Frequently Asked Questions

You have questions on the call for proposals? Find answers in this section.

Publication Date
10/01/2025
Reading Time
< 1 minute

To ask a question related to the call for proposals, please send an email exclusively in English or French to greenmed@regione.sardegna.it. Questions sent to other email addresses or by other means may not be considered. Replies will be given within 10 days.

In the interest of the equal treatment of Applicants, the Programme management structures – including the Managing Authority, the Joint Secretariat and the Branch Offices – cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an Applicant, a partner, a project or specific activities.

Questions presenting a general interest, together with the answers, will be published in this section. It is therefore highly recommended to consult it regularly.

FAQs are organised according to the below categories:

No, according to paragraph 2.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants, each proposal shall indicate one Specific Objective only within the concerned Priority. The evaluation of the Application Form will be carried out in relation with the Priority and Specific Objective under which it was submitted.
Yes, according to section no. 4.4.1 of the Guidelines, the same organisation can apply only once as Applicant (Lead Partner) under each Specific Objective. No limitation applies for the participation of the same organisation at partner level. In case an organisation participates in more than one (1) project as Applicant under the same Specific Objective, all concerned projects submitted under that Specific Objective will be rejected. Please note that an Applicant cannot be awarded more than two (2) grants as Lead Partner under this call for proposals. In case more than two (2) proposals from the same Applicant are shortlisted according to the rules for this call, only the two (2) best ranked proposals will be retained in the list to be financed.
The limitation on the number of applications that the same organization can submit as Applicant is one for each of the 9 Specific Objectives of the call. Paragraph 4.4.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants, footnote n. 19, clarifies the meaning of organization, which is: “Any legal entity, indicated under Reference to the par. on the eligible partners and according to the national legislations of Mediterranean Partner /IPA countries, which is provided with juridical, economic, technical, and human capacities committed by the legal person as a whole. These conditions must result from supporting documents (such as statutes, registration papers and/or other official documents) proving the capacity to undertake legal obligations (signing contracts), to assume financial liability and to manage the resources for the achievement of stated purposes (i.e., public administrations or universities will be considered as ONE organisation represented by ONLY ONE legal person despite the functional independence of their departments or units). The participation of each organisation will be checked under step 1 (relevance and quality of the design) on the basis, among others, of the following information: national registration number (e.g., VAT, national code, social security etc.), name of the organisation and name of the legal representative.“
According to section 4.4.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants, an Applicant cannot be awarded more than two (2) grants as Lead Partner under this call for proposals. In case more than two (2) proposals from the same Applicant are shortlisted according to the rules for this call, only the two (2) best ranked proposals will be retained in the list to be financed.
As per section 2.7 of the Guidelines for Applicants, these three positions (project coordinator, financial manager and communication manager) should be part of the staff of the Lead Partner organisation, either as permanent staff or staff specifically recruited for the purpose of the project, while subcontracting of project coordination, financial and communication management functions to private companies should be avoided to ensure the full ownership of the Lead Partner on the project.
Whilst project partners should appoint a sufficient, yet a reasonable number of human resources to efficiently and timely contribute to the project implementation and reporting, the project management structure should reflect a logical division of tasks consistently with the partnership principle, avoiding the duplication of similar functions.
No. As stated in footnote n.19 of the Guidelines for Applicants which defines the meaning of organisation, the participation of “each organisation will be checked under step 1 (operational evaluation) on the basis, among other things, of the following information: national registration number (e.g. VAT, national code, social security etc.), name of the organisation and name of the legal representative”.
No, the project ideas will not be assessed by the Managing Authority (MA) or the Joint Secretariat or by the Branch Offices. In fact, in the interest of equal treatment of Applicants, the MA cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an Applicant, a partner, a project or specific activities.
According to paragraph 4.4.4 of the Guidelines for Applicants, the
