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SCoRE Cymru grant to support Irish Sea cooperation

Published : 30/07/21 | Categories: News |

An opportunity for the voluntary sector to work in collaboration with partners across the Irish Sea.

SCoRE Cymru is a Welsh Government grant programme which aims to increase Wales’ participation in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme, which the UK still has full access to. The scheme provides financial support for Welsh organisations to help them build international partnerships with the aim of accessing Horizon Europe. The current call for applications, however, has a broader scope and includes 2 strands: in addition to maximising engagement in Horizon Europe, it will also support collaboration across the Irish Sea that is not restricted to research, innovation and Horizon Europe. Activities supported under this strand will foster cooperation in any of the six areas set out in the Ireland-Wales Shared Statement and Joint Action Plan.

Wales and Ireland have a long-established connection and share common values and interests. Following the UK’s departure from the EU, Ireland still remains a priority international partner of Wales, and both Governments are committed to deepen the relationship. The Ireland-Wales Joint Action Plan was published earlier this year to set out the vision of how the two nations can work together on shared policy areas between 2021-2025. The Action Plan, which will be reviewed and updated annually, sets out six areas of cooperation:

  • Political and Official Engagement
  • Climate and Sustainability
  • Trade and Tourism
  • Education and Research
  • Culture, Language and Heritage
  • Communities, Diaspora and Sport

Given that these areas overlap with a wide range of voluntary sector activity, this bilateral agenda provides an opportunity for voluntary organisations to build relationships with partners across the Irish Sea, and as a result, benefit from exchanging ideas, sharing learning and best practice, addressing common challenges and exploring opportunities for collaboration.

SCoRE Cymru funding may be able to provide financial support to cover the cost of activities that contribute to fostering cooperation, e.g. cost of translation, coordination of a consortium, membership of interest groups, staff time dedicated to negotiating strategic relationships, travel, etc. Organisations can apply for up to £10,000, no match funding is required. The deadline for applications is 9 am on Friday 20 August 2021 and the grant must be spent by 31 March 2022 at the latest.

Further information about the call can be found here. If you have any queries or a project idea that you would like to discuss, please get in touch with the Welsh Government’s  Horizon Europe Unit at HorizonEurope@gov.wales.

If you are interested in applying for SCoRE Cymru funding under the Irish Sea cooperation strand but you feel there isn’t sufficient time to submit an application by the deadline, please do let us know at 3set@wcva.cymru so that we can raise it with the Welsh Government if there is an interest for further support for the sector in this area.

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