Projects

The project involved examining the added value or transnational cooperation under LEADER, using project examples from Austria, Luxembourg, Poland and Spain. It provides recommendations for governance arrangements for future transnational LEADER projects in 2014-20.

The project, led by the Italian consultants t33, was undertaken for the Italian Department of Public Administration and involved elaboration of a concept paper and guidelines on how to foster institutional and adminitrative capacities. The project was undertaken in the context of the Italian Presidency of the EU and of the work of the EUPAN network.

The project involves the development, management and operationalisation of the fi-compass technical assistance platform. Specifically, the project involves support to the EIB in providing horizontal assistance and advisory services for ESIF financial instruments to the EU public sector. Target groups are in particular EU Member States and Managing Authorities, but also the European Commission and the general public. The intended effect is to increase the quality, scale and the speed of establishment of Financial Instruments funded through ESIF. EPRC research inputs include studies and evaluation research on the implementation of financial instruments under Cohesion policy.

The project, funded by an EIB University Research Scholarship, examines the differences in administrative capacity for implementing Cohesion policy across the EU, the factors that influence the administration of Cohesion policy - both internal and external to implementing bodies - and ways in which effective administrative capacity for Cohesion policy can be built and sustained.

The project examines the extent and modalities through which EU regulatory provisions relating to the performance framework have been applied in the programming phase of the European Structural and Investment Funds. The research develops an evidence base to inform the reports required under the regulatory framework for 2014-20 and provides an analytical basis for the design of the policy for after 2020. The study includes analysis of the Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes of all EU Member States, as well as analysis of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes.

The project examines the extent and modalities through which which the partnership principle has been applied in the programming phase of the European Structural and Investment Funds. The research develops an evidence base to inform the reports required under the regulatory framework for 2014-20 and provides an analytical basis for the design of the policy for after 2020. The study includes analysis of the Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes of all EU Member States, as well as analysis of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes.

The project comprised an ex post evaluation of the rationale, implementation and early evidence of the effectiveness of financial engineering instruments in the 2007-13 period. The study focusses on the eleven countries where total equity/venture capital exceeds EUR 100 million or where loan and guarantee support exceeds EUR 200 million, plus Denmark where equity/venture capital accounts for a high proportion of spending. The research involves assessing the policy rationales for the instruments as well as the literature to develop typical theories of change for why and how the various instruments work.

The project involved the development of a series of awareness-raising factsheets and case studies as guidance for managing authorities given the steep learning curve faced by stakeholders in 2007-13, the continued drive to increase implementation of FIs in 2014-20 and the changes introduced by the regulations.

The project involved research on the evolution and implementation of the strategic coherence of Cohesion policy in 2014-20. Based on documentary analysis and interviews with authorities in 11 Member States, the study concluded that there had been overall improvements compared to the previous period, but it also highlighted a series of EU and domestic challenges in ensuring a strategically coherent approach between different ESI Funds and with other EU policies.

The project involved an ex ante evaluation of the North Sea Region Programme (NSRP) for the 2014-20 period and a subsequent project to set the indicators, baselines and targets for the 2014-20. This involved supporting the work of the NSRP drafting team in the development of programme indicators, in particular result indicators; refining a methodology for the development of appropriate results indicators; establishing appropriate result baseline values for the NSRP; and proposing results targets for the NSRP.