The State Education Development Agency (hereinafter – Agency) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia and Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills are pleased to open the second call for proposals under EEA and Norway Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 programme “Research and Education” activity “Scholarships”
The main goal of the Scholarships Programme is to enhance research-based knowledge development through improving skills and competences of students, academic and administrative staff in higher education and research by promoting bilateral cooperation and exchange in the field of higher education between Latvia and Donor States (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).
The Scholarship Programme will contribute to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to the strengthening of bilateral relations between the Donor States and Latvia through financial contributions in the field of higher education and research. The programme’s expected outcome indicators, outputs and output indicators of the programme are as follows:
| Description | Indicators | Target value |
| Outcome Improved skills and competences of students and staff in higher education and research | Number of students with received ECTS credits | 17 |
| Output Facilitated learning mobility in higher education (HE) (students and staff) between Beneficiary State and Donor States | Number of staff from Donor States in exchanges (disaggregated by gender, Donor State) | 12 |
| Number of staff from Latvia in exchanges (disaggregated by gender, Donor State) | 20 | |
| Number of students from Donor States in exchanges (disaggregated by gender, Donor State) | 5 | |
| Number of students from Latvia in exchanges (disaggregated by gender, Donor State) | 19 | |
| Bilateral outcome Enhanced collaboration between beneficiary and donor state entities involved in the programme | Level of satisfaction with the partnership (disaggregated by State type) | ≥4.5 and an increase from baseline |
| Level of trust between cooperating entities in Beneficiary States and Donor States (disaggregated by State type) | ≥4.5 and an increase from baseline | |
| Share of cooperating organisations who apply the knowledge acquired from bilateral partnership (disaggregated by State type) | ≥50% and an increase from baseline | |
| Bilateral output Cooperation between Donors and Beneficiary state facilitated | Number of projects involving cooperation with a donor project partner (disaggregated by Donor State) | 4 |
The synergy between the Scholarships programme and the Baltic Research Programme will be promoted in order to increase the scope of impact of research projects. Projects from the Baltic Research Programme are encouraged to combine the research and scholarship activities and involve PhD students and PhD, master’s and bachelor’s students in joint research projects. Scholarships project applications that foresee synergy with already granted research projects under Latvian, Lithuanian or Estonian calls of the Baltic Research Programme will have a higher score.
Project promoter is a Latvian higher education institution, in the project shall be involved at least one higher education institution from Donor States (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein).
Proposals are submitted by the Project promoters electronically to the Agency via online submission system rsgrants.viaa.gov.lv. The online submission system is available for the Project promoter as of 15 February 2022. The deadline for submission of proposals is 19 April 2022 (23:59).
The eligible duration of project implementation is 12 months from the date the project agreement is concluded. The projects are planned to be started from the 3rd quarter of the 2022, but not before the date on which the Agency decides to award the project grant. The date for the final eligibility of expenditure in the projects is 30 April 2024.
The minimum grant amount per project is € 10 000, the maximum – € 200 000.
The total grant amount available in the call is € 335 986.
Grants from the Programme may be up to 100% of total eligible project costs.
The following types of mobility are supported within the scholarship program:
1) student mobility for period from 3 to 11 months;
2) shortened mobility of students for 5 working days;
3) online mobility of students for at least 20 hours;
4) mobility of academic and administrative staff for period from 1 to 4 weeks;
5) shortened mobility of academic and administrative staff for 2 working days;
6) online mobility of academic and administrative staff for at least 8 hours.
Eligible project costs are based on the standard scales of unit costs applied to the following project budget categories: travel and subsistence costs for student, academic and administrative staff mobility, project administrative costs. If mobility participant is a person with disability, the additional costs shall be eligible 100% as the actual costs of the project. Project costs are eligible if they are justified, necessary and appropriate, and directly related to the project.
Proposals are evaluated by two independent experts following the consensus report of which the preliminary ranking list is drafted to be submitted to the Selection Committee. The State Education Development Agency will take into account the recommendations of the Selection Committee on which proposals to select for funding and final awarding of grants.
After approval of the project and signing the project contract, the Agency shall transfer advance payment to the beneficiary 80% of the total project costs.
FURTHER INFORMATION
References (in English):
The questions and queries concerning the call for the project proposals please send to eezstipendijas@viaa.gov.lv.
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