Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency

Erasmus+: Sport, Youth and EU Aid Volunteers

 

 

 

Brussels, 20 September 2016

EACEA/LDF/IT/ 579738

ASD CIRCOLO PATTINATORI GROSSETO 1951

ALBERTO COLOMBINI
Via Repubblica Dominicana, 76

IT-58100 GROSSETO

 

 

 

 

Subject: Erasmus+ Sport Programme

Call EAC/A04/2015 – Round 2 (Deadline of 12/05/2016)

Your application: 579738-EPP-1-2016-1-IT-SPO-SSCP - Skating for Kids And Teachers all over Europe

 

Dear ALBERTO COLOMBINI,

You submitted an application to the Erasmus+ Sport programme, 2016 call for proposals for the actions specified above. The call for proposals closed on 12/05/2016. The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) received a total of 350 eligible applications for this call.

I am writing to inform you about the selection decision taken by the Head of Department of the Agency, acting in her capacity as authorising officer, based on the recommendations of an Evaluation Committee assisted by external experts.

I am pleased to inform you that your application has been selected for EU co-funding. It received 91/100 points.

The funding threshold has been set as follows:

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Action type                                               Threshold

Small Collaborative Partnerships                    62

 

For your information, out of the 350 applications eligible 119 have been selected for funding (54 Collaborative Partnerships, 60 Small Collaborative Partnerships and 5 Not-for-profit European sport events,) and 3 have been placed on a reserve list.

The list of all selected projects will be published on the website of the Executive Agency when all applicants have been notified about the selection results. https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/selection-results_en

Attached to this letter you will find an evaluation report based on the opinion of the external experts. Please take into account that most of the evaluation reports were written by non-native speakers. The Executive Agency will not elaborate further on these assessments.

The maximum amount of funding to be awarded to your project is EUR 60000.

The process of awarding a grant can only be finalised once the Executive Agency has received and analysed the documents as requested in the list of documents to be submitted (see appendix). The documentation specified must be submitted within a period of 10 working days from the date of receipt of this letter.

The information specified in the list of documents to be submitted should be sent to the following address by both normal mail and by email:

 

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency,

Unit A6: Erasmus+ Sport, Youth and EU Aid Volunteers

Office: BOUR 4/29

Avenue du Bourget 1

1140 Brussels

Belgium

 

This letter does not represent a financial or legal commitment of the Executive Agency. The offer of an award is confirmed only when the legal representative of the Executive Agency signs the Grant Agreement associated with this application.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions (e-mail: EACEA-SPORT@ec.europa.eu).

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

Georges BINGEN

Head of Unit

 

Appendixes: Annex 1 Evaluation report

Annex 2 List of documents to be submitted

 

EVALUATION REPORT

Erasmus+ Sport – Call for proposals EAC/A04/2015, Round 2

Application reference number: 579738-EPP-1-2016-1-IT-SPO-SSCP

 

 

Annex 1

Award criteria

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Relevance of the project

The main objective of the proposal to exploit the potential contribution of skating sport to the wellbeing of children and to give evidence of its positive impact on motor skills and learning dysfunctions by means of improving beginners-stage skating teaching method is clearly defined.

The aims of the project are relevant to EU sport policies and the priorities of the Erasmus+ Actions as they aim to increase children’s participation in the health-enhancing physical activities of skating and enhance their sense of belonging to sport through voluntary activities.

The proposal provides a thorough analysis for the need to develop a new methodology of teaching beginner-level skating in order to i) make skating more attractive to children as a sport for all option and ii) increase the physical activity of children and thereby decreasing obesity and learning dysfunctions. There is also reference to a number of EU policies and studies to support the needs of the project.

The proposal points out appropriately that the main premise of skating being an important tool in combating children learning dysfunctions is currently a research hypothesis that the project aims to support in an empirical way.   

The objectives are in line with the activities and issues of the partners, especially the three skating sport organisations whose main interest is in the promotion of skating as a “sport for all” benefitting the healthy development of children.

The common problems are clearly identified and supported by a number of points that are based on the initial exchange of information among the partners.

The main innovative value of the proposal is the novelty of the content as according to the proposal there is currently no internationally recognised skating teaching handbook available that is based on the sharing of experience of different skating organisations from different countries.

Moreover, the proposal identifies 6 additional innovative elements which are valid and sufficiently supported: 1) focus on the inclusion of children with learning disabilities, 2) providing scientific and empirical evidence, 3) composition of the partnership, 4) cross-sectorial approach, 5) complementary local-international scope, 6) providing free access to skating as “sport for all”.

The proposal has significant added value at EU level as the planned Handbook will systematically collect and incorporate the different local experiences of the partners into one coherent and practical study that can benefit skating organisations across Europe.

 

Score 27/30

 

Quality of the project design and implementation

The 24-month work programme is of very high quality. All the required elements of the project management process are incorporated in 6 well defined work packages (WPs) which also set a complete framework for the different phases of the project. The WPs build on one another in a logical and systematic way.

