Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016

Page created by Arthur King
 
CONTINUE READING
Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016
Financial rules in Horizon 2020
  ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens
          September 6, 2016

                                              Katarina Rohsmann
                       Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG),
                                            NCP Academy Partner
Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016
Overview
 Funding instruments and funding rates
 The project budget in the proposal
 Eligibility of costs
 Cost categories
 Financial reporting and payments
 Audits
 Frequent mistakes

                        FFG, September 6, 2016
Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016
Financial information in the Grant Agreement
                                                                                                   derived from
                                                                                                   the proposal
Grant Agreement
    H2020

     Eligibility of costs: mainly in art. 6 (art. 10 to 15 for Third Parties)
     http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/mga/gga/h2020-mga-gga-multi_en.pdf

                                            FFG, September 6, 2016
Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016
Funding instruments and funding rates
Instrument                                                     Funding rate
Research and innovation actions (RIA)                          100%
Innovation actions (IA)                                        70% / 100%
Coordination and support actions (CSA)                         100%
SME instrument phase 1                                         € 50.000 (lump sum)
SME instrument phase 2                                         70 %
Fast Track to Innovation                                       70% / 100%
Prizes                                                         fixed amount (see ‚rules
                                                               of the contest‘)

• Innovation Actions, Fast track to innovation: 100% for ‚non-profit
  organisations‘
• The total costs (direct and indirect costs) are multiplied with the funding
  rate
                                   FFG, September 6, 2016
Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016
Budget for the proposal
Starting point:
• What are the organisation’s tasks in the project? and/or
• How many people from the organisation will work for the project?

                       part A
                       (tables)
                                         part B
                                     (narrative part)

             Make sure that the two parts match!

                             FFG, September 6, 2016
Financial rules in Horizon 2020 - ETNA 2020 training workshop, Athens September 6, 2016
Budget table in part A (full proposal)
                                                          25 % flat-rate, except subcontracting
                                                          and ‚in-kind contributions not used on the premises‘

                                                                transport
                                       only if                  projects:
                                      explicitly                   n/a
                                     mentioned

                                                                            total requested
• Only the white fields must be completed                                       amount
• RIA, CSA: Costs of Linked Third Parties are added to the beneficiary’s costs
• IA: separate column for costs of Linked Third Parties
                                     FFG, September 6, 2016
Budget table in Part A (stage 1 of
a two-stage proposals)

 • Only the total requested amount for the action must be indicated
 • No major deviations allowed between stage 1 and 2

                            FFG, September 6, 2016
Budgetary information in part B
3.4 Resources to be committed
Please provide the following:
• a table showing number of person/months required (table 3.4a)
• a table showing ‘other direct costs’ (table 3.4b) for participants
   where those costs exceed 15% of the personnel costs
                             ------------------
4.2: Third Parties involved in the action
• include information on subcontractors, Linked Third Parties and
  third parties providing in-kind contributions (must be indicated in
  Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement in order to be eligible costs)

                           FFG, September 6, 2016
Table 3.4a: staff effort
Table 3.4a: Summary of staff effort
Please indicate the number of person/months over the whole duration of the planned
work, for each work package, for each participant. Identify the work-package leader for
each WP by showing the relevant person-month figure in bold.
                             WPn     WPn+1            WPn+2        Total Person/
                                                               Months per Participant
Participant Number/Short
Name
                                             1 PM: 1/12 of
ParticipantNumber/
                                              the annual
Short Name
                                              productive
Participant Number/
                                                hours
Short Name
       Total Person/Months

                                    FFG, September 6, 2016                                9
Table 3.4b: other direct costs
Table 3.4b: ‘Other direct cost’ items (travel, equipment, other goods and
services)
Please complete the table below for each participant if the sum of the costs for’
travel’, ‘equipment’, and ‘goods and services’ exceeds 15% of the personnel
costs for that participant.
Participant Number/Short        Cost (€)   Justification
Name
                                                                                if below 15%: can
                      Travel                                                       be completed
                  Equipment                                                         voluntarily
     Other goods and services

                        Total

                                                       FFG, September 6, 2016                       10
Eligibile costs: overview

                   FFG, September 6, 2016
General eligibility criteria for actual costs
• Incurred by the beneficiary
• incurred during the duration of the action (except travel costs
  for kick-off meeting and costs for final reporting)
• indicated in the estimated budget of the action
• identifiable and verifiable
• necessary for the action as described in the GA
• in compliance with national laws on taxes, labour and social security
• in compliance with beneficiary's usual accounting practice (may not
  contradict the rules of the Grant Agreement)
• reasonable, justified, sound financial management

