eLearning Package: A closer look at specific EU Grant implementing rules

Module 1: Propose Financial Support for Third Parties

• Let’s analyse key information from the guidelines for applicants of calls for proposals
• Who are the third parties of financial support?
• Checklist of key elements to be provided at proposal stage

Module 2: Select the Beneficiaries of Financial Support

• The different types of selection procedures
• Calls for proposals
• Preparation activities: call announcement, full details of the call for proposals, publication of the call
• Proposals reception, evaluation and selection
• Supporting evidence of the evaluation process

Module 3: Awarding Financial Support

• Signature of agreement with the beneficiaries of financial support: key responsibilities of both parties
• Startup of financial support: briefing third parties on the use of EU funds
• Other activities of capacity development

Module 4: Monitoring and Reporting

• System of control set up to verify the eligibility of costs
• Reporting expenditure of financial support beneficiaries
• Supporting evidence and documentation that must be kept in your possession

Module 1: What is an Expenditure Verification?

• Foundational knowledge that all staff should understand from the beginning of the project.

Module 2: Expenditure Verification Step-By-Step

• Guidance through the entire process of expenditure verification.

Module 3: Ensuring the Eligibility of Costs

• Practical tips to make sure all your costs are eligible.

Module 4: Preparing Supporting Documents

• Insight on how to collect and prepare all necessary supporting documents.

Module 5: Be Ready for the Auditors’ Visit

• Keep calm and prepare for the visit.

Module 6: Expenditure Verification Report

• Know the types of checks that will be conducted by the auditors in order to prepare the reports.

Module 7: Survival Toolkit

• Keep it on-hand and don’t be afraid of the expenditure verification process!

Module 1: NGOs and Accountability

In this introductory module, we will explore the answer to the following question: Why is it important to adopt a code of conduct?

Module 2: Key Steps to Develop Your Code of Conduct

This module provides guidance and tips for getting started and properly organising the process of developing your organisation’s code of conduct.

Module 3: Key Topics to Include in Your Code of Conduct.

Your code of conduct should be developed to match the needs of your organisation, but certain specific principles and rules must almost always be included – we will look at them in detail.

Module 4: Implementing Your Code of Conduct

Enforcing the code of conduct should be one of the highest priorities of any organization. This module provides guidance on how to define your implementation strategy.

Module 5: Monitoring and Reviewing

A code that becomes outdated will quickly lose its importance and relevance. This module presents steps that can be taken to ensure that your code is always up to date.

Module 1: Introduction to Procurement

• What is procurement?
• Procurement policy
• Types of contracts

Module 2: Bringing the Procurement Principles to Life

• Introduction to procurement principles
• Ethical procurement
• Transparency
• Proportionality
• Sound financial management
• Supporting the local economy

Module 3: Organising the Procurement

• The procurement plan
• Amending the plan
• Risk management
• Evaluation

Module 4: Procurement Procedures Step-By-Step

• Compliance with EU rules
• Direct purchase and single quote
• Negotiated procedure
• Tender publication
• Tender step-by-step
• Framework contract

Module 1: Project costs: Actual Costs and Simplified Cost Options (SCOs)

• In this module you will understand the differences between Actual and Simplified Costs. You will also discover the categories and forms of SCOs that can be included in the budget and their authorisation process

Module 2: Simplified Cost Options in the budget

• This module provides guidance on how to present and justify SCOs in the budget of the Action.

Module 3: Monitoring and verification of SCOs

• In this module you will learn how to monitor SCOs and what kind of checks will be performed on them by the auditors during the expenditure verification.

