ERDF in the Northwest
In the Northwest, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is responsible for managing the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme. The NWDA has been allocated €755 million from the ERDF to spend on the Northwest between 2007 and 2013.
The ERDF programme in the Northwest is known as the Northwest Operational Programme (NWOP).
NWOP has four priority areas for funding. Under each priority area, there are a number of action areas to make sure the funding is focused to fulfil specific roles.
The NWDA allocates NWOP funding through a single appraisal process. NWOP funding is allocated as grants, loans, or venture capital towards project costs. Grants are set at the minimum level required to allow the project to go ahead. NWOP funding is rarely more than 50% of the eligible cost.
The remainder of the funding - known as "match funding" - comes from other sources, such as: the NWDA; local authorities; other Government schemes; other public bodies; and the private sector.
Technical Assistance posts have been recruited in each of the five sub-regions to provide potential applicants with advice and support in applying for ERDF funding.
Of the €755 million for the Northwest, €307 million has been allocated to Merseyside, with €448 million allocated for the rest of the Northwest. Merseyside has its own funding allocated due to its transitional phasing-in status.
Transitional phasing-in status was awarded to those regions which, since the last programming round (2000-2006) were proportionately more disadvantaged due to the assertion of the 12 new Member States. The assertion of these new member states had the effect of lowering the average GDP across the whole of the EU, upon which the ERDF is calculated. This is known as the ‘statistical effect’ and in response the EU awarded additional funding to those areas badly effected by the significant lowering in ERDF between 2000 and 2007.
NWOP aims to: create 26,700 additional net jobs; improve the region's annual Gross Value Added by £1.17 billion; and a 25% reduction in additional carbon dioxide emissions generated from ERDF programme investments.