estimated duration of project proposals shall not be lower than 24 months and must not exceed 36 months.
The updated list of National Contact Points can be found here.
Changes such as the name of the legal representative or in some
cases registration number due for example to the merge of an
institution with a pre-existing one are allowed provided that these arefully explained through the supporting documents to be sent for theverification of eligibility. In particular, the supporting documents will have to prove that the institution indicated in the e-Application Formhas not changed and justify the modifications regarding the above-mentioned elements. Therefore, copies of a new law, for example, that explains the merge of an institution with another one etc., mustbe provided. All changes should be indicated in a letter addressed to the MA attached to the supporting documents to be sent within the deadline specified by the MA in the notification letter addressed to the Applicant of the projects admitted to step 2 of the evaluation process.
The meaning of indicator RC02 “enterprises supported by grants” may be used when the project foresees to implement activities whose final beneficiaries are the enterprises (training courses, involvement in pilot initiatives etc.).
As indicated in the Programme Document, section 2.1, the Specific Objective 2.1 of the Programme is “Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions”. Even though the type of actions (non-exhaustive) indicated in the Programme Document do consider Renewable Energies, the main focus of the objective, as set in its title, is on energy efficiency. That is the reason why two of the three (041 and 044) field interventions that you can find in the Programme for the Specific Objective 2.1 are dealing mainly with Energy Efficiency while field intervention 046 is open to actions that contribute to the low carbon economy and to resilience to climate change. Please consider that the contributing to the specific objective set by the Programme should be the main purpose of the submitted proposals.
NO, these two mandatory WPs are under the responsibility of the Lead Partner. Project partners should be involved in these two work packages but under the coordination of the Lead Partner. For further information, please refer to the sections 2.7.1 and 2.8.4 of the Guidelines for Applicants.
No, the MA, the JS and the BOs cannot give a prior opinion on these issues since they will be examined during the verification of eligibility. If further information is needed on the eligibility of an organisation involved in a project, the MA will send a request for clarification to the Applicant.
The obligation to provide an external audit report applies to Applicants and partners but it does not concern public administrations, public bodies,
bodies governed by public law and international organisations. In the
report, the data concerning the financial capacity (i.e. for companies the
total annual income, net income – profit and loss -, current assets and
current liabilities, and, own funds and total liabilities) have to be pointed out and/or highlighted (see par. 5.4.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants).
No. As per section 4.3.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants, “associates may be involved in the project but cannot receive funding from the grant”. Therefore, the role of the associate is not compatible with that of sub-contractor.
As per section 5.4.2 “Eligibility of Applicant and Partner organisations” of the Guidelines for Applicants, both Applicants and partners shall submit an external audit official report made by chartered auditors of the partners’ annual accounts for the last 2 financial years, if available. Those entities which are not requested by the national law to produce such official annual reports will have to provide the annual accounts for the last 2 financial years signed by the legal representative.
No. As stated in the Guidelines for Applicants (see par. 4.4.1, footnote n. 19), “One organisation can be represented by ONLY ONE legal person despite the functional independence of its departments or units”. The same organisation – with one legal representative and one single registration number – cannot be represented more than once within the same project.
International organisations can participate in this call following the rules set in section 4.3.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants, in particular:
– pursuant to Article 156 of the EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046 on the General Budget of the European Union, international organisation means international public-sector organisations set up by intergovernmental agreements, and specialised agencies set up by such organisations
– these organisations may have a worldwide or regional scope. Organisations created under national law are not international organisations (e.g. national NGO with several regional/country offices);
– international organisations can participate only if they have an agreement with the government of the country in which they are going to carry out project activities;
– international organisations can participate as Applicants or Partners only if they have an operational office in the eligible area (see section 4.3.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants). The said office must have the capacity to undertake legal obligations (signing contracts) and assume financial liability.
