1. Additional information on project management
Gabriella Soos
REA Unit S2 – Space Research

2. Table of content Where to find documents Reporting Auditing
Amendments to the Grant Agreement
Publication issues

3. Find guidelines and templates in Cordis
FP7 web portal CORDIS
Open and closed calls
Guide for applicants
Work programme
Most important!
FIND A DOCUMENT
9 thematic priorities: a couple of them new as compared to FP6
Database of experts

4. Guide to financial issues Guidance notes on project reporting
Key documents to read
The coordinator and/or the person in charge of the administrative and financial issues in the coordinating organisation must read – at least - the following documents:
Guide to financial issues
Guidance notes on project reporting
Amendments Guide for FP7 Grant Agreements 4

5. Accessing the reporting functions: the Participant Portal (1/2)
(Not legally binding)
Accessing the reporting functions: the Participant Portal (1/2)
Log on to the Participant Portal
Additonal information on Participant Portal on the online User Manual

6. The Participant Portal (2/2)
(Not legally binding)
The Participant Portal (2/2)
2. Once connected to the Participant Portal, select the tab "My Projects"
3. The list of the projects you are involved will be displayed.
4. For any of your projects in the "Active" phase, you can access: - the technical reporting (deliverables) - the financial one (Form C).
5. Once you have clicked on the link, you will be redirected to the right supporting application.

7. Reporting Table of content Where to find documents Auditing
Amendments to the Grant Agreement
Publication issues

8. Guidance Notes on Project Reporting
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/project_reporting_en.pdf 8

9. Periodic reporting and deliverables
During the course of the project, the consortium has to submit:
The deliverables according to the timetable specified in the Deliverables list
A periodic report within 60 days of the end of each reporting period (including the last reporting period)
BE ON TIME! 9

10. At the end of the project you have to submit:
Final Reporting
At the end of the project you have to submit:
A final report, within 60 days after the end of the project, comprising:
A final publishable summary report covering results, conclusions and socio-economic impact of the project;
A report covering the wider societal implications of the project, in the form of a questionnaire (gender equality actions, ethical issues, etc.)
After receiving final EU payment, the coordinator shall submit a report on the distribution of the Community financial contribution between beneficiaries. To be submitted 30 days after receipt of the final payment. 10

11. 1 part of the report completed only on-line:
Submission in SESAM
Reports, deliverables and financial statements (Form C’s) have to be submitted in the IT application SESAM
Access through the Participant Portal portal/appmanager/participants/portal
1 part of the report completed only on-line:
Publishable report,
Explanations on use of the resources
Tables of deliverables and milestones
Report on work progress and achievements
Follow the template (available at )

12. In SESAM submit only FINAL deliverables
Both coordinator and beneficiaries can upload the deliverables, whereas
ONLY the Coordinator can submit the deliverables at the due dates
Upon the electronic submission, the coordinator receives a short generic, automated ‘acknowledgment of receipt’
Important:
Submit only final deliverables
Once submitted the deliverable cannot be modified
To change a deliverable, the project officer has to “reject” it and the coordinator has to submit the finalised document
SESAM is an “archive”, not to be used as a platform for working documents 12

13. How to submit deliverables/reports?
By electronic means:
Periodic / Final reports / deliverables, etc. via web-based tool in the Participant Portal
Forms C via web-based tool in the Participant Portal (via FORCE)
NB: The signed self declaration is part of the electronic submission.
By post
to the mail address indicated in article 8 of the GA,
in parallel to the electronic submission:
ONLY:
the signed Forms C (prepared and submitted via the web-based tools. The coordinator should collect them and send them to REA)
the certificates on financial statements or on the methodology (only if applicable!).

14. How to write the progress report on the activities
Give a clear account of the project activities during the reporting period
The progress report
What did you do?
What did you achieve?
Which problems did you encounter?
Any deviations? Corrective actions?
Clear, informative, straight to the point, concise
Transparent communication 14

15. Periodic report: the financial part
2 financial documents:
The explanation on the use of the resources
This is part of the report submitted on-line in SESAM
How did you spend your budget? Any deviations?
Personnel: Who worked on the project? How many person*months? How much?
KEEP TIMESHEETS
Travel: which trips? Where? Why? How much in total?
Meetings: collect participants’ signatures (especially if you reimburse or claim travel costs)
Any subcontracting?
Etc.
One Financial statement per beneficiary (Forms C) and a summary financial report for the whole consortium
submitted via Participants Portal AND by post
(can be signed by any representative of the beneficiary)
The coherence between the two financial documents has to be ensured.
In addition the use of the resources has to be compared with the section “Resources to be committed” in the Description of Work to explain deviations. 15

16. Explain the use of the resources: an example
For each item, specify type of activity:
RTD
Demonstration
Management
OTHER (e.g. dissemination)
Personnel: specify position (not name) and no. of person-months of work
Equipment: has to be depreciated
Travels:
distinguish between travels claimed under RTD and travels for dissemination (OTHER)
indicate title of meeting, date, location, « purpose » of travel
Note to the coordinator: if one partner overspends, it is up to the coordinator to decide how much the partner can claim as EU contribution (i.e. full amount if the overspending is due to anticipated work, or only the budget share agreed for the reporting period and lower than the amount which could be claimed).
* All the entries are examples and purely for illustration 16