There is a strong consistency between the project objectives, the methodology and the activities: sharing of knowledge will be facilitated through video-conferencing, physical meetings and the continuous use of an on-line project platform; testing of the teaching Handbook will done through training activities; and the promotional and dissemination efforts will be achieved through local campaigns and international events.

The project is based on a proper methodology plan: the core method is the 9-month interdisciplinary training in 3 countries which serves as a laboratory and aims to provide empirical and scientific evidence on how skating could increase physical activity in children and help in the treatment of learning dysfunctions.  

The management arrangements and functions are explained in detail by a well thought through management structure and procedures led by the Project Steering Committee, the Working Groups and the Project Leader. The proposal clearly shows how the Project Team proceeds to achieve the envisaged objectives and how the progress of the project activities can be assessed against milestones and measurable indicators.

The quality control plans are relevant, well defined and explained in detail with a clear timeline and tools to be used. An extensive and regular reporting system will ensure the proper monitoring of the progress made in the project content and financial aspects of the project.

As the project has a strong evidence-based approach, a particular emphasis will be placed on the identification of development indicators and the elaboration of a skating Code of Points: parameters table designed to measure children’ progress and their level of physical skills achieved.  

Moreover, there are appropriate quality control measures built in the core training activity, such as the use of a Control Group; the use of technical monitoring by expert coaches; and the use of punctual data collection of the profiles of the participants.

Since the project’s main input is primarily the human resource contribution of the project team, the majority of the budget is appropriately allocated to personnel costs. The allocation of the rest of the budget provides an appropriate balance among travel costs, equipment and subcontracting to ensure effectiveness of the project.     

The proposal pays close attention to making the project cost-effective through maximising the use of electronic communication where possible.

Although the proposal mentions that there will be children with learning dysfunctions included in the training activities, it is not clear whether their involvement is incidental or specific measures will be taken to recruit them. In addition, the selection method of the participating schools is also not specified.

The preparation phase including the setting up of cooperation with the different stakeholders needs further elaboration.

Given the complexity of the project in terms of the activities and methods used, it is of concern whether the Project Team will have the capacities to deliver all the expected tasks in the given timeframe.

 

Score 17/20

 

Quality of the project team and the cooperation arrangements

The composition of the partnership represents a strong complementary mix of three sport organisations with long-standing expertise in skating/hockey and an educational institution with experience in the early identification of learning disabilities.

The complementary aspect of the partnership is also reflected in the set-up of the different Working Groups where the specialisation of the lead partner is enhanced by the consensus building efforts and local experiences of the others.

The partnership has a commonly shared mission of promoting human development through sports especially among youngsters, which strengthens overall commitment and serves as a solid foundation for the project.      

All participants are experts in their fields and have the capabilities and experience to deliver the expected results. Moreover, there are some distinguished former athletes and hockey/skating coaches on the project team whose contribution adds significant professional credibility to the project.

The distribution of the responsibilities is explained in detail and demonstrates appropriate level of commitment and active participation of all participants in accordance with their tasks and workloads.  While WP1-WP3 require an equal involvement of the three sport organisation, WP4 represents a special module where Fossombroni School plays an important lead role.   

The proposal does not provide in-depth evidence of the expertise of ISIS Vittorio Fossombroni School in the field of learning dysfunctions. Although the School has experience in detecting learning dysfunctions among their own college students, it is not clear how this knowledge is appropriately transferable to children ages 4-8 years targeted by the project.

 

Score 19/20

 

Impact and dissemination

The project incorporates a number of appropriate activities and tools that ensures the extensive disseminations of the outcomes. Moreover, the dissemination plan is executed through the effective framework of the “Skating is better” campaign which provides an easily recognisable and coherent communication platform throughout the whole project.

In addition to the “Skating is better” campaign, the “Volunteer Brigades” are also important as well as the creative elements of the dissemination activities to ensure visibility and to strengthen involvement on a local level.

“Training the trainers” activity (WP6) is a key multiplier factor in the project’s dissemination efforts as the newly trained coaches will be able to transfer knowledge further within the skating coaching community.    

The project assures the outcomes to be freely available to the public through the use of digital tools and an open project web platform during and after the project lifetime.  

The sustainability of the project is ensured through a number of well designed activities and plans such as i) enhancing coaches within the partner organisations who will pass on their new skills to train children, ii) training future skating coaches to sustain the new teaching methods, iii) strengthening of the cooperation of local clubs with their national federations to set up new frameworks for collaboration within the same subject.

It may be a missed dissemination and communication opportunity, especially at international level, not to have the project's own website separated from CP Grosseto.

There is a lack of elaboration on how the different stakeholders, especially the volunteers will be motivated to continue to support the project after its lifetime.

 

Score 28/30

 

Total: 91/100

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