Online applications received by the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency under the different Erasmus+ calls in the VET sector are evaluated on the basis of the indications and criteria described and contained in the Erasmus Programme Guide which, updated annually, is the European reference document for participation in Erasmus+ and constitutes an integral part of the call for proposals.
To complement the provisions contained in the Programme Guide, the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency publishes annually national provisions containing specifications on eligibility criteria, budget allocation rules, priorities of particular relevance at national level and allocation of available financial resources for the VET sector.
The Erasmus+ Programme Guide stipulates that evaluation activities – referring both to projects submitted by potential beneficiaries of funding, in response to ‘Calls for Proposals’, to the products and results achieved by projects funded within the programme and to projects submitted by bodies seeking accreditation – are to be carried out by the staff of the National Agencies and by experts external to them.
The Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency, in order to guarantee the utmost transparency, impartiality and third-party nature of the above-mentioned evaluation activities, entrusts them exclusively to external experts with proven experience in the field of vocational training and education at the national and European levels and in the evaluation of processes and/or projects.
The evaluation process entails:
- a formal check to verify that the eligibility and exclusion criteria have been met,
- the assessment of the quality of proposals according to the merit criteria set out in the Guide.
Formally regular applications proceed to the quality assessment stage, which is carried out by a team of experts from outside the National Agency, selected through a specific Call for Proposals. The evaluation procedure is conducted on the basis of the Guide for Expert Evaluators.
Once the evaluation and selection procedure is completed, the results are made available online on the page of the Programme website: Application Results.
Criteria and modalities for the evaluation of Erasmus+ VET applications and for the award of grants or accreditation
Applications concerning indirect management actions, sent to the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency, are evaluated according to the formal and qualitative evaluation criteria indicated by the European Commission, common to all the National Agencies of the countries participating in the programme.
The criteria and procedures used by the Agency to assess applications and award grants or accreditation are set out in detail in relation to the different types of applications:
- formal checking of applications for compliance with eligibility and exclusion criteria;
- (only for actions KA120-VET, KA122-VET, KA210-VET and KA220-VET) for those applications considered eligible, assessment of the quality of the proposals according to the criteria established at European level and carried out by external experts selected by means of a specific call;
- (only for action KA120-VET) preparation by the National Evaluation Committee, specifically constituted, of an overall ranking of merit of the applications as a result of the qualitative assessment and of a proposal of eligible and non-eligible applications, forwarded to the Inapp Director General;
- (only for action KA121-VET) competitive allocation of the available financial resources, carried out by the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency on the basis of the criteria set out in the specific “Rules of budget allocation for Accredited Applicants under Erasmus+ Key Action 1″ and through the use of the information systems of the European Commission; or proposal of allocation of funds to the accredited bodies, by the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency to the National Evaluation Committee, specifically established; or transmission, by the National Evaluation Committee to the Inapp Director General, of the proposal of allocation of funds to the accredited bodies;
- (only for Actions KA122-VET, KA210-VET and KA220-VET) preparation by the National Evaluation Committee, specifically constituted, of an overall merit ranking of the applications as a result of the qualitative assessment and, on the basis of the available financial resources, of a proposal of applications eligible for funding, to be put on the reserve list and not eligible for funding, forwarded to the Inapp Director General;
- adoption by the Director General of Inapp of the decision to award the grants/accreditations and to ratify the applications placed on the reserve list and not eligible for funding/accreditation, by means of a specific decision.
The criteria for the allocation of funds are contained in the official Programme documents.
Key Action 3 – Transnational Cooperation Activities – TCA
Applications to take part in Transnational Cooperation Activities organised by the European Erasmus+ National Agencies are submitted to the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency on the basis of specific calls for proposals, specially prepared, and assessed according to the principle of transparency and non-discrimination, as set out in the Programme Guide.
The application and pre-selection criteria are established by the Erasmus+ National Agency on the basis of the objectives and target groups of the specific activity foreseen, as defined by the Erasmus+ National Agency organising the event. At the end of the pre-selection of applications, the list of participants selected by the Inapp Erasmus+ National Agency is transmitted to the specific Erasmus+ National Agency organising the activity, which will provide the final validation of the applications.