Annexes to COM(2013)500 - Participation of the Union in the Active and Assisted Living Research and Development Programme jointly undertaken by several Member States

Please note

This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

dossier COM(2013)500 - Participation of the Union in the Active and Assisted Living Research and Development Programme jointly undertaken by ...
document COM(2013)500 EN
date May 15, 2014
ANNEX I

OBJECTIVES OF THE AAL PROGRAMME

1.The AAL Programme shall fulfil the following objectives:

1.1.accelerate the emergence and take-up of relevant, affordable and integrated innovative ICT-based solutions for active and healthy ageing at home, in the community, or at work, thus improving the quality of life, autonomy, social inclusion, participation in social life, skills or employability of older adults and contributing to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of health and social care provision;

1.2.support the development of solutions that contribute to the independence and alleviation of a sense of social isolation of older adults, in such a way that the ICT component does not reduce human contact, but is complementary to it. ICT-based solutions supported under the AAL Programme should integrate non-ICT aspects by design;

1.3.maintain and further develop a critical mass of applied research, development and innovation at Union level in the areas of ICT-based products and services for active and healthy ageing;

1.4.develop cost-effective, accessible and, where relevant, energy-efficient solutions, including establishing relevant interoperability standards and facilitating the localisation and adaptation of common solutions which are compatible with varying social preferences, socio-economic factors (including energy poverty, social inclusion), gender aspects, and regulatory aspects at national or regional level, respect the privacy and dignity of older adults, including the protection and security of personal data by applying state-of-the-art privacy-by-design and, where applicable, support access to services in rural and outlying areas or benefit other groups of people, such as people with disabilities. To improve accessibility, the concept of Design for All will be promoted in the development and deployment of solutions.

2.The AAL Programme shall establish a favourable environment for the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises.

3.The AAL Programme shall focus on market-oriented applied research and innovation and shall complement related longer-term research and large scale innovation activities envisaged under Horizon 2020, and other European and national initiatives such as joint programming initiatives and activities undertaken within the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and its relevant Knowledge and Innovation Communities. It shall also contribute to the implementation of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.


ANNEX II

ACTIVITIES OF THE AAL PROGRAMME

I. Indirect actions

1.The implementation of the AAL Programme shall mainly support market-oriented research and innovation projects for active and healthy ageing, which shall demonstrate the capability to exploit the project results within a realistic time frame; the financing of those indirect actions under the AAL Programme shall mainly take the form of grants. It may also take other forms such as prizes, pre-commercial procurement, and public procurement of innovative solutions.

2.In addition, actions for the purposes of brokerage, programme promotion, in particular outreach activities to countries not currently participating in the AAL Programme, actions to raise awareness of the current capabilities, foster deployment of innovative solutions and connect supply and demand side organisations and facilitating access to finance and investors may be supported.

3.Actions aimed at improving the quality of proposals, feasibility studies and workshops may also be supported. Collaboration with the regions of the Union may be envisaged to enlarge the group of stakeholders involved in the AAL Programme.

4.Actions shall aim to consolidate and analyse different methods of end-user involvement in order to develop evidence-based best practice guidelines.

II.   Implementation

1.The AAL Programme shall be implemented on the basis of annual work plans identifying forms of funding and topics for calls for proposals. The work plans shall be derived from a published strategy, highlighting challenges and priorities, adopted by the AALA.

2.The annual work plans shall be agreed with the Commission as a basis for the annual financial contribution from the Union.

3.The implementation of the AAL Programme shall entail consultations, including on strategy, with relevant stakeholders (including decision-makers from public authorities, user representatives, private-sector service providers and insurance providers as well as industry, including small and medium-sized enterprises) concerning the applied research and innovation priorities to be addressed.

4.The implementation of the AAL Programme shall take into account demographic trends and demographic research in order to provide solutions that reflect the social and economic situation across the Union.

5.The implementation of the AAL Programme shall take into account the Union's industrial, climate and energy policies. The AAL Programme shall also promote energy efficiency and reflect the need to tackle energy poverty.

6.Due account shall be taken of gender, ethical, social sciences and humanities and privacy issues, in line with the Horizon 2020 principles and rules. Account shall also be taken of relevant Union and national legislation and international guidelines, in particular regarding the rights to privacy and data protection.