N.B.: Non-refundable VAT is eligible
                               FFG, September 6, 2016
Personnel costs: overview
                                      UNIT COSTS
      ACTUAL
    PERSONNEL
      COSTS
                         Calculated by the          Fixed by
                      beneficiary according      Commission for
      Calculation    to its usual accounting      SME owners
   method defined            practices             and natural
     in the model      (‘average personnel       persons without
   grant agreement            costs’)                a salary

                        FFG, September 6, 2016
Calculation of personnel costs
on a yearly basis
   personnel costs = hourly rate x hours worked for the project

                                                                Annual gross salary:
Calculation of the hourly rate:                                  basic salary
                                                                 social security contributions
                                                                 taxes and duties
     annual gross salary                                         other mandatory compo-
 -------------------------------------------                      nents of the basic salary
 annual productive hours
        (3 options)                                             ≠ bonuses, extra payments for
                                                                participating in the project…

                                               FFG, September 6, 2016
Annual productive hours
Option 1: „1720 fixed hours“:
• standard number which may be used by any
  beneficiary (pro-rata for part-time employees)

Option 2: „Individual annual productive hours“:
• calculation: ‘annual workable hours’ of the individual employee
  + overhours – absences (sick leave etc. – not [bank] holidays)

Option 3: „Standard annual productive hours“
• calculated according to the usual accounting practises
• must correspond to at least 90 % of the ‚standard annual workable hours‘

           No more hours than the „annual productive hours“ may be
            charged on all EU-funded projects per person and year

                                FFG, September 6, 2016
‚Last closed financial year‘
• Only for calculation of personnel costs on a yearly basis:
• If the financial year is not closed at the time of reporting, the
  beneficiary must use the hourly rate of the last closed financial year
  available
• No adjustments!

                                                        salary rises lead to
                                                          financial losses

                             FFG, July 6, 2016
Calculation of personnel costs
on a monthly basis     If parts of the remuneration are
                                                           generated over a period longer
     monthly gross salary                                  than a month, the beneficiaries
  -------------------------------------------              may include only the share which
annual productive hours / 12
       (option 1 or 3)
                                                           is generated in the month
                                                           (irrespective of the amount
                                                           actually paid for that month)

Each beneficiary must use only one option (per full financial
year or per month) for each full financial year for all H2020
projects
                                                FFG, September 6, 2016
‚Standard‘ and ‚additional‘ remuneration
               Standard remuneration
                                                                 Additional remuneration
                        Mandatory complements
                                                                      Bonus payments
                     • resulting from law, collective
                       agreement or working contract              • only eligible for non-profit
                                                                    organisations
   Basic             • mandatory fixed complements (e.g.
                                                                  • payed for additional work or
remuneration           holiday pay, complement for hazardous
                                                                    expertise
                       work)

                     • mandatory variable complements (e.g.       • strict requirements – see
                       for merit or performance) not triggered      Annotated Grant Agreement
                       by the work in specific projects

                                      FFG, September 6, 2016
Personnel costs – decision tree

                          See: Annotated Model Grant Agreement, p. 52

                  FFG, September 6, 2016
Situation 1
Mr A is the founder of the start-up company „A Ltd“. He is self-employed and doesn‘t receive a salary.
The company „A Ltd“ has four employees, however its tasks in the project shall mainly be carried out by
A himself.
A says: „If I participate in this project, I cannot accept anything less than my standard hourly rate of
EUR 75.“

Solution:
• A cannot charge his “standard hourly rate“
• „A Ltd“ can claim “costs of SME owners who do not receive a salary” for A
• These costs are unit costs which must be calculated according to the rules of the Grant Agreement
• Further information: Annotated Grant Agreement on art. 6.2.A.4 (p. 71-72 of v.2.1.1 of the AGA):
   http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-
   amga_en.pdf

                                       FFG, September 6, 2016
Situation 2
Ms B has been working for „ABC cars“ (a large company in the automotive industry) since 2005.
Due to an internal headcount limit of „ABC cars“, B is employed by the temporary work agency
„PeoplePower“, which is responsible for the payroll tasks.
B says: „This is just a formality. I consider myself as a full member of my team at ABC cars“.

Solution:
• B is not employed by the beneficiary, but by a Third Party
• Rules regarding secondment of personnel do not apply because the Third Party is a temporary work
   agency
• The beneficiary cannot charge B‘s costs as personnel costs, but only as costs of a service (other
   direct costs) or subcontracting
• Further information: Annotated Grant Agreement on art. 6.2.A.2 (p. 64 of v.2.1.1 of the AGA):
   http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-
   amga_en.pdf

                                      FFG, September 6, 2016
Situation 3
Dr C is a specialised researcher at „ABC electric vehicles“, an affiliate of „ABC cars“.
Her expertise is needed for one task of a project in which „ABC cars“ participates.
C says: „I will contribute to this task and ABC cars will charge my personnel costs in its financial
statement – after all we are from the same company group“.

