Calls for Proposals Announced, Offices Opened2011. december 15.
While Széchenyi Programme Offices started to operate in July, all of them had been officially inaugurated across the country by December 1, “Heti Válasz” was told.
Government will inject close to 2,000 billion forints of European Union and Hungarian funds into the Hungarian economy by the end of 2013 within the New Széchenyi Plan (NSZP). Information about current tender opportunities will be given to stakeholders at professional conferences. The NSZP Széchenyi Programme Offices are organising a series of events to present support opportunities to potential applicants and to assist their work via customised consulting. In disseminating information, programme offices hold free information days on requests for proposals, both open and awaiting announcement in the near future, the related information and on alternative solutions to frequent problems. A total of 152 consultants working across Hungary help clients decide, on their premises as required, whether it is worth submitting proposals to successive requests, and on ways to find tender funds to implement specific ideas. Applicants are supported with their proposals, both submitted and awaiting submission, throughout the tender process. ”Consultants can remedy the project related problems of beneficiaries personally and on a local level, and contribute to the implementation of as many successful projects as possible in Hungary”, Heti Válasz was told by Eszter Görözdi-Nagy, Executive Director of Széchenyi Program Offices.
Consultants provide free services to turn the highest possible number of ideas into EU proposals and to bring the resulting development projects to completion. As a special feature, the free professional conferences offer potential applicants an insight in the overall tender system, including a presentation on the role of the Széchenyi Program Office. The events are organised in large cities within each region, such as Győr, Veszprém, Pécs and Kecskemét. In addition to providing an overview of available tender funds, the consultants of the program offices offer tailor made consulting and answers to applicants at the conferences.
Ms Görözdi-Nagy said people really look forward to, and are greatly interested in, the conferences in the provinces, of which four have been held so far. While the Széchenyi Program Offices started to operate providing consulting and information services only in July, they have come to contact more than 13,700 clients by now. The majority of clients (57 percent) are SMEs, and 43 percent are government agencies and NGOs. The consultants of program offices have held close to 25 thousand client meetings recently, and they have done so at the seats or business premises of applicants and project hosts in almost each case as a token of their client-centred approach. “This saves applicants several trips to Budapest”, said the Executive Director. So far the Program Offices have provided assistance with more than 5,250 submitted proposals: “We follow projects from the start all the way to implementation, and we also participate in correcting the typical mistakes that arise along the way. We even remind applicants of acquiring the official documents and papers that are still necessary and of observing deadlines of forfeiture. We are only responsible for providing assistance in writing and preparing proposals, rather than writing them. Also, it is not our job to work instead of applicants. We play an intermediary role between applicants, the intermediary bodies, and the National Development Agency”, added Ms Görözdi-Nagy, who also explained that all program offices had been officially inaugurated by December 1, although they had started to operate back in July.
Source: Heti Válasz