Action A1: Preparation of technical documents, administrative or legal procedures
The Department of Environment, which is also the Beneficiary of this project, will create and standardise a coherent “modus operandi” for the LIFE NCP, as well as an Action Plan for the implementation of the Capacity Building Project. In addition, consultation amongst competent Authorities will be provided for the preparation of a LIFE Integrated Project, whilst also procurement procedures and contracting external assistance for specific tasks will be carried out.
Action A2: Personnel for the NCP
The current personnel for the NCP will be maximally utilised with full-time responsibility for the NCP function, but also new personnel dedicated to obtaining technical competence in both Traditional and Integrated Projects will be recruited. Specifically, one environmental communication expert, one climate change expert, and two experts for the Environment Subprogramme (one of them being dedicated to “Nature & Biodiversity” and the other for all other “Resource Efficiency” thematic priorities).
A3: Trainings, workshops, sessions for the beneficiary’s staff
This action entails trainings, workshops and sessions, aimed to develop and enhance the skills necessary to the NCP staff for hands-on consulting and immediate advising of applicants. All the necessary technical competences and knowledge for the LIFE programme will be provided through proposal writing and LIFE IP proposal writing trainings, the workshops on project management and the Quarterly Follow-Up-to-the-Trainings Sessions.
Action A4: Twinnings
“Twinnings” will take place with the LIFE NCPs of other Member States aiming to facilitate the exchange of expertise and best practices on handling queries, proposals pre-screenings, time management, etc. The Twinnings will emphasise on the acquisition of know-how for both the Traditional and IP projects.
Action A5: “train-the-trainer” approaches
Herein, the LIFE NCP will be trained in complementary skills for “Presentation & moderation” and “Marketing the services” in addition to training with evaluators in “mock evaluations”, so as to gain sight through the “Evaluators’ Eyes”; these activities will enhance the Trainers efficiency at pre-screening potential proposals.
Action A6: Info activities to public stakeholders
The NCP will carry out 4 info days annually in 4 Districts (Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, and Pafos) thus covering a wide range of potential applicants (NGO’s, Universities, government departments etc). In order to promote synergies, the NCP will also seek and foster participation in common info days with other funding mechanisms (e.g. Structural Funds, Horizon 2020), and inform and coordinate with specific stakeholders that will be involved in the IPs (i.e. Governmental Departments, the Competent Authorities for Fisheries Fund, Rural Development Plan and Leader Funds, District Administrations, Local Authorities, NGO’s and important associations/organizations, the District Development Agencies, the Responsible Authority for Structural & Cohesion Funds, land owners etc.).
Action A7: Helpdesk
Planned as one of the most important activities of the NCP for the enhancement of the quality of proposals, the service provided through this helpdesk will not be merely that of a call center for queries and “problems” just before and during the proposals preparation. Instead and further to that, the NCP foresees to provide methodical and succinct assistance delivered in 3 levels: consultation during proposal preparation and submission, management support of ongoing projects, and last but not least, consultation for the “after-life” of Projects i.e. exploitation of opportunities arising as results of projects, together with promotion of replication of project results by the public sector and relevant policy makers. Assistance to pipelining the profitable exploitation (e.g. patenting, product development and marketing, etc.) of results and end-products of Projects will take place through active liaising with platforms and networks such as EEN, INNEON, Business Angels, IPR-Helpdesk, etc. An unofficial “hints-&-tips” guide will be created in the form of a booklet.
Action A8: Financial and technical training on project management of ongoing projects
Trainings of the NCP will take place, regarding the management of running projects. In addition to the above, relevant stakeholders/ beneficiaries will be included/ involved.
Action A9: Promotion of Joint project – EU LIFE network with other NCP’s
A noteworthy Milestone of this project will be the strengthening of the cooperation with other Member States and the European Commission, and the fostering of the idea of creating a more structured LIFE NCP Network along the example of the Horizon 2020 NCP Networks, in order to economise on resources through common/ joint activities and good practices. The main objective herein is to promote the idea of a joint NCP project, which will in the long-term:
- optimise the tools at hand (such as the network website, the partner search system and other communication material),
- maximise awareness about the LIFE NCP network through joint NCP stands, brokerage (partnership building) events, joint awareness campaigns at national or EU level, and
- standardise the network skills and provided services through the creation of a charter of services for the “clients” and through the provision of targeted training, twinning schemes and staff exchanges.
Action A10: Work with national representatives of other networks
Collaboration and synergies will be sought with representatives of other Environment-related networks or networks of interest, such as H2020 SC5 NCPs, EEN Sector Group Environment, COSME, CIP, Business Angels, EEA grants and structural funds. Tangible proofs of such collaborations will be relevant Memoranda of Understanding.
