News from
  the UK Cultural Contact Point:

Application forms for strand 1.1. and 1.2.1 will be available online in mid July 2009! The European Commission confirmed that application forms will only be available in mid July for the 1 October 2009 deadline. Please note that electronic application forms will be introduced this year. Application forms for Strand 2 will be published in mid September. Watch this space for updates!

UK Grand Prize Winner: Europa Nostra - European Heritage Awards 2009. Overall six heritage projects in the UK can take home this prestigious European Heritage Label. And this year's awards ceremony saw one Grand Prize Winner from the UK: the High Level Bridge at Newcastle/Gateshead received a prize of €10,000 in the category of conservation. Read more here.

Cuture Programme Workshops - Are you making an application to the Culture Programme, 1 October 2009 deadline? If so and you need assistance with understanding the implications of the criteria, completing the application form or constructing the budget then take a closer look at EUCLID's Culture Programme Workshops. Register TODAY!

Presentations of Culture Programme Info Days available online! The European Commission held three information days on the Culture Programme in the past couple of months. You can download the presentations here. Scroll down and access the relevant information in pdf format. 

Next deadline for Strand 1.1 and 1.2.1, cooperation projects is 1 October 2009!

What is the Culture Programme?

The EU’s Culture programme (2007-2013) has a budget of €400 million for projects and initiatives to celebrate Europe’s cultural diversity and enhance our shared cultural heritage through the development of cross-border co-operation between cultural operators and institutions.

Strands of the Programme

Strand 1: Support for cultural actions
This strand, accounting approximately for about three-quarters of the programme's budget, aims to enable a wide range of cultural organisations coming from various eligible European countries to collaborate on cultural and artistic projects. This strand has three sub-categories:

• 1.1 Multi-annual co-operation projects over a period of three to five years (deadline 1 October each year)
• 1.2.1 Co-operation projects over a maximum period of two years (deadline 1 October each year)
• 1.2.2 Literary translation projects (deadline 1 February each year)
• 1.3 Co-operation with third countries over a maximum period of two years (deadline 1 May each year).
  
  Strand 1.3 also includes other special measures projects relate to high-profile actions of considerable scale and scope - such as the support for European Capitals of Culture, support for prizes awarded for literature, cultural heritage heritage, contemporary architecture and popular music – see the Related Links section for further resources.

Strand 2: Support for cultural bodies (deadline 1 Nov each year for annual grants; 1 Nov 2010 for organisations seeking 3 year grants) This strand, with about 10% of the programme's budget, supports cultural bodies working at the European level: networks, festivals, cultural ambassadors and policy support structures. These bodies may encourage exchanges between cultural organisations in different European countries, identify the European artistic community's needs, represent the sector in dealing with EU institutions, participate in the public debate on cultural issues, and act as European cultural ambassadors.

Strand 3: Support for analysis and dissemination activities. This strand, with about 5% of the programme's budget, aims to support analysis and dissemination activities in order to raise awareness of the Culture programme and its activities. The first focus is on providing support for analyses in the field of cultural co-operation and policy development. The second is by supporting the cultural contact points which will ensure the effective grassroots dissemination of practical and targeted information on the programme in all participating countries. The final focus is on supporting the collection and dissemination of information, so that cultural operators can make use of the output and results of already EU-funded projects. 

Advice from the UK Contact Point

There is good news and bad news about strands 1.1, 1.2.1 and 1.3 of this programme:

• The good news is that this is one of the easier EU programmes to apply for - recent changes have considerably simplified the criteria and the application procedures.
• The bad news for some is that the focus of the programme is only on co-operation projects involving at least 3 partner organisations (not individuals) from at least 3 different eligible European countries.

To be eligible, projects must be a genuine cultural collaboration between at least three cultural organisations from at least three different eligible European countries. "Culture" includes all aspects of performing arts, visual arts, literature and heritage - but it excludes audiovisual projects (see MEDIA programme covering the audiovisual industry).

You should also be aware that the European Commission is keen to support "interdisciplinary" projects covering several cultural areas or heritage and / or projects which address the theme of "intercultural dialogue" (which aims "to strengthen respect for cultural diversity...to support the coexistence of different cultural identities & beliefs...to acknowledge the contribution of different cultures to the EU member states' heritage & way of life..."). There is also a strand for literary translation projects (see above).

The EU will provide up to 50% of the costs of such projects.

THE CULTURE PROGRAMME DOES NOT SUPPORT TOURS OR BILATERAL EXCHANGES OR CAPITAL PROJECTS OR THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT OR ACTIVITIES JUST HAPPENING IN ONLY ONE COUNTRY (or activities "dressed up" to look European but which are actually just pretending to be European to try to access these funds). 

Find a project partner

Add your own partner search listing and look for partners: Visit partners.culture.info

Other databases for the Culture Programme and listings of cultural organisations across Europe can be found at the following websites:

• Partner Search Database Croatia

• Partner Search Database Slovenia
  
• Partner Search Database Spain
• Europe (46 country pages)
• UK (for those outside the UK seeking UK partners)

Also visit: connect.culture.info -  helping artists and cultural organisations work internationally

How to apply

Information Sheets: The UK CCP have produced a series of information sheets to download which are based on the official Programme Guide. These sheets summarise the 75 page-long programme guide:

• ALL – about the Culture programme
• PROJ – information on the co-operation projects (strands 1.1, 1.2.1 and 1.3)
• LIT – about literary translation projects (strand 1.2.2)
• ST2 – about Strand 2: ambassadors, networks, festivals, policy support structures
  
• FIN – financial and other conditions of grant
• ASG – application & selection procedures, and glossary of terms

• Strand 1.1* – multiannual co-operation projects (3-5 years)
• Strand 1.2.1* – co-operation projects (1-2 years)
• Strand 1.2.2 – literary translation projects
• Strand 1.3 – third country projects.
• Strand 2 – ambassadors / networks / festivals / policy support structures

* Need help putting together your budget for strand 1.1 and 1.2.1? The UK CCP has developed a spreadsheet to help you prepare your project budget for cooperation projects under strand 1.1. and 1.2.1 – please note that this is only to assist you before you complete the official application forms!  Download the spreadsheet tool (.xls). Remember: this is not the official budget form. Your project budget must be submitted on the official budget form you can download from the European Commission’s Executive Agency’s website (see link above).