- REQUIREMENTS TO BE MET BY INSTITUTIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROJECTS
Can any type of archives participate?
Yes, public or private archives, or other public and private institutions that hold documentary collections, may participate, provided that they are legally constituted and have their registered office in one of the Iberarchivos member countries(https://www.iberarchivos.org/paises-miembros/).
It is important to remember that it is an essential condition that they guarantee free public access to the documentary collections in their custody, especially to the products resulting from the intervention subsidised by Iberarchivos. In the case of private entities, the collections on which they wish to intervene must be of permanent or historical value and of social relevance and/or public interest.
Are there any impediments or conditions regarding the applicant institution’s provincial governmental dependence?
There is no problem. In fact, one of the priority lines of the Programme is the “Promotion of decentralisation”, for regional or local institutions that have greater difficulty in obtaining external funding.
Can an institution that has already received support from Iberarchivos present a project?
Yes, provided that the previous support has been properly justified at the time of the evaluation of the applications for the new call.
Is it possible to present the continuity of a project that is already underway?
You can submit a new project, but at the time of the award of the grants the previous project must be duly justified, with all the final reports submitted and approved by the Technical Unit. If this is not the case, the institution would not be eligible for the grant in that call and would have to wait for the next call to formulate the continuity of the project.
Do I have to be the owner of the institution to submit the project?
The application form must be signed by the legal representative of the institution. With his/her signature, the legal representative commits him/herself to implement the project according to the terms established. In addition, a document certifying his/her appointment and a copy of his/her identity card must be provided.
- PROJECT PLANNING
Can a project have several stages?
Yes, not all projects can be carried out in a single stage, depending on the size of the project. It is therefore possible to plan the project in several stages (up to a maximum of three) and apply for support in different calls for each of the stages.
Can the proposals be built on cataloguing formats that are designed by the institution and that meet its needs, or should they be based on those established by the general archives of the nations?
For a project to be technically well planned, the description of the documentation should be based on national or international standards of archival description. These standards can be adapted to the specific needs of each institution, but this adaptation must always be based on archival standards. If you have any questions, please consult your national project officer for guidance.
How detailed should the timelines be when submitting the project?
Timelines should be as tight as possible, as this is the only way to ensure that a project is well planned and well thought out. Please note that the National Evaluation Commissions will use these timelines as a basis for scoring some of the evaluation criteria.
We wonder whether the focus of the project should be social and whether it is necessary to integrate an outcome in which we involve society such as an exhibition or an editorial publication.
The purpose of the call is to support projects that have a positive and sustainable impact on the access of Ibero-American citizens to archives and on the archival development of the region, through the methodology of Management for Development Results (GoRD), seeking favourable changes in the performance and strengthening of archival institutions, as guarantors of access to information and to the documented collective memory of the Ibero-American peoples. The ultimate aim of the projects must be to generate “public value”, in the sense that the archives respond to the social demands of Ibero-American citizens.
The projects must be respectful of the cultural diversity of Ibero-America, gender equality and human rights, favouring non-discrimination of the most vulnerable groups of the population.
Taking into account this purpose of the projects, it is not necessary to carry out an activity with the direct participation of society, if the project itself does not require it.
Can Iberarchivos support the training of the people in charge of archives in order to professionalise their work?
Yes. Numerous projects have been approved throughout the history of the Programme in this sense.
We have a lot of doubts about table 9 of the form “Expected results”.
In this table, the initiatives and activities to be achieved with the implementation of the project should be included, based on the objectives established by Iberarchivos, which will be used by the National Commissions to assess the expected results of the project. Not all projects will carry out initiatives related to all the objectives, depending on the type of project.
The objectives set are based on the GoRD methodology, which aims to create sustainable changes in the improvement of citizens’ conditions. It is therefore essential that when you plan a project you do so using this methodology, by first identifying what those development outcomes are, and then drilling down into strategic objectives, intermediate objectives, action lines and activities.
- BUDGETING
How is the budget prepared?
Point V.2 of the form contains the tables for drawing up the project budget. In table 11 you will enter the total data of the budget. You must remember that the maximum amount that an organisation can apply for is 10,000 euros and that the grant must represent a maximum of 80% of the total amount of the project, so you must provide 20% of the total amount with your own funds.
By way of example, if an entity requests 10,000 euros of aid, this amount must represent 80% of the total of the project and therefore they must contribute 2,500 euros (the remaining 20%) in their own funds, making a total of 12,500 euros for the project.
