Inviting proposals for the initiative, Surekha Subarwal, advisor, European Union Delegation, India, said that the objective of the programme was to develop links between European and Indian organisations. This two-way approach, she said, would increase awareness and understanding between the EU and India.

The initiative launched last year focuses on enterprise, media and higher education. This is a broad demarcation and organisations can make their own innovative proposals in these lines, she said. They can even submit more then one proposal.

Each proposal, however, should be jointly submitted by at least one Indian and two European (from two different European countries) organisations. For the enterprise section, applications from thesmall and medium industries are encouraged.

Charles Wilhelm, Director of XY Europe, a management consultancy firm said that the organisations can also avail themselves of the project preparation fund to identify the project and partner.

Co-financing by EU for various categories will depend on the evaluation by the scientific committee which is an independent body comprising six members from India and Europe.

The EU finances upto 80 per cent of project cost with the balance to be contributed by the project partners. However, priority will be given to the project which has a higher contribution from partners. There is a maximum funding limit for different schemes and these also have a time frame conditions, Wilhelm added.

Last year the EU received over 400 proposals which met with an enthusiastic response. Thirty-three projects were headed by Indian organisations while the largest number was headed by UK companies, he said.

Sustainability of the programme is an important factor in evaluation, saidSubarwal. The projects should have long term objectives and, after initial financial support, should be able to financially manage on their own. The applicants will have to provide detailed information on the sustainability of the project and the role of all participants, she said.