Module 1: The Grant contract and annexes

• An overview of the Special Conditions, all other annexes and of the actors involved in the management of a Grant

Module 2: Key activities at project start-up

• Some tips on how to refine project activities, organise the partnership, set up a procurement plan and organise the team work

Module 3: Procurement rules and procedures

• Short presentation of the main references for procurement

Module 4: Financial support to third parties

• Brief guidance on the management of this important project component

Module 5: Dealing with changes

• Presentation of the key rules related to the different types of amendment

Module 6: Reporting

• A brief overview of the main reporting obligations, requirements and deadlines

Module 7: Main rules on payment

• A guidance on how to request pre-financing to the EU

Module 8: Handover of equipment and supplies

• Key rules for the transfer of assets by the end of the Actions

Module 1: Navigating application and identification portals

• Understanding the PRAG digital compliance landscape (EU Login, Funding & Tenders Portal, Webgate)
• Core functions and submission requirements of PADOR, PROSPECT, and the Participant Register (PIC)
• Ensuring manual synchronisation between PIC and PADOR to avoid technical exclusion
• Completing the mandatory unified Identification Form and managing bank account controls
• Performing pre-submission technical reviews and risk mitigation steps

Module 2: Consortium structure and entity eligibility

• Defining roles and financial liabilities of consortium actors (Lead Applicant, Co-applicant, Affiliated Entity, Associate)
• Verifying structural link requirements for affiliated entities (control links vs membership links)
• Differentiating between Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and International Organisations (IOs)
• Managing compliance documentation and proving organisational eligibility

Module 3: Legal, ethical, and financial safeguards in Grant implementation

• Core certifications, legal duties, and liabilities of the Authorised Signatory
• Implementing zero-tolerance protocols on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEA-H / Annex L self-evaluation)
• Conducting mandatory sanctions screening using the EU Sanctions Map
• Mitigating Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) risks and understanding exclusion consequences
• Navigating financial controls: external audits, Contractual Expenditure Verification (CEV), and Third-Party Assessment (TPA) for FNLC
• Operational rules for sub-granting (Financial Support to Third Parties - FSTP) and mandatory asset transfer regulations

Module 4: Strategic financial planning: the cornerstone of proposal success

• Identifying eligible direct costs under Article 14 of the General Conditions
• Rules for budgeting direct staff costs, remuneration items, and in-house consultants
• Direct project office expenses, shared office cost allocation, and fair apportionment keys
• Calculating and justifying indirect costs (7% flat-rate cap) and operating grant restrictions
• Identifying ineligible costs and ensuring full alignment across proposal documents

Module 1: The New Paradigm: FNLC and Hybrid Models in EU Grants

• Welcome to the new paradigm in EU grant management
• Comparing cost-based and results-based funding
• Preconditions for applying FNLC
• Understanding FNLC and Hybrid models
• Success factors of the FNLC approach
• Practical implications for grant managers, finance officers, and project coordinators

Module 2: Designing Proposals and Budgets: Embedding FNLC and Hybrid Logic

• Building your intervention logic (Annex K)
• Aligning proposal documents (Logframe, budget, and application form)
• Selecting contractable performance indicators
• Structuring FNLC-only and Hybrid budgets
• Avoiding double funding and budgeting for third-party assessments
• Section 2.1.1 of the Application Form and managing partial achievements

Module 3: Contracting, Implementation, and Monitoring: Ensuring Compliance and Results

• Aligning the Description of Action, Logframe, and Budget
• Navigating special conditions and key clauses (the no-profit rule, co-financing, modifications)
• Verification mechanisms: from results to payment
• The role and phases of a Third-Party Assessment (TPA)
• Developing performance evidence and supporting documentation
• Maintaining strong internal controls and an audit trail

Module 4: Reporting, Verification, and Project Closure

• Mastering technical and financial reporting obligations
• Managing financial risks and the "no results, less funding" rule
• Preparing interim and final financial reports for FNLC and Hybrid actions
• Structuring the reporting and verification workflow
• Avoiding common reporting mistakes and archiving evidence

Module 1 — EU international cooperation architecture: the big picture

• Rationale and learning objectives
• The MFF and its funding instruments
• NDICI-Global Europe: what it is and how it works
• Introducing the Global Gateway strategy
• The Team Europe approach: joint delivery in action

