(A4) Budget for Meetings

[Janos Blasszauer]

I have no comments about this, because I don't have experience on this aspect.

I cannot comment on this one, either for lack of experience.

Nevertheless, I am absolutely positive that our institution would be glad to host a meeting.

[Andy Davies]

Is anyone intending to commission content to other colleagues working in their educational establishments? If this is the case do you think it is fair that they should be paid for their time. They may not accept travel and a very good quality hotel as an acceptable fee. They may prefer cold hard cash?

[Juan Carlos]

As we have to save money in some part of our application bid to budget funding for translations, I would opt for fewer (2 a year) or shorter meetings. As I told you in previous posts, I will have serious difficulties in attending three meetings a year.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

Is anyone intending to commission content to other colleagues working in their educational establishments? If this is the case do you think it is fair that they should be paid for their time. They may not accept travel and a very good quality hotel as an acceptable fee. They may prefer cold hard cash?

This is a very reasonable suggestion. e-Help still hopes to be able to use a significant proportion of its budget to pay for additional materials. The only problem is that the coordinating institutions requires invoices and receipts for all expenditure. Paying freelancers and getting translation through an approved agency is not a problem, paying classroom teachers for articles is.

[Richard Jones-Nerzic]

However, I cannot draw the conclusion that visitors must belong to those countries. The guidelines deal with instititutions whicha are co-ordinators or partners and individuals who apply for financial support, not with experts who are invited to certain meetings. Probably, there is a "legal vaccuum" on that.

I can't find any documents that suggest otherwise and the Technical Assistance Office stopped giving technical assistance from January 1st. But I think I might have asked about this at a meeting. It is worth remembering that Comenius were a little unhappy with how we intended to manipulate the concept of 'consultancy'. Try ringing the national Socrates office.

Found the information on this when looking for something e-Help related this afternoon. From the Socrates Admin and Finance Handbook (the Bible):

Costs of travel to and from countries not participating in the Socrates Programme are not eligible, unless explicit prior written authorisation is granted by the Commision.

[Juan Carlos]

Thanks Richard. We have now clear ideas about the subject.