Applications for funding are made to the relevant funding administrator. European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund monies are largely administered by the regional Government Office and Regional Development Agency. The vast majority of other funds are administered directly by the European Commission or via an EC appointed agency. Mobility actions within the Lifelong Learning programme, for example, are administered in the UK by the British Council, while all Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development funding applications are administered by the EC in Brussels and Luxembourg. The most rigorous project management and reporting requirements tend to come from European funding programmes, whether administered regionally, nationally or directly by the European Commission. It is for these programmes that he eu toolkit has particularly been designed, though increasingly national schemes are requiring more precise monitoring, expenditure and audit trails. The European Commission funds a range of project type, using varying financial models and rates of intervention. In general, for projects awarded direct by the EC, the further from market the activity, the higher the funding intervention rate. For example, business support projects whose results produce no direct benefit to the organisation delivering the activity may be funded at up to 100% of direct cost, those which are conducting research for their own benefit are likely to be funded at 50% of cost, and those demonstrating or validating existing technology could expect 35% of their costs to be funded. In the specific case of the European Structural Funds, the level of funding intervention will depend in part upon the region within which the project is based, as well as the type of activity. Projects within regions of severe industrial decline, for example, may attract funding support of up to 75% of their costs, whereas cross-border projects in less severely declining manufacturing regions are more likely to receive a contribution of 30-50% of cost. A particular funding scheme may support just one type of activity; others offer a range of support mechanisms. Across the various schemes, the EC can support: research projects, demonstration and validation actions, pilot activities, take-up actions, studies, exchanges of people, sharing of knowledge and best practice, networking activities, events, conferences and workshops, evaluation activities, development of methodologies and business support actions.