Solution:
• Dr C is not employed by the beneficiary, but by a Third Party (affiliate of the beneficiary)
• His personnel costs cannot be included in the financial statement of the beneficiary as if he was an
   employee of the beneficiary
• The affiliate could join the project as a Linked Third Party and claim Dr C‘s costs in its own financial
   statement (there are more possibilities, but this is the most obvious solution)
• Further information: Annotated Grant Agreement on art. 14 (p. 135 ff. of v.2.1.1 of the AGA):
   http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-amga_en.pdf

                                          FFG, September 6, 2016
Situation 4
Mr D is a freelancer and supports different organisations in the management of international
projects. He works from his home office, using his own office equipment. „ABC cars“ is looking for
someone to support the management of a H2020 project on a freelance basis.
D says: „I always wanted to be my own boss. Working under someone‘s instructions just isn‘t my
thing.“

Solution:
• In principle, D‘s costs could be claimed as „costs for natural persons working under a direct
  contract”
• However, one of the requirements would be that D works “under the beneficiary’s instructions”
• N.B.: In some countries, it is legally impossible to fulfill this requirement
• Further information: Annotated Grant Agreement on art. 6.2.A.2 (p. 64f. of v.2.1.1 of the AGA):
  http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-
  amga_en.pdf
                                           FFG, September 6, 2016
Situation 5
Prof E works for the „University of E-City“. Like all professors in his country, he is employed by the
government and receives his salary directly from the government. Prof. E is supposed to act as a head
scientist in a H2020 project.
E says: „The university does not incur any costs for me. Does this mean that I must do all the work for
free?“

Solution:
• Prof E is considered an „in-kind contribution provided by a Third Party free of charge“
• The Third Party and its contribution has to be identified in Annex 1 of the GA (otherwise, the costs
   could be approved retroactively, but at the full discretion of the EC/agency)
• Rules regarding „receipts“ do not apply in this case, because Prof E was not provided to the
   beneficiary „specifically for the action“ (all professors are employed by the government)
• Further information: Annotated Grant Agreement on art. 12 (p. 126 ff. of v.2.1.1 of the AGA); receipts:
   AGA p. 31 f.: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-
   amga_en.pdf
                                        FFG, September 6, 2016
Types of personnel costs in H2020
A.1: Costs for employees (or equivalent)
A.2: Costs for natural persons working under a direct contract
(observe requirements – legally impossible in some countries)
A.3: Costs for personnel seconded by a third party against
payment
A.4: Costs of SME owners
A.5: Costs of ‘beneficiaries that are natural persons’
NOT personnel employed by a temporary work agency

Details: see Annotated Grant Agreement
                          FFG, September 6, 2016
Natural persons working under a
direct contract

                 FFG, September 6, 2016
Time records

• Only the hours worked for the project must be recorded
• Exception: persons working exclusively on one project (‚declaration‘

• Time records are the proof that the personnel costs have incurred
• if the time recording system is not deemed to be ‚reliable‘, all
  personnel costs may be rejected

                          FFG, September 6, 2016
Time records

       Minimum requirements:                 signature
       • title and number of the action    • reference to task or work package
       • beneficiary’s full name
       • full name, date and signature of
         the person working for the action
       • number of hours worked for the
         action
       • supervisor’s full name and

                        FFG, September 6, 2016
Subcontracting

• A purchase of goods, works or services that are identified in
  Annex 1 as action tasks
• Tasks to be implemented and estimated costs must be set out in the
  proposal (table 4.2)
• Based on ‘business conditions’: best value for money or lowest price,
• Subcontracting to affiliates: only allowed if ‚usual provider‘ or
  framework contract
• No indirect costs on subcontracting
                              FFG, September 6, 2016
Other direct costs (1)
 Travel costs and related subsistence allowance:
 • must be necessary for the action and
 • in line with the beneficiary‘s usual practises on travel

 Equipment, infrastructures and other assets:
 • only the depreciation costs are eligible
 • only the part of the equipment‘s „full capacity“ used for the
   project can be charged (must be recorded)
 • rent/lease eligible if not exceeding depreciation costs

                            FFG, September 6, 2016
Other direct costs (2)

 Costs of other goods and services:
 • the beneficiary carries out a task itsself and is supported by
   third party (unlike subcontracting)
 • best value for money or lowest price

 • e.g. consumables and supplies, dissemination costs, rent for
   meeting rooms, IRP-related costs, certificates on the financial
   statements

                            FFG, September 6, 2016
Costs of Linked Third Parties

 • May carry out work in the project and report its own costs
 • rules regarding eligibility of costs, funding rates and third
   country participation apply
 • Name and tasks of the Linked Third Party must be indicated in
   the proposal

