Applicants for SWITCH Asia II must work in cooperation with at least one co-applicant. Co-applicant(s) participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the applicant. The co-applicant(s) must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the applicant. Co-applicant(s) must sign the Mandate in Part B section 4 of the grant application form.
Partnership Criteria
- The partnerships (applicant + co-applicant/s) will include at least one organization from a Member State of the European Union/European Economic Area or international organization and at least one organization from an eligible Asian country.
- Each member of a partnership must have a precise and clearly identified role in the implementation of the project. There is no upper limit on the number of members in a partnership. A partnership should be composed in such a way as to allow for the achievement of project objectives in the most effective and cost-efficient manner.
- The role of each partnership member organization must be clearly explained in the proposal. Even though the contracting authority concludes a contract with the Coordinator-beneficiary only (i.e. the applicant), the co-applicant/s should be shown to actively contribute to the implementation of the project.
- The applicant and its co-applicant/s draw up an agreement defining the technical and financial rights and obligations of each partnership member.
- European applicant or the main European co-applicant should commit to spend the majority of their time in field activities in Asia. This should be clearly reflected in the project description and budget.
Affiliated Entity(ies) Eligibility Criteria
The applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies). Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
- Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the beneficiary (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the beneficiary (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control.
- Entities directly or indirectly controlling the beneficiary (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the beneficiary.
- Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the beneficiary (sister companies).
Involvement of Other Organizations as Associates and Contractors in SWITCH Asia II Grant Program
- Associates: Other organizations may be involved in the action. Such associates play a real role in the action but may not receive funding from the grant, with the exception of per diem or travel costs. Associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria of applicant, co-applicant or affiliate entities.
- Contractors : The grant beneficiaries and their affiliated entities are permitted to award contracts. Associates or affiliated entity(ies) cannot be also contractors in the project. Contractors are subject to the procurement rules.
