Final Reporting Project Phase Training, Day1
27 Mar 2017
04 Apr 2017
Our Trainings have been envisaged as opportunities for the Grantees to either learn something new or reaffirm their knowledge as well as to expand their skills related to general aspects of project cycle management and, more importantly, to specific issues pertaining to EU Grant Management.
Our trainings are specifically designed for the recipients of the Grant Scheme “Fostering Social Inclusion”, and are primarily targeting the people directly involved in the implementation of the Grant Projects. Two persons from each Grant Organization, and in exceptional cases more, are invited to participate in these trainings.
The 2 trainings organized in 2016 have covered the issues relevant for the Interim Phase of the Grant Projects implementation: Grant Contract Management, Secondary Procurement and Communication & Visibility.
The 2 trainings organized in 2017 have covered the issues relevant for the Final Phase of the Grant Projects implementation: Narrative Reporting and Financial Reporting.
The topics that were covered in the 1st day of the Final Reporting Project Phase Training include:
- Final Reporting as Contractual Obligation: what is the deadline for submission of the final report, and who is it submitted to; to what extent are partners (co-applicants) involved in its preparation; how to best plan the preparation of the Final Report.
- Analytical Content of Narrative Reporting Form: correlation between narrative and financial information; follow the template, but expand paragraphs where necessary (no page limits); annex all supporting and proof document, reference the annexes throughout the report; components: table of contents, list of acronyms, description, assessment of implemented activities, cooperation, visibility, location of operational and accounting records, contact details; detailed account of each heading and question separately, with relevant dos and don’ts; frequent misunderstandings, omissions and mistakes.
- Analytical Content of Financial Reporting Form: format: Excel file, EUR currency, rounded to the nearest eurocent; components: 6 individual worksheets: information, forecast budget, addenda and contingencies, interim report, final report, sources of funding; detailed account of each worksheet separately, with relevant dos and don’ts; frequent misunderstandings, omissions and mistakes.
- Transferring Project Activities into Results and Sustainability of Results: specific examples, best practices, prospects and challenges.
The participants have also done practical exercises in:
- Proof Documents: the participants were asked to make a list of all obligatory proof documents that must be enclosed with the Final Report; where are they located, where to obtain them from; how to best organize them; annexing and referencing.
- Main Outputs: which were the main outputs produced during the project; where are they located; how to best organize them; annexing and referencing.
- Final Report Extract: participants were provided with an extract from a real final report; they were asked to read the material carefully, and then: to discuss the clarity of information, to identify the missing information, and to propose possible improvements.
- Development of the Final Report: working in small groups, the participants were asked to select one real activity from any of the Grant Projects represented; next, they were asked: to provide brief description of the activity, to list the main results (outputs and outcomes) for the selected activity, and to clarify how the activity contributed to the achievement of the results.
The theoretical input was delivered at plenary sessions with the help of Power Point presentations, whereas the exercises were implemented in 4 small working groups with the help of hand-outs and flip-chart presentations.
The training was delivered by our Expert for EU Grants, Ms Andreja Tonč, with the relevant input by our Senior Expert and Team Leader, Ms Maria Marinakou, and the support from our Assistant Team Leader, Mr Radomir Trajković.
The training was delivered to 4 training groups on 27th and 28th of March and 3rd and 4th of April 2017, in the Porta Hotel in Skopje.