Schuman Associates news

Schuman Associates is the leading consultancy in Brussels working on European funding and project financing. Delivering added-value and relevant content to our clients has always been a priority for us. To strengthen our local presence and strategy we have embarked on a new wave of local recruits in Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic. Our new colleagues will bring valuable experience to our local offices and support them in providing a hands on support to local and international companies in accessing business opportunities arising from EU funding. Schuman Associates has just launched its monthly ‘Country Digest’ to capture facts and other EU funding and relevant highlights. See our first report on Romania here. We are delighted to continue the series with Czech Republic.

The debate on the next multi-year EU budget (Multiannual Financial Framework / MFF) is about to start. The European Commission is set to formally propose its spending priorities for 2021-2020 next week, just after Labour Day. Lively discussions and debates are expected between Member States on the next generation of EU financial programmes and how these will be reflected in the EU budget. See below the Post 2020 negotiation roadmap prepared by Schuman Associates where you will have access to the next steps of the future EU funding. 

Schuman Associates is the leading consultancy in Brussels working on European funding and project financing. Delivering added-value and relevant content to our clients has always been a priority for us. To strengthen our local presence and strategy we have embarked on a new wave of local recruits in Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic. Our new colleagues will bring valuable experience to our local offices and support them in providing a hands on support to local and international companies in accessing business opportunities arising from EU funding. Schuman Associates is also pleased to launch its monthly ‘Country Digest’ in which we will capture facts and other EU funding and relevant highlights. First to take-off….Romania!

In March 2018 Schuman Associates Brussels Headquarters and local offices gathered together for the annual «Away Day» to share best practices, reflect on company's values and present the business strategies for 2018.

Schuman Associates was an active participant in the European Commission's Public Consultation on EU funds in the area of Cohesion.
The consultation was an integral part of the preparation process of post 2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

We welcomed the EC initiative to share our views and experience - spanning over two decades in the area of EU policy and regulatory framework driving EU Funds. Our key messages included in the Position paper on post 2020 Cohesion Policy: 

Administration and Finance Coordinator 

Brussels Office

>5 years of experience

On Wednesday, 14 March 2018, the MEPs adopted their official negotiating position for the post-2020 EU budget. The main message is that the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) should not only finance new priorities; but also compensate for the financial shortfall caused by Brexit, estimated to leave a budget hole of 14 BEUR.

The European Commission unveiled a 23 steps Action Plan on how to harness the opportunities presented by technology-enabled innovation in financial services (FinTech), it aims to tackle a wide range of issues from cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity, data protection, blockchain innovation and EU compliance and supervision of these new technologies. Here are some of the highlights:

Following the Foreign Affairs Council that took place in Brussels on 6 March 2018, the Council adopted a roadmap for the implementation of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) including a list of projects in the areas of common training and exercises, operational domains and joint and enabling capabilities. These projects will be implemented by participating Member States excluding Denmark, the UK and Malta.

EU FUNDING STAGIAIRE VACANCY

Brussels Office

with 1-2 years of experience

Deadline: 20th March 2018

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) hosted a Western Balkans Investment Summit in London on Monday, 26 February. A number of high level public officials, including all six Prime Ministers from the region gathered in EBRD's London headquarters to present their countries' potential in attracting private investment at the same time addressing bottlenecks in front of representatives from the private sector.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an independent EU body contributing to the objectives set out in Horizon 2020, in particular by addressing societal challenges in a manner that is complementary to other initiatives in these areas. EIT brings together the "knowledge triangle" of business (including SMEs), education and research to form dynamic cross-border partnerships, the so-called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).  These KICs strengthen cooperation among European innovators and entrepreneurs, and they create favourable environments for creative ideas and new solutions to emerge. Since 2010 six KICs have been launched: EIT Climate-KIC; EIT Digital; EIT InnoEnergy; EIT Health; EIT Raw Materials and EIT Food.

In 2018 EIT is launching two new KICs:

• 1) EIT Manufacturing strengthening and increasing the competitiveness of Europeกฏs manufacturing industry
• High value or added-value manufacturing
• Product and service innovation
• Process excellence
• High brand recognition
• Environmentally friendly solutions
• Sustainability
• 2) EIT Urban Mobility smart, green and integrated urban transport
• Greener, more inclusive, safer, smarter
• New mobility concepts
• Transport system safety and security
• Air pollution and noise reduction
• Urban, spatial planning
• Job creation and sustainable growth

In order to establish the next two EIT Innovation Communities, a new call for proposal was launched in the beginning of 2018. Submission of project proposals is open until 12 July 2018. Proposals can be submitted by a core group of up to 50 educational, research and business partners -  at least three independent partner organisations established in at least three different Member States.  The winners - one group for each field receives the mandate and significant resources to start and manage one of the newly established KICs.

Available funding 

The World Bank Group has launched a preparation process for its new partnership framework with Poland. The process involves consultations with different stakeholders, including the government, international financial institutions, civil society and private sector, to exchange views on the country’s development opportunities and how the World Bank Group can help address them.

Schuman Associates has created an overview of some key events and announcements for the coming year. Whether you are interested in the Future of the EU after Brexit, Artificial Intelligence or the progress of Member States in terms of economic, fiscal and social policies, there is something for everyone.

Schuman Associates is delighted to be part of the ‘Winning Business in Africa’ initiative supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with Ibec we have built a portal of opportunities totalling 8.5 BEUR of EU funding projects in Africa. The web portal provides information on the opportunities available. Accompanying advice and networking opportunities will allow Irish companies to form clusters and get involved in projects.

The Commission adopted today  a Strategy for 'A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans', reaffirming the European perspective for countries in the region and encouraging them to continue with comprehensive reforms needed to fulfill the technical condition of EU membership. In addition, it announced 6 flagship initiatives in areas of rule of law, security and migration, transport and energy, digital agenda, socio-economic development and good neighbourly relations. The initiatives will be supported by providing additional resources and funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

OpenPM² is a project management methodology designed by the European Commission. Its purpose is to enable project teams to manage their projects effectively, and to deliver solutions and benefits to their organisations and stakeholders. While OpenPM² is suitable for any type of project, it is ideal for projects related to the public sector, or EU programmes and grants.

Our colleagues Ruth Estrada and Isane Aparicio attended the two days conference on #OpenPM2 organised by the European Commission in Brussels the 1st and 2nd of February. If you want to know more about this open methodology, do not hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Schuman Associates attended the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) ‘Ten issues to watch in 2018’. These issues are likely to be featured on this year’s EU political agenda and the future of the EU budget:

The Winning Business in Africa project is a joint initiative between Ibec, Schuman Associates and the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade. It aims to provide Irish companies with relevant information on EDF contracts in Africa in order to facilitate and increase their participation in the tendering process. The portal contains more than 460 projects worth in excess of €8.5 billion in opportunities. For more information on WBIA click here. Schuman Associates will be delighted to showcase the WBIA portal together with some success stories from its user community on 13 February in Dublin.

European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) also known as the “Open Days” is an annual four-day event held in Brussels during which cities and regions showcase their best practices in relation to their capacity to implement the European Union cohesion policy on various levels.

Each year the Committee of Regions as main institutional organizer selects different themes for the events that are attended by approximately 6,000 participants.