February 2015 Update

GM European Structural Investment Fund (ESIF) 2014-2020

ESIF is the aligned programme of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF)

  1. Draft Calls for Consultation

GM Local Management Committee (the multi- stakeholder group overseeing the GM ESIF Programme) want to test their thinking about the different calls before finalising. A period of consultation on the draft specifications is being undertaken preceding the launch of each call. The first ERDF calls for consultation are now on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) website and will close on 27 February 2015. You can access the Draft Calls by following this link A brief explanation of each call is on the following page.

  1. Progress on overall programme

ERDF and ESF Operational Programmes for England will not be signed off until June 2015 at the earliest. Negotiations between the European Commission and the UK government continue with a view to securing informal agreement of a programme in February 2015, with formal adoption in June 2015. The delay is caused by the requirement to change the European budget to reflect the lack of spend in 2014.

What does this mean for Greater Manchester?

Where possible, extensions are being sought to existing activity which will minimise the gap between activities funded by the old and new programmes.

It is possible that some of the ERDF ‘Calls’ will be issued in March 2015. This depends on the ESF and ERDF programmes being formally adopted by the UK government in February 2015.

If that is possible GM should be in a position to issue contracts as soon as the programmes are formally adopted, hopefully in June 2015.

  1. Devolution Manchester

UK government has agreed a significant devolution of powers and responsibilities to Greater Manchester This has given the GMLocal Enterprise Partnership (LEP) local control over some funding that will be used to match ESF activity. This is likely to enable GM to reduce and simplify the ‘calls’ that will be tenderedtailored to GM's needs. This means that instead of the longlist of ‘calls’ previously proposed under the Skills, Employment inclusion and Reform themes there is a simplified list proposed.

Draft Calls Released for Consultation

End of consultation 27 February 2015

Start Up Support and Growth Hub & Services are the most relevant ‘calls’to VCSE organisations.

  1. Start Up Support- aimed at supporting the start-up of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Many voluntary and community organisations meet the European Funding classification of SMEs. There is a strong focus on supporting the start-up of social enterprises.
  1. Growth Hub & Services- aimed at supporting the Growth of existing SMEs. Many voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations meet the European Funding classification of SME.
  2. Sector Support- providing tailored and highly targeted support to businesses and supply chains in the following Greater Manchester priority sectors: Business, Financial and Professional Services; Digital & Creative; Life Sciences; Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS)
  1. Access to Finance- Providing impartial support and advice to SMEs to enable them to understand and access business finance from a range of public and private sources.
  1. Internationalisation- Improving the international competitiveness of GM’s Economy. In an increasingly global economy, GM needs to build on its existing track record and maximize its potential through increasing the scale and value of its exports and attracting more foreign investment
  1. Innovation- Providing support to improve innovation in: Leadership skills; New or Improved products or processes; Accessing technical expertise and facilities with the Universities; Uptake and implementation of digital technologies; Use of resources to make CO2 savings and reduce costs.
  1. Asset Base Science Infrastructure- A call for capital projects which will aid GM in developing technologies in:Advanced materials (including graphene); Health innovation;Energy (including nuclear);Biotechnology; High performance computing; Built environment and acoustic/interactive technologies.

Link to the consultation:

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