The Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency (EACEA) from Brussels announced the results of the “Cooperation Projects Call for 2017” (EACEA 45/2016) on 28 April 2017. The deadline for the call was 23 November 2016.

From 548 applications, 81 projects selected

The total number of applications submitted was 548, the evaluators selected from 505 applications which fulfilled the eligibility requirements. They selected 81 cooperation projects: 66 smaller scale and 15 larger scale.
In comparison with the previous year’s call for 2016 (EACEA 29/2015), more projects were selected for cofinancing (see the results from 2016), however, in general, the budgets of this year’s projects are lower than last’s year (by 3% for the smaller scale projects and by 15% for the larger scale projects).
The largest number of supported projects are from the field of performing arts (45%), 13 projects focus on the theme of European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, 11 projects deal with the integration of refugees.
The largest number of successful applicants, that is, project leaders, comes from Italy (13 projects), following them are organisations from Belgium (9) and Spain (8). Immediately following them with seven supported projects each are Slovenia, France and United Kingdom. 

Slovenian applicants achieve above-average success

These results mean that Slovenia achieved an above-average success rate, 35% success, since from among 20 submitted applications (18 for smaller scale and 2 for larger scale projects), seven were awarded. The average level of success for applicants on the call was noticeably lower: 15,3 % for smaller scale projects and 12,7 % for larger scale projects.
In the selected projects collaborate 463 organisations from 37 countries, which means that only one country from among the 38 members states of the Culture Sub-programme is not represented, namely Moldova.
Despite the fact that the majority of the participating organisations are from the EU member states, organisations from non-EU member states also found success on this year’s call. Organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the role of project leaders for the first time (2 projects) and are participating as partners in yet another 4 projects. In addition, organisations participating from other non-EU member states include those from Albania (2), Georgia (2), Iceland (1), Macedonia (4), Montenegro (2), Norway (10) and Ukraine (4).

Who was successful from Slovenia?

According to the number of awarded projects with a Slovenian project leader, we reached a record number on the call for 2017: in the first three years we had three (2016 call) or four (2014 and 2015 calls) each year, this year there are seven Slovenian project leaders for smaller scale projects:  Sodobnost International Cultural Society, Moderna galerija, Aksioma – Insitute for Contemporary Arts, MoTa – Museum of Transitory Arts, Pionirski dom, Goga Publishing House and House! Society for People and Spaces.
Contributing to the success on the call are yet another ten Slovenian organisations as partners:
– in smaller scale projects (7): Technical Museum of Slovenia, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, University of Ljubljana, Federacija Insitute, City of Women and Gallus Foundation;
– in larger scale projects (3): Ljudmila Art and Science Laboratory, Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture and Maribor Art Gallery.

1.2 million EUR of support for 7 project leaders and 10 partners from Slovenia

The total amount of EU support which the successful Slovenian organisations will receive is 1.187.406 EUR, of which 736.007 EUR is for the seven project leaders and seven partners of smaller scale projects and 451.399 EUR for the three partners of larger scale projects. For the first time, the EACEA allowed a view into the share of EU support for all partners who are participating in projects. If we were to count – as we have done previously – the amount of EU support which the project leaders will receive directly and then distribute among the partners, the total EU support that the seven Slovenian project leaders will receive is 1.254.993 EUR.

The Budapest Observatory also reported in its April electronic newsletter about Slovenia’s success:
Leaders of the 81 projects come from 24 countries, in the greatest number from Italy – 13 cases out of 106 applications, which is 12.3% success rate, close to the 14.8% average of the 24 countries. Guess, which country came nearest to this average (which is thus the most typical European state)? The United Kingdom with 14.6% of submitted projects winning a grant. But the champion is again Slovenia with a 35% success rate – are Slovenes born cultural managers? The main losers are Czechia and Finland with no winning project to lead from 19 and 10 submissions, but Austrians cannot boast the single winner from the 17 tries either.

More information on selection results at EACEA.