Finally, international organisations cannot be taken into consideration in calculating the minimum number of countries within a partnership. As far as the 50% rule is concerned, if an international organisation is based in a Mediterranean Partner Country (MPC), its direct costs will be calculated as part of funds managed by MPCs.
The principle is that only legal entities can participate. Therefore, if a branch office is registered as a separate legal entity in a country different than the head office, it can be considered as a partner coming from that country. As a minimum requirement, a partnership shall represent 3 different eligible countries, of which at least one EU country and one Mediterranean Partner Country. However, situations, whereby this minimum requirement is satisfied for example by a partnership including the head office from Italy and branch offices from Spain, Lebanon and Egypt, should be avoided. Therefore, a partnership should comprise other eligible partners alongside with the branch offices if they participate in the project.
As per the Guidelines for Applicants, par. 4.3.2. the organizations participating in the Programme must be legal entities, therefore the participation in the second call for projects is only open to legal persons (i.e. organisations). Natural persons are not allowed to participate in calls for proposals as applicant or partner.
The eligibility criteria concerning the legal status of an organisation are defined in the Guidelines for Applicants (section 4.3.2). A “non-exhaustive” list is also contained in footnote n. 16 of the Guidelines for Applicants. Please note that since natural persons are not mentioned in the Joint Operational Programme, they are not allowed to participate in calls for proposals as Applicant or partner (see footnote n. 16 of the Guidelines for Applicants). As a consequence, only legal entities established in accordance with national legislation, laws and regulations can participate in calls for proposals. Please note that it is in the interest of the Applicant and of the whole partnership to know the correct legal status of an organization, since this is relevant to determine the financial capacity.
According to section 4.3.1 of the Guidelines, Applicants and partners shall come from one of the eligible territories of the countries participating in the Programmewith the exception of “Advisory partners” meaning organizations established in any of the fifteen countries participating in the Programme but from territories/regions not included in the Programme area. The participation of “Advisory partners” is subject to the conditions specified in par. 4.3.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants.
According to section 4.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants, all activities financed in the framework of the project should be implemented inside the Programme eligible area. Exceptionally, specific activities outside the eligible area may be included, provided that their added value to the Programme area is well justified. Their eligibility will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Activities under the responsibility of an Advisory partner should be implemented for the benefit of the Programme area (e.g., a study carried out by the advisory partner should focus on one or more territories covered by the Programme, a training organized by an Advisory partner should be held in a Programme area and involve participants from one or more territories covered by the Programme, pilot installations implemented by an Advisory partner should be built in the territories of the region/s covered by the Programme, etc.).
According to section 4.4.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants, there is no specific requirement concerning the maximum number of partners to be involved in a project. However, A maximum number of 7 organisations in the partnership is recommended for all type of projects, as well as a well-balanced geographical representation (North/South – East/West). The partnership shall not include more than two (2) organisations from the same country.
According to the Guidelines for Applicants, the minimum number of countries to be represented in a partnership is 3, including at least one EU Mediterranean Country and one Mediterranean Partner Country).
Despite not recommended, there is no formal requirement that the location of activities must be restricted to the eligible regions of the countries where the Applicant and partners are registered. However, this must be clearly mentioned in the description of the project activities, together with the methodology and the reason why the project wants to implement activities in an eligible region not represented in the partnership.
In this case, the location of the event is something the Lead Partner and partners cannot influence. As long as the participation in such events (seminars, training, conferences, study trips, etc.) is relevant to the rationale of the project and is essential to achieve its objectives, it could be considered as eligible for financing (such participation will, however, have to be duly justified in the Application Form).

