Open call

Do you have an idea for an eParticipation project and need support? Take part in the EUth
Open Call and make it come true!
In the framework of the EUth project, the European Youth Information and Counselling
Agency (ERYICA) will support 10 project proposals with 10.000 to implement youth
eParticipation processes using OPIN.me, a digital European toolbox for youth eParticipation
projects.
How? Simple and easy! Submit your project proposal here and demonstrate that your project
builds a bridge between young people and decision-making.
Five steps of the Open call

1. Get informed

Read the information available on this site carefully and check if it matches your project idea.
Find out what kind of proposals can gain support and what the OPIN toolbox is best suited
for. Take part in the introductory webinar and get all your questions answered!

2. Request a technical feasibility check

You may request a feasibility check by 31 October 2016 by providing a short note here,
stating the technical requirements of your eParticipation project. This step is not obligatory.
However, we strongly advise you to take it, in order to ensure that your project is technically
compatible with the OPIN toolbox. You will get feedback for your requirements and have the
possibility to prepare the final application.

3. Submit your proposal

You can submit an application electronically, in English, between September and 31

December 2016 (by 12:00 CET). Use the online form here.

Each applicant is allowed to submit only one proposal under this call.

4. Get selected

A jury composed of 9 members will evaluate all proposals based on these criteria by 3
February 2017. The selected projects will come from at least 5 different European countries
and will cover different levels (local, regional, national, cross-border or European).

Selected projects will receive 70% pre-financing and 30% after the evaluation of the final
report. The selected organisations will have to sign subcontracting agreements. Read more.

5. Realise your project

Selected projects will be invited for the introductory training course. Afterwards projects can
start from March 2017 and must provide a report by December 2017. You will be invited to
share your story with other practitioners and experts of eParticipation.
Timeline

September 2016: Publication of the call

6 October 2016: Support webinar Q and A day
31 October 2016: Deadline for requesting a feasibility check
31 December 2016: Deadline for submitting project proposals
3 February 2017: Selection of funded projects
1 March 2017: First possible date to start the projects
December 2017: Deadline for submitting the final reports
Criteria and Targets

Targets
Let young people have a say in decision-making processes, increasing their engagement in
local activities or shaping the European agenda- a good eParticipation project makes
participation more attractive and thus makes it happen more frequently. This is what we go
for.
The question of citizen engagement is old but a new and flexible solution is needed to make it
more appealing. OPIN is a tool that can meet this role.
Now it is up to you to find a participative process it can catalyse!
The ideal project proposals under this call involve young people in a decision-making
process. On a more specific note, the target group of the proposals shall be young people aged
15-30.
Award criteria
A jury composed of 9 members will evaluate all proposals based on the following criteria:

OPIN as a basis: use of the OPIN environment for the implementation of

eParticipation processes.

Feasibility: technical requirements comply with the OPIN toolbox.

Viability of project idea and management plan: proven relevance and practicability of
the project.

Visibility: allocation of enough resources to marketing and dissemination activities,

and to the promotion of OPIN.

Impact: proven potential to have impact on decision-making processes by creating a

link between young participants and decision-makers.

Eligibility and formalities

You are eligible to submit a proposal under this call if you are representing a legally
established youth (work) organisation, non-governmental organisation targeting young
people or public administration of any size and level, registered and working in one of the
47 member states of the Council of Europe, Belarus or Kosovo (under the UN Resolution
1244/99). The organisation has to be non-profit.
To be eligible for funding the project needs to:

combine online and offline participation;

use one or more functionalities of the OPIN platform;

be technically feasible with the OPIN software.

Double funding is not allowed. This means that if your proposed project receives or plans to
receive funding from other EU sources as well, the proposal is not eligible to participate in
this call.
The requested amount for support cannot exceed 10 000 EUR. The applicant needs to be in
the position to issue an invoice on the basis of the subcontracting agreement that will be
signed after awarding. The pre-financing of the project is limited to 70% of the requested
amount. The balance payment will follow after the successful submission of the final report
(due by 10 December 2017) and its approval by the European Commission in the second half
of 2018.

Applications need to be written in English and submitted by 31 December 2016 12:00 CET.
One organisation can submit one proposal only.
Projects must use the OPIN toolbox and therefore comply with its technical capacities and use
its existing features.
Projects not meeting the above mentioned eligibility and formal criteria will not be evaluated
by the Jury.
All applicants will be informed about results of selection by 20 February 2017.

Content criteria?

After making sure that you are ready formally, here you will find the award criteria.

eParticipation of young people

Youth eParticipation

Participation is sharing, becoming involved and taking action of the public. This implies that
citizens choose to actively participate in and contribute to public decision-making at different
administrative levels (i.e. local, regional, national and European) or in other contexts such as
non-profit organizations, schools etc.

In the case of eParticipation, this involvement and participation in decision-making takes

place electronically through the use of online information and internet-based communication
technology. Essentially, eParticipation is interactive online policy-making in action.

Advantages of eParticipation

Digital and mobile participation enables citizens to take part in more efficient decisionmaking, independent from time and place. Young people want to voice their ideas and
opinions in particular, and most use internet and mobile technology to communicate.

Combination of online and offline participation

However, active youth participation can most effectively be implemented through a

combination of online tools and offline activities such as interactive events, live discussions
etc. Offline activities can happen at the beginning, during and at the end of the project. They
are very suitable to inform participants about the project, the topic and the tools, to motivate
participants, to deepen, structure and condensate data which has been collected online or to
promote the participation results to a greater audience.

Would you like to know more about youth participation? Check the links below:

OPIN.me resources

Guidelines for successful eParticipation by young people ("Youthpart" project)

EUth and OPIN flyer

Facebook group on eParticipation