Module 2 — The Directorate-General for International Partnerships

• Rationale and learning objectives
• DG INTPA’s mandate and institutional setup
• DG INTPA’s priority themes
• Staying up to date on DG INTPA's priorities

Module 3 — The Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf

• Rationale and learning objectives
• DG MENA’s mandate and institutional setup
• DG MENA’s priority themes
• Staying up to date on DG MENA's priorities

Module 4 — The Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood

• Rationale and learning objectives
• DG ENEST’s mandate and institutional setup
• DG ENEST’s priority themes

• Staying up to date on DG ENEST's priorities

Module 5 — The Service for Foreign Policy Instruments

• Rationale and learning objectives
• FPI’s mandate and institutional setup
• FPI’s priority themes
• Staying up to date on FPI's priorities

Module 6 — Cross-cutting themes in EU development cooperation

• Rationale and learning objectives
• The legal foundation: two principles, seven priorities
• Turning cross-cutting themes into policies
• Staying up to date on cross-cutting themes

Module 1: Understanding EU Delegations and their role in development cooperation

• The impact of EU aid decentralisation and the role of EUDs as local funding gatekeepers
• Organisational structure of EUDs: Cooperation, Political, Finance/Administration, and Communications sections
• Key staff roles and entry points: Head of Cooperation, Civil Society Focal Point, and thematic focal points
• Institutional relationship between EUDs, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and European Commission DGs (DG INTPA, DG ENEST, DG MENA)
• Navigating key policy frameworks: Multi-Annual Indicative Programmes (MIPs) and 4th Generation Civil Society Roadmaps (2025–2027)

Module 2: Positioning your NGO: profiles, concept notes, and alignment with EUD priorities

• Building a compelling, concise one-page organisational profile as your institutional "business card"
• Demonstrating credibility through track record, local partnerships, financial capacity, and measurable impact metrics
• Preparing a targeted two-page Concept Note outlining problem statements, proposed solutions, beneficiaries, and EUD fit
• Mapping NGO intervention logic directly to EUD country strategies and Civil Society Roadmaps
• Avoiding common positioning pitfalls, generic funding requests, and strategic misalignments

Module 3: Executing effective engagement and building lasting relationships with EUDs

• Mapping internal EUD contacts and selecting the appropriate entry point for operational or policy outreach
• Implementing a structured 6-step engagement sequence: Research, initial outreach, meeting preparation, meeting execution, follow-up, and ongoing engagement
• Best practices for initial email outreach, attaching tailored materials, and requesting brief introductory meetings
• Meeting execution and follow-up etiquette: value-driven dialogue, listening, and sending prompt summaries within 1–2 days
• Active participation in EUD consultations, workshops, and structured dialogues to maintain visibility across funding cycles

This package includes five interactive asynchronous eLearning modules:

All included eLearning modules for a total commitment time of approximately 10 hours.

Each eLearning module is composed as follows:

• Interactive eLearning: you can follow the course at your own pace on your computer, tablet or mobile phone. The course includes reading texts, watching short videos, interactive exercises and hypothetical scenarios.
• Additional learning material: you will be able to download additional reading materials and documents.
• Forum - you will be able to communicate with the trainers and post questions and share information and best practices with other participants.
• Final tasks - 30 mins - Complete the exit test and fill out the evaluation form.

• Operational and financial staff of not-for-profit organisations, consultants, university and post-graduate students.
• NOT appropriate for pillar-assessed organizations’ staff, acting under the Contribution Agreement.

Previous experience or knowledge related to accessing and managing EU funds is not required, but could be helpful.

You will need access to a computer, tablet or mobile phone with an Internet connection.

All the courses must be completed within 6 months of the date of subscription.

Once you have completed all the training material and passed the exit test, your certificate of attendance for each specific course will be available to download directly from the learning platform.

The certificates are always available in your profile page with historical data of all punto.sud Academy courses you’ve attended.