or Activity Coordinator invites Working Group members to submit Expressions of Interest (EoI) for specific Activities
- Based on the EoIs received, the Working Group Chair or Activity Coordinator selects participants for the proposed Activity (in consultation with the Secretariat, if needed)
- The Working Group Chair completes the online Activity proposal form and budget table – or delegates this to the Activity Coordinator, if different
- Where several Working Groups are involved, the submitting Working Group Chair seeks the required endorsements from each of the other Working Group Chairs, copying the Secretariat
- The Working Group Chair uploads and submits the full set of documents via the online application form.
What needs to be submitted?
The Working Group Chair submits the proposal by completing the online Proposal Application form (including the Budget Table, based on the provided Excel template) and attaching the required supporting forms (Expressions of Interest of the selected partners), prepared by the Activity Coordinator (if different from the Chair) and sent to the Working Group Chair for submission.
Where can I find the calls?
The calls will be published on this page