                          FFG, September 6, 2016
Exercise on eligibility and budget
categories (1)
• costs for drafting the CA before the project starts: ineligible (not incurred during the
  duration of the action)
• catering during full-day project meeting: eligible (other direct costs/costs of other
  goods and services)
• 1st. class train ticket - company usually books 2nd. class: ineligible (not in line with
  the beneficiary‘s usual practises)
• test series performed by external company (task 4.2): eligible (subcontracting –
  purchase of a service identified as an action task)
• costs for attending a conference (no ‚active‘ contribution): ineligible (no ‚active
  contribution‘, therefore not necessary for the project)
• costs for Certificate on the Financial Statement (CFS): eligible (other direct costs/
  costs of other goods and services)
                                   FFG, September 6, 2016
Exercise on eligibility and budget
categories (2)
• consulting service on IPR issues: eligible (other direct costs/costs of other goods
  and services)
• non-refundable VAT included in hotel bill: eligible (other direct costs/travel costs)
• tickets for visiting Acropolis during kick-off meeting: ineligible (social activity, not
  considered necessary for the project)
• article processing charge (APC) for open access publication eligible (other direct
  costs/costs of other goods and services)
• costs for externalising the coordinator‘s tasks to a project management agency:
  tasks of the coordinator (as defined in art. 41.2 of the GA) may not be subcontracted

                                    FFG, September 6, 2016
Reporting and Payments

Pre-financing                  Interim                        Interim
                                                                             Balance Payment
                              payment                        payment
 30 days after GA enters          90 days                       90 days                 90 days
into force/10 days before
    the project starts

         Reporting                    Reporting                      Reporting
          Period 1                     Period 2                       Period 3

                               Periodic                       Periodic       Periodic      Final
                                report                         report         report    + report

The coordinator distributes the payments    FFG, September 6, 2016                          35
Periodic reporting

 Two parts to be completed:
   • Periodic technical report
   • Periodic financial report:
      → Individual financial statement, explanation on the
        use of resources
      → Periodic summary financial
        statement (= request for interim payment)
 To be submitted within 60 days after the end of a
 reporting period
                           FFG, September 6, 2016
Financial reporting in the
Participant Portal
                                              • Click to complete
                                                ‚use of resources‘

                                              • Other direct costs
                                                only need to be
                                                explained if they
                                                exceed 15% of the
                                                personnel costs

                     FFG, September 6, 2016
Certificate on the Financial Statements (CFS)
• Required at the end of the project if funding per partner
  (or Linked Third Party) exceeds 325.000 EUR (only actual
  costs and ‚average personnel costs‘)
• may be performed by any qualified auditor
• costs are eligible as other direct costs
• template/further info: Annex 5 of the Grant Agreement

                         FFG, September 6, 2016
EU audit (2nd. level audit)

• May take place within two years after the balance payment

• Possible consequences: rejection of costs, reduction of the
  grant, recovery; extension to other projects in case of
  ‘systematic errors’

N.B.: records and supporting information must be kept for
five years after the balance payment

                        FFG, September 6, 2016
Frequent mistakes
•  Costs claimed are not substantiated (no proper documentation…)
•  Costs claimed are not linked to the project
•  Third parties and subcontracting costs are not properly reported
•  Depreciation costs are not correctly charged/full price is charged
•  Personnel costs:
   • incorrect calculation of productive hours
   • charging of hours not worked for the project
• errors related to time records (inconsistent with information on sick
  leave/travels/holidays, ‚signed‘ while a person was absent…)

                           FFG, September 6, 2016
Guarantee Funds

• Similar to an insurance between all beneficiaries – no „collective
  financial responsability“ of the consortium
• 5 % of the pre-financing payment are transferred directly to the
  fund (and released at the balance payment)
• Cases covered: amounts owed by a beneficiary to the funding
  body (e.g. due to bancruptcy)
• Cased not covered: amounts owed by a beneficiary to
  another beneficiary (e.g. due under-/owerspending)

                           FFG, September 6, 2016
When in doubt…
• Have a look at the H2020 Online Manual:
 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/docs/h2020-funding-guide/index_en.htm

• Look for information in the Annotated Grant Agreement:
 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-amga_en.pdf

• Ask your legal and financial NCP:
 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/support/national_contact_points.html

• Contact the Research Enquiry Service:
 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/support/research_enquiry_service.html

                                        FFG, September 6, 2016
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
               Katarina Rohsmann
         Expert for legal and financial issues
          in the EU framework programme

      Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
        Sensengasse 1, 1090 Vienna, Austria
                phone: +43/5/7755-4009
            email: katarina.rohsmann@ffg.at

                 FFG, September 6, 2016
You can also read