17. Some important financial rules
1. Interests generated by the pre-financing
Coordinator to identify the interests generated by the prefinancing due to the beneficiaries, if any, at the end of the 1st Reporting Period
2. Purchase cost of durable equipment and Depreciation
Durable equipment (e.g. software, computers, etc.) is subject to depreciation, according to the usual accounting rules of each partner
Please see p. 61 and following of the Financial Guidelines (there is a new version dated 28/02/2011).
3. Participation in conferences and other public events
Costs can be charged to a project ONLY if justified by a public presentation of the project activities and results
“Just to listen and network" cannot be charged
Participation of several beneficiaries and/or various representatives of the same partner to be justified
If presentation of the project, the FP7 funding has to be properly acknowledged (see later)
A copy of the submitted paper and/or the presentation, and the event agenda, have to be delivered to the REA project officer (i.e. as deliverable). 17

18. Approval of reports
After reception of the reports the REA may:
Approve the reports and deliverables: REA disburses the corresponding payments within 105 days of their receipt unless the time-limit, the payment or the project has been suspended;
Suspend the time limit if reports/deliverables have not been supplied, are incomplete, unclear or raise doubts concerning the eligibility of costs claimed.
Suspend the payment at any time for the amount intended for the beneficiary(ies) concerned: for details see Article II.5 of Annex II (General conditions) to the grant agreement;
Reject the reports and deliverables by giving an appropriate justification and, if appropriate, start the procedure for termination of the GA. 18

19. Intermediate payments
Payments are linked to submission of
a complete and correct report,
deliverables
Electronic and signed form C’s
«The Commission shall evaluate and approve project reports and deliverables and disburse the corresponding payments within 105 days of their receipt.» 19

20. Prefinancing and Guarantee Fund
If 2 reporting periods: 60% of EU contribution
If 3 reporting periods: 160% of the average EU contribution per period
Paid to the coordinator within 45 days following the date of entry into force of the grant agreement
Guarantee Fund
5% of maximum EU contribution
No collective financial responsibility in FP7 as was the case in FP6 (still collective scientific responsibility)
At the final payment, the amount contributed to the Fund shall be returned to the beneficiaries via the coordinator 20

21. Technical reviews Planned at the end of each reporting period
Usually the review takes place 2 or 3 weeks after the submission of the report and deliverables
Present the work carried out, the main achievements and the use of the resources
Participation of the coordinator, participation of WP leaders to be discussed on a case-by-case basis
Independent experts are appointed as external reviewers
give external advice to the REA on the project for the period concerned
assist the REA by recommending any reorientation that may be required.
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/project_review_en.pdf 21

22. Reporting: flow chart submitted through the Participant Portal
Comments from
Project officer
Correction of Report and submission of v2
ALL documents received, correct and accepted
REPORT, DELIVERABLES and FORM C’s
More than 1 iteration may be necessary
Technical review
Payment
and
Assessment by the financial officer

23. For IT problems Helpdesk for IT related questions
Tel: (08:30 – 16:30 CET)

24. Auditing Table of content Where to find documents Reporting
Amendments to the Grant Agreement
Publication issues

25. Financial audits
The Commission/REA may, at any time during the implementation of the project and up to five years after the end of the project, arrange for financial audits to be carried out, by external auditors, or by the Commission/REA services themselves including European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF.
The beneficiaries shall keep the originals or, in exceptional cases, duly authenticated copies – including electronic copies - of all documents relating to the grant agreement for up to five years from the end of the project. 25

26. Amendments to the Grant Agreement
Table of content
Where to find documents
Reporting
Auditing
Amendments to the Grant Agreement
Publication issues

27. Requests for amendments
Amendments are legal acts modifying the commitments initially accepted by the parties and which may:
create new rights or impose new obligations, or
modify significant parts of the grant agreement (GA).
See: ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/amendments-ga_en.pdf

28. When to submit an amendment request?
When should the coordinator submit an Amendment request?
If any GA provision needs to be modified and/or
In case of major modification to the Description of Work
When is an Information Letter sufficient?
Changes to contact point/authorised representative, legal address/name
In this case the LEAR of the concerned beneficiary should update the information in the Participants Portal
Only if necessary, beneficiaries are allowed to transfer budget between different activities and between themselves (without amendment!), namely:
- the needs are clearly justified
- the work is carried out as planned in the Description of Work, and
- the Project Officer agrees.
Always refer to the Amendments Guide at
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/amendments-ga_en.pdf

29. Publication issues Table of content Where to find documents Reporting
Auditing
Amendments to the Grant Agreement
Publication issues

30. Publications and publicity
The beneficiaries shall, throughout the duration of the project, take appropriate measures to engage with the public and the media about the project and to highlight the EC financial support.
Any publicity, including at a conference or seminar or any type of information or promotional material must specify that the project has received EC research funding and display the European emblem.
Any publicity made by the beneficiaries in respect of the project must specify that it reflects only the author’s views and that the Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

31. Publications and publicity
All publications shall include the following statement:
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme ([FP7/ ]) under grant agreement n° xxxxx (see Article II.30. of the Grant Agreement).
During and after the project, the coordinator shall provide references and an abstract of all scientific publications relating to foreground at the latest two months following publication (see Article II.30. of the Grant Agreement).
As part of the final project report, the coordinator will be required to submit a full list of publications relating to foreground of the project.

32. REA – Research Executive Agency http://ec.europa.eu/research/rea
Gabriella Soos
REA – Research Executive Agency @
 COV2 17/102▪ 1049 Brussels ▪ Belgium
site Place Rogier ▪ 1210 Brussels  
Copyright © Close Comfort 32