 
Yes, provided that the minimum partnership criterion is fulfilled (at least three different countries, representing at least one EU Mediterranean Country and one Mediterranean Partner Country). However, please note that according to paragraph 4.4.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants, the partnership shall not include more than two organisations from the same country.
Associates do not have to meet the criteria set in section 4.3.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants on geographical eligibility. This means that associates may also be established in countries other than those eligible under the Programme. Associates are not partners. Therefore, they cannot, in any case, contribute to reaching the minimum partnership requirement. They may not receive Programme funding. They can attend project meetings and events and their subsistence (per diem) and travel costs will be paid by the Lead Partner or by one or more of the partners. In the event they want to play a role in the implementation of the project activities, a description of their tasks will have to be included in the Application Form: this will be assessed during project evaluation, provided that associates have to implement the activities at their own costs. There is no maximum number of associates, however, all of them must sign the Associated Partner Declaration to be uploaded in the E-Application Form and they should also sign a memorandum of understanding with the Lead partner and partners in order to define their exact role as well as who will pay for their subsistence and travel costs. Associates do not need to sign the Partnership Agreement (compulsory only for the Lead Partner and project partners).
Under the call for green transition projects and according to section 4.3.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants, Applicants and project partners must be based in the Programme area and they shall be legally registered there from at least two years from the launching date of this call. The only exception to this general eligibility rule is the status of “Advisory Partner” which is defined at the paragraph 2 of section 4.3.1. In consequence, under the call for green transition projects, decentralized offices can only be eligible as “Advisory Partner” provided that they satisfy the specific eligibility conditions applicable to Advisory Partners. In particular, Advisory Partners cannot submit a proposal as Lead Applicant.
According to paragraph 4.3.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants, Ministries or National Public Administrations located in non-eligible areas of the participating countries can participate, as “advisory partner” according to the conditions set in the Guidelines for Applicants. In case a Ministry or a National Authority is represented at the local level in an eligible territory, the project activities should be implemented by the local structure.
There is no pre-defined list so Applicants and partners shall refer to the criteria mentioned by the EU Directive reported in par. 4.3.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants. Since the inclusion under this category may depend also from national legislations, in case of doubts please contact the respective National Contact Point of the concerned participating country.
No, as per par. 4.3.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants, “Private organisations are eligible under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, but they shall be established at least for 2 years from the launching date of the call to participate.” No derogation is foreseen for start-ups and any private organization must be established for 2 years before the 14/01/2025 , date of the launching of this call for proposals.
‘EUMCs’ mean ‘EU Mediterranean Countries’ participating in the Programme and include: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. ‘MPCs’ are ‘Mediterranean Partner Countries’ participating in the Programme and include Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Tunisia and Türkiye. For the list of specific eligible regions pertaining to the EUMCs and MCPs, please refer to paragraph 4.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants.
There are no specific limitations regarding the type of organization that can submit a proposal under the youth strand. Please note that according to the section no. 2.4 of the Guidelines, the institution has to provethat the partnership includes at least 2 organisations whose majority of staff involved in the management is aged 18-30, and/or the partnership includes at least 2 organisations whose core mission is to work for the benefits of young people (demonstrating at least two years of experience prior to the date of the launching of the call in leading or participating in projects addressing youth with similar managed budget as for the share of the requested grant).
Provided that, in terms of eligibility, the Advisory Partner shall meet all the conditions foreseen by the Guidelines for Applicants, if the Monitoring Committee decides not to allow the participation, the project may still be financed if so recommended by the Assessment Board with either a re-distribution of the project activities among the partnership or with the replacement of the Advisory Partner with another partner. The decision will be taken by the Monitoring Committee, taking into account the impact on the achievement of the expected result and the specific objective of the project.
Advisory partners are organizations established in any of the fifteen countries participating in the Programme but from territories/regions not included in the Programme area. The participation of Advisory partners is subject to the conditions specified in par. 4.3.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants and in particular:
– Advisory partners cannot be Lead Applicants of project proposals.
– Activities must be carried out in or for the benefit of the territories of the Programme area.
– Advisory partners must be registered for at least 2 years before the launch of the call for proposals.
– Their participation is allowed on a case-by-case basis by the Monitoring Committee upon recommendation of the Assessment Board based on the assessment carried out within STEP 1 by the external evaluators (see par. 5.2).
The other general provisions applicable at Applicant and partners still apply for advisory partners (for example maximum the 35% can be managed by a single organization etc.).

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