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ERDF Requirements
Publicity & Information Requirements
The EU flag and the ERDF’s logo should feature on the following project-related material:
- Billboards Plaques
- Brochures/Literature/Job Adverts
- Application Forms
- Annual Reports
- Display/Exhibition stands
- Videos
- Advertising & Supplements
- Conference Material (including Scientific Posters)
- Web sites
- Offer letters, correspondence with projects/beneficiaries
- Press releases
- All other posters
The current arrangements for the use of logos are as follows [refer to templates below]:
- the IRISH Structural Funds (NSRF) ‘Golden Harp’ logo is to replace the NDP logo for all EU co-financed publicity material
- this is to be accompanied by the EU flag logo (with the text: European Regional Development Fund, underneath), to be inserted on right hand side of the IRISH Structural Funds (NSRF) logo;
- the sponsoring Governmental organization or Department logo (where used) is inserted to the right of the EU logo;
- all logos to be of equal scale
- in addition, where it is feasible to do so, the EU Commission’s suggested tagline “Investing in your future” should also be used.
Requirements for billboards and Plaques
- Billboards and commemorative plaques are compulsory for projects where the total public contribution is over €500k.
- The billboard must be of a size that is appropriate to the scale of the operation.
- The section of the billboard reserved for the EU contribution should take up to at least 25% of the total area of the billboard.
- The letters used must be at least the same size as the letters for the national announcement although the typeface may be different.
- Once a site or project is completed, billboards must remain in place for no longer than six months.
- Wherever possible, the billboard must be replaced by a commemorative plaque within 6 months of completion of the project.
For further information on publicity, see the website www.eustructuralfunds.ie
Physical records of the above material should be sent to the Office of the Vice President for Research & Innovation dependent on spatial constraints, documents are archived with UCC’s archival depository. Electronic documents will be held on the Shared Drive, to which the staff of the Office of the Vice-President for Research & Innovation have access.
Poster/Sticker Templates:
Retention of Documents
Article 90 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 states “the managing authority shall ensure that all supporting documentation regarding expenditure and audits on the OP are kept available for the Commission and the Court of Auditors for a period of three year following the closure of the OP.”
This means that all supporting documentation in respect to assistance received under the ERDF Structural Funds must be retained for a period of three years after the final payment has been received for all Operational Programmes under the current round 2007-2013. Therefore all supporting documentation may need to be retained until at least 2022.
Check-List used by Potential Auditors
| PROCEDURE | COMMENTS | REFERENCE NUMBER |
| Ensure that procedures for the retention of documentation have been documented | ||
| Confirm that procedures to meet EU requirements relating to documentation retention have been documented |
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| If the procedures have not been documented, conduct interviews with the relevant personnel to obtain an understanding of the procedures that are in place. Recommend that the procedures are documented. The possibility of staff turnover and the number of years the documentation is required to be retained, may result in the information being lost. |
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| Does the procedure manual include the exact location of the documentation and the personnel responsible? |
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| Is the documentation retained on site or in storage? |
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| Can the documentation be made available for inspection to the body, the Accountable Department, the Certifying Authority or the Commission within five workings days of a request? |
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ERDF Requirements
Publicity/Information and Documentation Retention Measures for Projects that Benefit from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Co-Funding
Relevant Funding Schemes:
| 1. HEA |
Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) Research Equipment Renewal Grant (RERG) Research Facilities Enhancement Scheme (RFES) |
| 2. Enterprise Ireland |
Commercialization Fund Innovation Partnership Programme |
| 3. Science Foundation Ireland |
Spokes Programme |
For more detailed information on our responsibilities relating to projects benefiting from ERDF co-funding, please refer to the UCC Procedures Manual for the European Regional Development Fund [located on the Finance Office website].
The Commission have stated that it is within their remit to impose a100% financial correction (i.e. take back all the ERDF funding) for failure to acknowledge and publicize the ERDF contribution to a project.