1. National INTERREG Information Day Tullamore 11th June 2015 The Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme Mike Pollard – Head of ETC Unit Welsh European Funding Office – Welsh Government

2. WEFO – Who are we?
Part of Welsh Government – manage delivery of Structural Funds in Wales
West Wales and the Valleys & East Wales programmes (ERDF/ESF)
Four Programmes – some £2 billion for
Supporting economic growth and jobs through:
Research and innovation
Business finance
ICT and Transport connectivity
Energy
Helping people into work and training.
ETC – Ireland Wales/Atlantic Area/North-West Europe/EU 28 programmes – Managing Authority for Ireland Wales Programme

3. Structural Funds in Wales
EU funds
Total Investment
West Wales &
Valleys
East Wales
Ireland/Wales
Co-operation
£1.604bn
£2.08bn
£325m
£488m
£63m
£76m
Provisional Figures subject to approval by EC. Calculated using a planning rate of 1.25

4. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Timelines
Programme developed in partnership - Tri-lateral group WEFO/SRA/DPER
Drafting/ Ex-ante evaluation Late 2013/2014
Discussions on MA – announcement March 2014
Financial allocations – UK and IE June 2014
Formal consultation June - July 2014
Submission of CP September 2014
Negotiations /re-submission December 2014
Formal approval February 2015

5. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme

6. Ireland Wales Co-operation
Programme
Policy context
Socio-economic analysis
Identification of needs, challenges and opportunities within cross-border region
EU2020 Strategy
UK/IE Partnership agreements
Fit with national policies – Wales and Ireland
Lessons learned

7. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Vision To provide the framework for organisations in the cross-border area to actively co-operate – to address challenges and shared priorities of common interest on both sides of the Irish Sea – thereby contributing and adding value to the economic and sustainable development priorities of Ireland and Wales

8. PROGRAMME INTERVENTION LOGIC
Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
PROGRAMME INTERVENTION LOGIC
Specific objective
Situation
Needs
Change
Expected result
Result indicator
Output indicators
Actions
Objectives
Results
Outputs
PROJECTS

9. Ireland Wales Co-operation
Programme
Identification of six main challenges
Utilising the potential of the Irish Sea
Improving knowledge flow
Improving SMEs’ innovative capabilities
Vulnerability to the impacts of climate change
Using natural and cultural heritage and resources to drive economic growth
Economic and social cohesion

10. Ireland Wales Co-operation
Programme
Strategy – some overarching principles
Focus on shared priorities which provide the greatest added value
Focus on economic development and jobs and growth
Projects should be genuinely cross-border seeking solutions to shared challenges
Should strive for tangible results and maximum impact
Targeting of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

11. Ireland Wales Co-operation
Programme
Strategy
Concentration of resources – more focused intervention
Assists the development of quality projects
Programme can act as an enabler and innovator
Integration – complementarity with other ESI Funds
Results focus - more emphasis on results orientation and measuring success - achieving real value – economy and society

12. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Focus
Three Priority Axes and Specific Objectives
Simplified approach – relevance to challenges, needs of the cross-border area, financial capacity of programme and potential for most impact
Alignment with strategic priorities of Welsh and Irish governments and relevance to the maritime nature of the cross-border area

13. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Priority Axes
PA 1 – Cross-border Innovation
PA 2 – Adaptation of the Irish Sea and coastal
communities to climate change
PA 3 – Cultural and Natural resources and heritage

14. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Grant Rate: up to 80% of eligible costs

15. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Types of co-operation
The establishment or development of a network, co-operation platform, portal or strategy
The transfer or adoption of knowledge, expertise, technologies or best practice
The enabling or paving the way for investment in the design, development, testing or delivery of new processes, products, studies or services (e.g. pilot actions, demonstration models etc.)

16. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Indicative activities – PA 1
Transfer of knowledge between academia and SMEs to support business innovation (in line with smart specialisation strategies)
Piloting of initiatives to test innovative products, processes or services
Cross-border demonstration, testing and marketing of new products, services, processes and systems
Cross-border innovation clusters
Development and transfer of models of best practice to assist internationalisation and competitiveness of SMEs/trade

17. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Indicative activities – PA 2
Providing mechanisms and platforms for sharing knowledge – climate change – risks and opportunities
Research on climate change impacts on Irish Sea and coastal communities
Development of assessment tools
Transfer of knowledge, expertise and best practice on adaptation measures
Developing further knowledge and understanding of the Irish Sea environment including its bio-diversity, habitats and species and its vulnerability to climate change

18. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Indicative activities – PA 3
Cross-border promotion and development of business opportunities related to sustainable management of natural and cultural resources including niche tourist attractions
Enhancing the coastal and marine environment to make the cross-border area a more attractive place to visit
Promoting joint eco-tourism in coastal areas
Joint branding and marketing of natural and cultural assets
Utilising coastal and sea based environment to promote healthy living through outdoor activity
Supporting cross-border entrepreneurial activity in SMEs in promoting maritime leisure, heritage and traditional cultural and creative industries along the coast

19. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
State of Play
First Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) – Dublin 30th April 2015
Second meeting July 2015 – Communications and Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy
Selection criteria for Programme agreed
PMC – set up Programme Steering Committee (PSC) for project selection
PSC – first meeting – July 2015
Programme now open for business
Joint Secretariat (JS) & Ireland Wales Operations Officers (Development Officers) in place

20. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Implementation
Open call for applications – no “timetabled” calls
Pre-planning stage – first contact with JS /Operations Officers
Completion of Operation Logic Table
Submission to Technical Group
Technical Group decision – progress to business planning stage
Application stage – two Gateways – business plan and detailed planning stage
PSC responsible for decisions on operations at both stages

21. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Guidance
Link with Operations Officers essential
Documents now available:
Citizens’ summary – co-operation programme
Implementation arrangements guidance
Eligibility rules and guidance (draft)
Under development - Wales Ireland Networking (WIN) project

22. Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme
Joint Secretariat Team
Linda Weaver – Carmarthen - Head of JS
Operations (Development) Officers:
Patrick Lilly – Carmarthen
Roger Seddon – Llandudno Junction
Siobhan Rudden – Waterford
Breda Curran – Waterford

23. @irelandwales / @wefowales
Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme - Guidance
Get in touch:
@irelandwales

24. Thank You 24