In table 12, the expenses to be covered by the grant and the contribution of own funds must be broken down. We ask the entities to be careful when breaking down these expenses, since, if they are finally beneficiaries, this will be the budget that will be approved by the Intergovernmental Council and, therefore, these will be the expenses that they will have to justify at the end of the project. Once this budget has been approved, the aid must be used exactly for the items and percentages approved.
What can the requested aid be used for? Can it be freely designated or must it be designated to items governed and regulated by the Iberarchivos rules?
The aid must always be allocated to the concepts or items established in the form, in table 11.
Can the aid be earmarked for the purchase of technological material and equipment?
No. Only 20% of the grant may be used for inventoriable material, which is material that as a general rule does not deteriorate rapidly through use and becomes part of the annual inventory of an institution. Examples of inventoriable material include certain tangible goods such as tables, chairs, computers, tablets, etc. Software or computer programs are also considered to be inventoriable goods.
In which currency should we calculate the budget?
The budget should initially be calculated in EURO currency.
Are the fees for the project workers included in the budget? If so, is it calculated on the basis of an international or my country’s wage rate?
Yes, two budget items are included for the recruitment of staff. This recruitment can be either direct recruitment by the institution or it can be outsourced or subcontracted/outsourced technical and professional services.
The amount allocated to these items must be calculated on the basis of the salaries in each of the countries.
In relation to the expenses excluded from support for this call for proposals, what do the operating costs of the archive and the administrative management costs refer to?
The operating costs of the archive refer to the usual costs of electricity, water, space rental, cleaning, telephone, communication, etc.
Administrative costs refer to any type of expenditure not related to technical archival work: secretarial/administrative staff, security staff, purchase of office supplies, commissions for the administration of the grant, bank charges, etc.
Can an organisation without a budget participate?
Entities must provide at least 20% of the total budget with their own funds. These funds could be staff provided by the institution itself, for example.
Can the funding include a research and source-finding stage in the archives?
If an archive wants to submit a project to produce a sourcebook, it could apply for funding. But if the question refers to an individual or entity that wants to do historical or scientific research on the archives’ holdings, it would not be covered by the call for proposals.
Can funding include the construction of an archive?
No. This type of structural expenditure is not included in the budget, so it is not possible to receive support for this purpose.
- HOW TO APPLY?
How to send the application, should we send it digitally or physically, what are the considerations to be taken into account when sending the documentation digitally?
Entities interested in submitting a project must send:
Project application form, with original signature and stamp of the legal representative of the institution.
A simple copy of the document accrediting the appointment of the legal representative of the institution.
A simple copy of the identity card of the legal representative of the institution.
Certificate of compliance with fiscal/tax obligations of the applicant institution, in accordance with national regulations.
Bank certificate stating the details of the bank account in the name of the applicant institution in the currency of the project (name and address of the bank, account holder, account number and SWIFT code).
This documentation must be sent to the project officer designated by your National Archival Authority by the deadline.
The following methods of signature and form of submission are acceptable:
–Electronic signature: for the signature to be valid, the applicant must be in possession of an electronic certificate authenticated by a certifying body in the country (a document signed manually and subsequently digitised is not considered valid as an electronic signature). In this case the application shall be sent by e-mail to the country project officer.
–Manual signature and institutional stamp: in this case the signed and duly stamped application must be sent by post to the person designated as Country Project Officer.
Remember that whether by e-mail or by post, the application must be sent within the deadline established in the call for proposals. All applications that do not include all the required documentation and are not submitted within the deadline will not enter the project assessment phase.
Do the documents have to be apostilled?
It is not necessary for the documents to be apostilled.
- CRITERIA FOR THE EVALUATION OF PROJECTS
What is the procedure for assessing projects?
The project appraisal process is as follows:
Phase 1: the Technical Unit reviews the compliance of all applicants with the terms and conditions.
Phase 2: Subsequently, in each Iberarchivos member country, a National Evaluation Commission is set up, chaired by the National Archival Authority. This Commission, together with the Technical Unit of the Programme, will carry out the provisional technical evaluation of the projects that meet the requirements of the Call for Proposals.
The scores awarded by the National Evaluation Commissions are provisional until the competent body for the resolution of the Iberarchivos grant calls, which is the Intergovernmental Council, meets.
Phase 3: Finally, the Iberarchivos Intergovernmental Council will determine the projects approved for each call and the grant amounts, always ensuring an equitable regional distribution of the Iberarchivos fund. Each country will only be able to obtain a maximum number of projects, which will be decided annually by the Intergovernmental Council. The decision of the Intergovernmental Council is final.
