Further information on the Millennium Development Goals is available at www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

Successful applications are those that are clearly defined as projects, rather than core programme work and have clear and realistic development education objectives.

You will find a short summary of projects supported in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the DFID website, www.dfid.gov.uk, under ‘Mini Grant Approved Projects: 2006/07’. This link can be found by clicking on ‘Funding Schemes’ then clicking on ‘Additional Information’ and finally scrolling down to the bottom of that page and clicking on the link. Please follow the same steps to find the link to an electronic version of the mini grant guidelines.

Building Support for Development

It is highly recommended that you read DFID's strategy paper on development education, Building Support for Development, before submitting an application. The strategy paper sets out how DFID plans to build greater awareness and understanding of international development issues. A copy of this document is available at the DFID website by clicking on 'How DFID works in the UK' and then clicking on 'Through the development awareness fund' which can be found among the group of sub-headings near the top of the page.

Culture 2007


Culture 2007 will begin in 2007. It is hoped that the first call for Culture 2007 will be launched in the autumn of 2006 (though there is the possibility that it may be delayed until early in 2007).

The Culture 2007 programme has now been finalised and set out below are the key features of the programme. Details of the criteria that will be used to award grants for EU cultural projects are expected to be finalised by the European Commission in the early autumn.

On this basis, organisations can start now to begin planning their project and finding partners. EUCLID, the UK contact point for EU cultural funding, is encouraging organisations to start preparing their bids for the seven year programme.

Organisations are strongly urged to do this as there is the possibility that the call may be announced with a very short timescale before the deadline, in order to try and ‘catch up’ with the fact that the timetable is now running behind and especially as they will probably need to find partners. The first call for proposals under the new Culture 2007 programme is not expected until February 2007.

In summary, to be eligible for support from Culture 2007, projects will need to meet the following criteria:

• They can be focused on any cultural area - there are now no separate strands for different cultural areas - proposals can cover any cultural area, or can link together different cultural areas to generate unique and innovative projects.
• They must have something uniquely European about them (ie not just a tour of a UK performance or exhibition).
• They must be developed and implemented by at least three partner organisations from three different eligible countries (currently the 25 Member States, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria and Romania – and also new ‘candidate countries’ including Croatia and Turkey).
• They can last either for one to two years or, in exceptional cases, for three to five years.
• They are likely to have a total budget of between €100-400,000 (one year projects) or up to €1million per year (three to five year projects).
• They can receive, from Culture 2007, a maximum of 50% of the total budget for the project.
• They cannot spend project funds on buildings or buying new equipment - Culture 2007 can only fund projects.

Background
The Council of Ministers has approved two new EU cultural programmes, Culture 2007 and Media 2007, with budgets of €400 million and €750 million respectively. The two programmes were rubber stamped by Ministers without debate and will both run for seven years.

The budget for Culture 2007 will be broken down as follows:

• funding for cultural activities - 77%;
• financing of cultural bodies active at EU level - 10%;
• the collection and dissemination of information - 5%.

The Culture 2007 programme is intended to develop cultural co-operation in Europe, a pan-EU cultural area and a European cultural identity. Its three specific goals are to promote the mobility of artists and other cultural players, the circulation of artworks and cultural products and intercultural dialogue. Its €400 million budget represents a 20% increase on the previous programme.

The Media 2007 programme, meanwhile, will provide aid for film and television productions, including the development and distribution of audiovisual works. It aims to preserve and enhance cultural diversity in the EU, to improve Europeans’ access to audiovisual culture, to increase the distribution of European productions within and beyond the EU and to boost the sector's competitiveness.

The budget for Media 2007 will be broken down as follows:

• distribution of audiovisual works - 55%;
• development of new films and TV programmes - 20%;
• training of audiovisual staff - 7%;
• audiovisual pilot projects - 4%; and
• activities covering several of the above - 5%.

More information and advice is available online at:
http://www.culture2007.info

Euclid Cultur€uro Seminars
Cultur€uro Seminars will highlight not only current and future EU funding opportunities but also ways in which cultural organisations can build partnerships, access other European sources of funding and deal with the challenges of the latest EU rules and regulations. The seminars will encompass:

• A brief overview of the EU - knowing how it works can help you know what's in it.
• A summary of EUfunding programmes from 2007 including the new transnational and Structural Funds, and, for the first time, summary information on new rural opportunities arising from the revised CAP regulations.
• An overview of non-EU opportunities, including European trusts and foundations, as well as bursaries, grants and awards.
• Key requirements for EU programmes and tips for developing a proposal.
• Tips for building partnerships across Europe, including inside advice on where and how to start, and to foster, new relationships.