Action A11: Networking, consultation and coordination regarding Projects, including IP’s
Networking of the NCP (for preparing, writing and implementing LIFE Projects, including IP’s) will take place through the participation in: LIFE Projects’ “Green Week”, LIFE Projects’ Coordinators “Common Kick-Off” Meetings, and Meetings between “newcoming” Coordinators and Coordinators of previous/ current Projects.
Action A12: Equipment
Early in the project the NCP will ensure the procurement and purchase of any necessary equipment (e.g. Computers, Projector, Presentation Screen) that will allow the technologically up-to-date sound delivery of services.
Action A13: Facilitation of exchange of experiences and results amongst LIFE Projects
Facilitating exchange of experience, best practices, and dissemination of results amongst LIFE Projects will be carried out on national and on EU level. The NCP plans Events including the hosting of LIFE beneficiaries from other Member States, and foresees the participation at EU Events for Cypriot beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries. These facilitations will act as additional means for networking, thus leading to potential future multinational collaborations. These activities will enhance the diffusion of projects’ results and promote brokeraging, so as to boost potential reproducibility and marketisation of the results of Cypriot beneficiaries abroad and vice versa.
Action B1: Establishment of a monitoring procedure
The impact of the project actions will be monitored on a continuous basis, in order to ensure that there is measurable progress and improvement throughout, as well as after, the capacity building project. Monitoring will serve as the mean to re-direct or adjust some tasks if and when needed. The LIFE NCP will carry out a SWOT analysis so that a monitoring procedure may be established based on concrete results on “strengths” and “weaknesses” of the system.
Action B2: Creation of List of Indices
A List of Indices will be formulated, in order to measure the baseline, as well as the project’s progress and impact half-way through the project, at the end, as well as two years after the end of the project. Apart from those indices suggested by the Commission, new indices that may be identified as pertinent will also be used.
Action B3: Recording and monitoring of the indices
The recording and monitoring of the values of the defined indices will take place in four distinct “time-points” of the project.
Action B4: Review of indices and potential fine-tuning
A short report will be prepared at set time-points in order to monitor the status, as well as the need for adjustments.
Action C1: Media Work
Communication within this project is multipurpose; aiming both at delivering the message to the general public so as to engage it and raise its awareness, as well as at informing stakeholders for the purpose of conveying that LIFE is the vehicle to delivering certain environmental policies and improving the environmental policy framework. Press releases, meetings and visits with journalists, newspaper articles and advertisements targeting potential beneficiaries (NGO’s, private companies, public authorities, etc) dealing with different issues related to the environment and climate change will be produced. In addition, informational brochures will be inserted in the daily press targeting the general public of all ages, while presentations in nationwide TV and Radio broadcasts will also take place. These activities will subsequently boost the implementation of the LIFE programme in Cyprus, ultimately increasing the overall quality and quantity of LIFE projects.
Action C2: Events
This Action entails meetings with interest groups and guided visits to sites where actions have been implemented through LIFE projects. In addition, LIFE Project “Open Days / Info Days” will take place, targeting specific stakeholders and potential beneficiaries. These events will facilitate the effective communication of the results of other LIFE projects to respective groups of stakeholders and institutions. The public engagement and stakeholder outreach activities of this project will also contribute to building a sentiment of “EU togetherness”, by showcasing the European origin and scale of the funding and by highlighting the paradigms of “positive impact” through success cases in Cyprus and abroad.
Action C3: Conference
A Final Conference is envisaged, which will not only review the overall results of the “CYCLamEn” project and present a digest of the main achievements of its Actions, but it will also contextualise these results and “put them into perspective” for their continuation after the project’s completion. The main scope of this is to ensure the prolongation and maintenance of their good effects and praxis for the quality and quantity of Cypriot LIFE projects.
Action C4: Production of Promotional Materials
Promotional material is required e.g. brochures, leaflets, “gym-bags”, lanyards, pencils/pens, pins, paper notebooks, post-its, mugs/bottles, hats, t-shirts, safety jackets, USB’s, mouse-pads, etc.
Action C5: Website and Social Media marketing
A dedicated Website will be created, with updates foreseen for links to already existing national portals for funding mechanisms, ensuring continuous awareness raising of interested and involved parties. The project’s website shall be available in English and Greek in order to achieve effective dissemination in the participating countries.
Action C6: Development of public awareness materials
The logo of the project, banner, video walls, TV spot and Radio spot will be created, targeting the general public of all ages. Posters will be created and distributed to relevant bodies and departments (stakeholders), as well as in schools.