| Comment | General informationThe 2nd call for Strategic projects will open the 9th of May 2019. Horizontal Projects have been established to connect and support the Modular projects’ implementation, promoting both, communication and capitalisation activities. Against this background, they act as a single interface for Modular projects providing the frame to develop synergies and scale up cooperation throughout the entire Interreg MED community including the Axis 4 platform project, PANORAMED and forthcoming Strategic Projects.The objective of the 2nd call for Horizontal Projects (HPs) targets an Interreg MED 2nd generation of HPs explicitly focused on capitalisation, a fundamental and key cooperation principle of the Interreg MED Programme Strategic Framework. Within this call, the capitalisation principle entails a very precise content, composed of transfer, mainstreaming and strategic liaising activities. Within this context, Horizontal Projects shall embed a comprehensive set of key features capturing their three-level positioning: strategic, thematic and territorial.This is a restrictive call with respect to the Lead Partner eligibility requirements (see below).LINK: https://interreg-med.eu/fund-my-project/calls/second-call-for-horizontal-projects/DeadlineThe application must be finalised and validated using the on-line Interreg MED Programme tool SYNERGIE CTE before the 27th June 2019, at noon (French local time).The uploading of compulsory annexes must be completed at the latest by 4th October 2019, at noon (French local time).Project durationProjects are invited to establish as starting date of the activities on November 1st, 2019 and as ending date June 30th, 2022. The duration of 32 months cannot be exceeded.Financial allocationThe indicative financial allocation for this call is about 12.5M€ (ERDF + IPA + national co-financing).The following budget ceilings are suggested according to the thematic community size:▪ Community of less than 9 projects: 1,2 M€ ERDF and 50.000€ IPA.▪ Community of between 9 and 16 projects: 1,4 M€ ERDF and 60.000€ IPA.▪ Community of more than 17 projects: 1,6 M€ ERDF and 70.000€ IPA.The ERDF/IPA co-financing rate for all partners and Lead Partners is 85%. The only exception applies for SMEs acting as partners under Article 20 of the General Block Exemption Regulation (Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014) for which the ERDF co-financing rate is 50% of the total eligible budget.An indicative number of 8 projects are expected to be approved, 1 for each thematic community.Partnership:For this call, a restriction to the eligibility of Lead Partners apply: The Lead Partner is a partner of a Horizontal Project approved in the framework of the 1st call for Horizontal projects and is a public body or a body governed by public law (according to the definition of the Directive 2014/24/UE) and it is physically based in the Union part of the Interreg MED Programme area.To ensure a high geographical coverage, Lead Partners must include at least one partner coming from a MED country not included in the horizontal project belonging to the 1st call for horizontal projects, under the specific objective (or sub-topic for Axis 1).The eligible types of structures are the ones considered by the Interreg MED programme.The minimum requirements for partnerships are: 4 partners representing 4 different countries from the Interreg MED Programme area of which, at least 3, from the European Union part of the Interreg MED Programme area (Figure 1).Outside of the MED area, only Belgium partners could belong to the core partnership as direct beneficiaries of grants, notably international networks based in Brussels. Institutions willing to be involved in the project without financially contributing to it are to be considered as «Associated Partners» (APs). Such associated partners will not receive ERDF/IPA funding, will have to participate with their own funds, and do not account for the fulfilment of the minimum partnership requirements. Third country partners, especially those from the southern shore of the Mediterranean, can participate as associated partners.Further information:No partner concentrates more than 30% of the total eligible budget (ERDF + IPA + national co-financing)No country concentrates more than 40% of the total eligible budget (ERDF + IPA + national co-financing)Preparation costs do not exceed the lump sum of EUR 30.000 set by the Interreg MED Programme |