Cultur€uroseminars provide an overview of the available opportunities and general tips and guidance. Please note that these seminars will not, for example, go through the detailed steps involved in completing the application form for any individual EU funding programme. All participants will also receive a full information pack with notes on the presentations, extensive contact details, etc.

The seminars run from 2.00pm to 5.00pm(registration from 1.30pm). The cost to attend is £80 plus VAT (a total of £94).

The seminars will take place in 13 major cities across the UK including in Belfast City Council – 28 November 2006.

For information, and to book a place, contact Peter Mok on 0700 038 2543, or email peter@euclid.info

Alternatively for more information online please visit the following link:
http://www.euclid.info/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=4

The website is at www.euclid.info

Third Country Nationals

Funding is now available from the European Commission through the integration of third country nationals (INTI) programme for projects that promote the integration of non EU citizens into local society.

INTI supports the integration of people who are not citizens of the EU through funding preparatory actions, information programmes and seeking out best practice. Priority will be given to activities enhancing the empowerment of migrants and contributing to a transnational and constructive dialogue.

The 2006 programme has three specific objectives:

• To support the setting up of transnational co-operation networks or pilot projects designed to identify, exchange and evaluate good practice and new approaches in the field of integration.
• To increase the knowledge base for the development of integration policies EU-wide.
• To support transnational dialogue and awareness on integration issues and their impact on society.

Who can apply
This call for proposals will be open to all legal persons - national, regional and local authorities of the EU Member States and to non-governmental organisations, public or
private bodies (including university departments, research centres and international organisations), established in one of the Member States. All of them should work strictly on a non-profit basis and with proven experience and expertise in the field of integration.

Since these preparatory actions are transnational, they must include partners from at least five different Member States.

Around €4 million is available and the grants will range from €100,000 to €500,000. Up to 70% of eligible costs will be covered. Projects must start between 1 March 2007 and 31 August 2007, and can run for up to 18 months.
The closing date for applications is 20 October 2006.

To contact directly please write to:

European Commission
DG Justice, Freedom and Security (DG JLS)
2006 JLS INTI Preparatory Actions
Unit B/4 (LX46-2/136)

Fax 00 32 2.298 0306
Email: JLS-INTI@ec.europa.eu

For more information visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/funding/inti/funding_inti_en.htm

Intercultural Dialogue

The European Commission is launching a ‘Call for ideas’ for promoting intercultural dialogue in Europe. 2008 must be the year of every single citizen. Its success will rely on the ideas, experience and imagination of the citizens.

This is the reason why the European Commission has decided to launch a call for ideas addressed to civil society and all other interested parties, ideas for ways of promoting multicultural and multi-ethnic awareness across the EU.

This process will enable the Commission to define guidelines for future calls for proposals, which will be published in 2007, in the framework of the Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

This is the aim of the Year of Intercultural Dialogue: to alert all the people living in the European Union to the fact that dialogue represents a prerequisite for living in, and benefiting from, an increasingly multicultural environment. This initiative will concentrate on intercultural dialogue wherever it could contribute to improved day to day coexistence. The activities conducted in connection with the initiative will be aimed in particular at young people. These activities should mobilise civil society and its various operators at European, national and local levels and involve, directly or indirectly, as many people as possible. In order to achieve this, the Commission will need ideas and partners.

The ideas put forward by interested partners will concern the following three fundamental questions for preparing for the Year of Intercultural Dialogue:

• A) How can one contribute towards identifying, evaluating, developing and exchanging projects, experience and good practice in intercultural dialogue on a European scale?
• B) What information and communication initiatives could contribute towards involving all European Union residents, and particularly young people, in the promotion of intercultural dialogue in day to day life (eg schools and other places of education, sporting and cultural activities, the workplace, etc) and familiarising them with it?
• C) What specific European‑scale initiatives likely to reach, directly or indirectly, as many people in the European Union as possible – and particularly young people – could contribute towards promoting intercultural dialogue?

These questions concern not only the lessons and results drawn from earlier or ongoing initiatives, but also new suggestions for 2008 or beyond. They also concern questions of approach and methodology and ideas for the development of specific projects.

In order to simplify the processing of contributions, applications are requested to be completed online via the following form:

http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/dialogue/pdf_word/call_ideas_en.doc

The closing date for submitting contributions is 30October2006. We would encourage you, however, to send in your replies as soon as possible.

Further information can be found online at:

http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/dialogue/call_idea_en.html

European Information Network

This site provides a definitive list of EU information providers in Northern Ireland, as well as providing links to a whole host of related European, regional and national websites. Visit:

http://www.europe.org.uk