7.In line with the close-to-market nature of the AAL Programme and in compliance with the rules set out in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012, the AALA shall ensure time-to-grant and time-to-payment in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1290/2013 and ensure compliance with them by Participating States during the implementation of the AAL Programme.

8.Each Participating State shall strongly promote, from the earliest stage of all research and innovation projects, the participation of organisations representing demand side actors, including end users.

9.Each Participating State shall co-finance its national participants whose proposals are successful through national agencies that shall, in addition, channel the Union co-funding from the dedicated implementation structure, on the basis of a common project description, which forms part of an agreement to be concluded between the respective national programme management agencies and their national participants for each project.

10.After the closure of a call for project proposals, a central eligibility check shall be carried out by the AALA in cooperation with the designated national programme management agencies. That check shall be performed on the basis of the common eligibility criteria for the AAL Programme which shall be published with the call for project proposals.

11.The AALA shall, with the assistance of the national programme management agencies, check the fulfilment of additional national eligibility criteria set out in the calls for project proposals.

12.The national eligibility criteria shall relate only to the legal and financial status of the individual applicants and not to the content of the proposal and shall concern the following aspects:

12.1.applicant type, including legal status and purpose;

12.2.liability and viability, including financial soundness, fulfilment of tax and social obligations.

13.Eligible project proposals shall be evaluated by the AALA with the assistance of independent experts, on the basis of transparent and common evaluation criteria, as set out in the published call for proposals, and a list of projects in order of score shall be produced. Projects shall be selected in accordance with that ranking and taking account of available funding. That selection, once adopted by the General Assembly of the AALA, shall be binding on the Participating States.

14.If a project participant fails to meet one or more of the national eligibility criteria or if the corresponding national budget for commitment for funding is exhausted, the Executive Board of the AALA may decide that an additional central independent evaluation of the proposal concerned should be carried out with the assistance of independent experts, in order to evaluate the proposal either without the participation of the participant in question or with a replacement participant, as suggested by project participants.

15.Legal and financial issues concerning participants in projects selected for funding shall be handled by the designated national programme management agency. National administrative rules and principles shall be applied.


ANNEX III

GOVERNANCE OF THE AAL PROGRAMME

The organisational structure for the AAL Programme shall be as follows:

1.The AALA shall constitute the dedicated implementation structure created by the Participating States.

2.The AALA shall be responsible for all the activities of the AAL Programme. The AALA's tasks shall include contract and budget management, the development of the annual work plans, organisation of the calls for proposals, handling of the evaluation and ranking of proposals for funding.

3.In addition, the AALA shall supervise and be responsible for project monitoring and shall transfer the associated payments of the Union contributions to designated national programme management agencies. It shall also organise dissemination activities.

4.The AALA shall be governed by the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall be the decision-making body of the AAL Programme. It shall appoint the members of the Executive Board and supervise the implementation of the AAL Programme, including the approval of the strategy and annual work plans, allocation of national funding to projects and the handling of applications for new membership. It shall work on the basis of a one-country one-vote principle. Decisions shall be taken by simple majority, except for decisions on the succession, admission or exclusion of members or the dissolution of the AALA, for which specific voting requirements may be set out in the statutes of the AALA.

5.The Commission shall have an observer status in the meetings of the AALA General Assembly and shall approve the annual work plan. The Commission shall be invited to all the meetings of the AALA and may take part in the discussions. All the relevant documents circulated in connection with the AALA General Assembly shall be communicated to the Commission.

6.The AALA Executive Board — consisting of at least a president, a vice-president, a treasurer and a vice-treasurer — shall be elected by the AALA General Assembly to undertake specific management responsibilities such as budget planning, staffing and contracting. It shall legally represent the AALA and report to the AALA General Assembly.

7.The Central Management Unit established as a part of the AALA shall be responsible for the central management of the implementation of the AAL Programme in close coordination and cooperation with the national programme management agencies, which shall be authorised by the Participating States to undertake work associated with project management and administrative and legal aspects for the national project participants as well as to provide support for the evaluation and negotiation of project proposals. The Central Management Unit and national programme management agencies shall work together as the Management Unit under the supervision of the AALA.

8.An Advisory Board shall be established by the AALA with representatives from industry, users and other relevant stakeholders, seeking balance between generations and gender. It shall provide recommendations to the AALA on the overall programme strategy, concerning priorities and topics to be addressed in the calls for proposals and regarding other relevant actions of the AAL Programme.