Questions and Answers

Question 1: Our organization has not participated in the previous calls of DISCO program, but we have participated in other programs regarding democratic rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities into society. Is our organization eligible to  participate in the call for projects proposals for Micro-Grants 2020-2021?

There is no requirement for the potential applicants to have participated in the previous calls of the DISCO programme. It is important that the applicant institution is active in the field of education, more specifically in democratic citizenship and human rights education, is entitled to carry out the activities specified in the project proposal, and has the capacity to do so, alongside with the other eligibility criteria.

Please also refer to Call for Proposals, Section VI - Evaluation and Selection Procedure, Point 2, Eligibility criteria (p. 11-12):

In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:

  • be legally constituted as a structure active in the field of citizenship and human rights education;
  • be entitled to carry out the activities described in the project proposal;
  • have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);
  • have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in its project proposal;
  • have a bank account.

Question 2: Our institution does not have any previously funded projects within this programme, but it has several years' of experience in applying for different EU projects. Does this make us eligible to apply?​​​​

Please see the answer for Question 1.

Question 3: We are an international NGO active in advocacy with an extensive network and our main focus areas are underpinned by education. Does this make us eligible to apply?​​​​

Please see the answer for Question 1.

Question 4: Is a public school eligible to apply?

Yes.​ Please also refer to Call for Proposals, Section IV - Requirements, Point 4, Applicants (p. 6) and Section VI - Evaluation and Selection Procedure, Point 2, Eligibility criteria (p. 11-12).

Question 5: Is it mandatory to have an international partner for Lot 2?

No. Lot 2 is designed for applications by single institutions.

Question 6: Does the Call for Project Proposals for Micro-Grants 2020-2021 concern exclusively the dissemination of the results of the previous cycle of the Programme, or is it also open to new activities concerning digital citizenship education, ready to be disseminated?

This call aims to further develop and disseminate the resources of the previously funded projects under the Programme. Any new idea or activity should be built on one of these previous resources. 

Please also refer to Section IV - Requirements, Point 2, Means of action (p. 5):

'For either of the two Lots, the activities are limited to the ones listed above and they should be linked to dissemination or further development of the resources/publications of the previous cycles and should contribute to the overall aim of the Programme.'

Question 7: If an association applies now as a single entity for the microgrants and receives funding, will the same association be excluded from future calls and funds of regular DISCO grants?

No, there will be no exclusion from the future calls.

For the current call, however, an institution cannot apply to both Lot 1 and Lot 2  and cannot apply with more than one project. Multiple applications from the same institution are not allowed and shall lead to the exclusion of all applications concerned.

Question 8: Are private organisations eligible for this call?

No. Please refer to Call for Proposals, Section IV - Requirements, Point 4, Applicants (p. 6) 

'Any public organisation or a non-for-profit entity active in the field of education for democratic citizenship and human rights education can apply for the call.'

The list of possible examples given in this section should be either a 'public organisation' or a 'non-for-profit entity'.

Question 9: Can video materials produced under previous joint European Commission- Council of Europe Pilot Projects Scheme be used in projects in the field of education?

“Unless otherwise indicated, reproduction of material posted on Council of Europe websites, and reproduction of photographs for which the Council of Europe holds copyright – see legal notice “photo credits” – is authorised for private use and for informational and educational uses relating to the Council of Europe’s work. This authorisation is subject to the condition that the source be indicated and no charge made for reproduction.

Persons wishing to make some other use than those specified above, including commercial use, of information and text posted on these sites are asked to apply for prior written authorisation to the Council of Europe, Directorate of Communication.”

For further information on the Disclaimer for the use of the Council of Europe’s materials, please consult the following link: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/disclaimer.

Question 10: We are a Higher Education Institution and we are enquiring information about possible collaborations and projects to be developed in co-operation, so we can take part in the programme. Could you provide us with such information?

Potential applicants willing to apply for multi-partner project proposals for the dissemination of the results of the previous cycle of the Programme Under Lot 1 are expected to find by their own means other relevant institutions willing to work in a consortium and to propose a project proposal in co-operation.

Please also refer to Call for Proposals, Section IV- Requirements, Point 2, Means of action (p.5)

“Under the LOT1, the Programme seeks to encourage co-operation among respective organisations representing the EU Member States and non-EU Member States party to the European Cultural Convention. The applicants will be expected to propose a common project proposal in co-operation with other relevant applicants…”

Potential applicants are invited to consult for information purposes other co-operation projects selected and financed throughout the Programme on its dedicated website: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/charter-edc-hre-pilot-projects.

Question 11: We are interested in applying for a joint project, would it be possible to work in collaboration with European countries and associations in African countries? We understand that the current call for proposals is only for organizations starting the second phase of being funded by DISCO, would be there other opportunities to apply for a possible project funding with a new project?

The grant scheme for micro-grants is open for multi-partner project proposals for the dissemination of the results of the previous cycle of the Programme only to the States party to the European Cultural Convention.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section IV Requirements, Point 1, General objective (p.4):

“The grants will fund projects designed to contribute to building democratic and inclusive societies through helping develop a culture of democracy by promoting education for democratic citizenship and human rights education in States party to the European Cultural Convention.

This call will focus on activities related to further development and dissemination of the resources produced in the previous cycle of the Programme”.

The current grant scheme is until 30 November 2021 and there will be no further calls for grants until the end of 2021. If another grant scheme is launched for the period 2022-2023 the relevant information will be posted on the Programme’s dedicated website.

Question 12: We are an NGO established in Bangladesh working in several sectors for different vulnerable and marginalised communities. We would like to submit a project for funding under the Programme, would this be possible?

The currently open micro grant-scheme for multi-partner or single-entity project proposals for the dissemination of the results of the previous cycle of the Programme is open only to the 50 countries of the European Cultural Convention.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section IV Requirements, Point 1, General objective (p.4):

“The grants will fund projects designed to contribute to building democratic and inclusive societies through helping develop a culture of democracy by promoting education for democratic citizenship and human rights education in States party to the European Cultural Convention”.

Question 13: Our understanding is that 'Each project proposal shall only refer to one of these two Lots', however it is unclear to us whether it is possible to apply with two or more project proposals per one lot. Furthermore, is it permitted to apply with one different project proposal for each lot? 

No, multiple applications are not allowed. 

Please refer to Call for Proposals, Section VI - Evaluation and Selection Procedure, Point 2, Eligibility criteria (p. 11-12).

"Multiple applications from the same institution are not allowed and shall lead to the exclusion of all applications concerned."

Question 14: We submitted a multi-partner project proposal under LOT 1, but our project partner made a mistake in their application form? What can we do to fix this mistake?

Applicants have the possibility to edit their applications form on the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/home/editcontribution, by entering their contribution ID and changing the needed information. The contribution ID number can be found on the top left corner of one’s application form.