Programme Manual

The Interreg Aurora Programme Manual gives the key information needed, both for applicants when planning and applying for funding and for beneficiaries when implementing and finishing a project.

The Programme Manual has four sections:

  • Plan for project
  • Apply for project
  • Implement your project
  • Finish your project

You find the four sections in the menu on the right side of this page. If you scroll down on this page you will find abbreviations and a glossary that can be helpful.

List of changes in the Programme Manual

Version and date

New in this version

Version 1 – January 2023

This is the first version.

Version 2 –
August 2023

New section on Control and Audit

New text about payment application for Small-scale projects and that the final report of the small-scale project must be submitted before an application for a regular project can be submitted

New text about eligible partners

Additional selection criteria, in use from call 3

Specific note, applicable from call 3, Staff costs regarding hiring PhD students 

Version 3 –December 2023

New section about Data protection (GDPR)

New application process for small-scale projects

Programme enlargement. Kainuu and Pohjois-Karjala are new programme regions in sub-area Aurora

It is possible to apply 50% of the Norwegian project costs but no more than 200 000 EUR (2 mill. NOK) per project. There can be exceptions to this if the project includes the whole programme area on the Norwegian side. This must be agreed with the Norwegian Managing Organisation before submitting an application. 

Version 4 –January 2024

Updated text about State aid
Version 5 –May 2024Updated text about Project communication – implementation phase
  

Programme manual

Abbreviations

ERDF – European Regional Development Fund

EU – European Union

FLC – First Level Control

IR – Norwegian Interreg-funding

JS – Joint Secretariat

LP – Lead Partner

PP – Project Partner

MA – Managing Authority

MC – Monitoring Committee

NMO – Norwegian managing organisation

SC – Steering Committee(s)

SDG – Sustainable Developments Goals

SME – Small and medium sized enterprise

SO – specific objective

VAT – Value added tax

WP – work package

Glossary

Activity – a work package component which may or may not result in an output.

Control – any measure taken to provide reasonable assurance regarding the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of projects. Furthermore, it should contribute to the reliability of reporting, the safeguarding of assets and information, the prevention and detection and correction of fraud and irregularities and their follow-up. Control should ensure the adequate management of the risks relating to the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions, taking into account the multi-annual character of programmes as well as the nature of the payments concerned. Controls may involve various checks.

Costs incurred – Costs accumulated in relation to implementation of the project activities that are recorded as liabilities on a balance sheet of the partner organisation until they are discharged or paid. Incurred costs may include both direct and indirect costs.

Depreciation – A non-cash expenditure that reduces the value of an asset over time. The full purchase price of equipment is only eligible if the item is solely used for the project during its total economic and depreciable lifetime. Otherwise, depreciation may be eligible, provided it is calculated taking into account the degree of use of the item for the project and the project duration.

Durability – durability of project outputs and results refers to the long-lasting effect of a project’s achievements beyond project duration.

EU-financing rate – The percentage (65%) applied to the eligible expenditure of the project and each individual partner in Sweden and/or Finland resulting in the amount of EU-support to be received.

ERDF-funding/EU-funding/ EU-support – The EU-support to a project from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)

IR-financing rate – The percentage (50%) applied to the eligible expenditure of the project and each individual partner resulting in the amount of EU-support to be received.

IR-funding /IR-support – The support to a project from Norwegian Interreg funding (Interreg-midler)

Member State(s) – EU Member State(s)

National co-financing – The co-financing (35%/50%) secured by the partners and/or external financiers. The co-financing can be either public or private.

Project overall objective – a concrete statement describing what the project is intending to achieve. It can be evaluated at the conclusion of a project to see whether it was achieved or not.

Real costs – Expenditure actually incurred and paid, and supported by invoices or other documents of equivalent probative value.

Reporting period – A designated period of time during the project lifetime; activities carried out and expenditure incurred and paid (unless simplified cost options apply) during a reporting period are presented in a progress report and are subject to programme co-financing.

Simplified cost options – simplified cost options involve approximations of costs and are defined based on fair, equitable and verifiable calculation methods, or they are established by the Fund specific regulations. The application of simplified cost options signifies a departure from the approach of tracing every euro of co-financed expenditure to individual supporting documents.

SMEs – definitions can be found here https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/sme-definition_en

Total budget – The total budget of a project is established based on the costs planned by all project partners in the application.

Value for money – Term referring to a judgment on whether sufficient impact is being achieved for the money spent.

Work package – A group of related project activities aimed at producing project main outputs.