What are the criteria for the evaluation of projects?
The evaluation criteria can be consulted on the Iberarchivos website, in the “Call for proposals” section:
What is considered archival innovation?
It will be assessed if the project includes novel elements in professional archival practice. To innovate would be to use knowledge, or generate it if necessary, to create new products, services or processes, which are new to archives or improve existing ones. Implementing established archival practices in an archive would not be considered innovation.
- NATIONAL ARCHIVAL AUTHORITIES (NAA) AND PROJECT LEADERS
The archive I represent is not part of the National Archives/General Archive of the Nation. Do I still have to inform the AGN about the submission?
The submission form, together with the attached documents, should be sent in the first instance to the National/General Archives in each country and from there all applications submitted in the country are sent to the Technical Unit. Therefore, you will have to contact the National/General Archives at least to submit the application.
How can I contact the project officer in my country?
You can find the contact details on the Iberarchivos website: https://www.iberarchivos.org/paises-miembros/
How can I find out if my country is up to date with the payment of the Programme membership fee?
You can send an email to the Technical Unit: iberarchivos@cultura.gob.es
What are the specific functions of the National Archival Authority and how far does it interfere in the proposal to be submitted to Iberarchives and in the development of the proposal?
The NAAs are the governmental representatives in the field of archives in the countries adhering to the Programme. The AANs together form the Intergovernmental Council (IC). One of the functions of the IC is to approve the distribution of the Fund’s resources and to approve the projects that benefit from each of the annual calls for proposals for archival projects. The functions of the IC can be found in article 4 of the Iberarchivos Regulations:
In each country, the AANs designate a project manager, a person who provides technical advice on document processing and archival matters to organisations interested in applying for support for archival projects, monitoring applications or candidatures from their inception, if the applicant organisations so require.
In addition, the project manager, in coordination with the Technical Unit, provides support in liaising with beneficiary organisations to ensure that projects are technically successful and assists the Technical Unit in monitoring the technical and financial justification of those projects that present difficulties.
Neither the AANs nor the project managers have any influence on the design of the proposals presented by the different entities in the country, unless the latter request their advice, but the Technical Unit recommends that the institutions contact them from the moment the project is designed to resolve any doubts.
- ADVICE AND SUPPORT TO BENEFICIARY INSTITUTIONS
In case of receiving the requested support, will Iberarchivos provide advice?
The project manager in each of the partner countries will provide technical support and can monitor the project if required.
You can also send any queries you may have to the Technical Unit by sending us an e-mail:
Does Iberarchivos carry out an audit or monitoring of project funding?
Yes, for projects of more than 5,000 euros, progress reports are requested halfway through the implementation of the project to check that the project is running smoothly and that the budget is being used correctly. For all projects, the audit of project funding is carried out at the end of the project. For this purpose, each institution must submit all invoices justifying the subsidy granted by Iberarchivos and the documents accrediting the payment of these invoices. Invoices dated prior to the period of execution of the project will not be accepted.
In addition, some of the projects are subsequently subject to a professional audit by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, AECID, as the programme’s funding body.
Is there a possibility of accompanying the registration of the information in the application form?
You can contact the project officer in your country(https://www.iberarchivos.org/paises-miembros/), who will accompany and advise you in the submission of the application form, if required.
- OTHER
How do I know if my institution has already been registered in the Census-Guide of Archives of Spain and Latin America?
You can consult the link to the Census-Guide and search for your institution here: http://censoarchivos.mcu.es/CensoGuia/directorioarchivosInicial.htm
Does Iberarchivos provide participants with any certification?
No, the Programme does not provide certification to grant recipients.
Why are some projects approved but then sanctioned, what is the reason for this and what is the nature of the sanction?
For those institutions that have received aid from Iberarchivos but have not justified the use of the resources received, both the National Authorities and the Technical Unit will monitor these projects so that the institutions can justify the aid received.
According to the second point of the minutes of the XIX Intergovernmental Council meeting, those projects that have not been justified will lapse after 10 years. It should not be forgotten that Iberarchivos funds are public funds and, therefore, the Programme will impose a moral sanction by publishing the list of non-compliant institutions on its website. These institutions will not be eligible for new grants until they duly justify the resources received.
Finally, non-compliance is communicated to the competent national authorities in order for them to take the appropriate legal measures.
