About the programme
 Norwegian Financial Mechanism |
 Slovak Republic |
 EEA Fiancial Mechanism |
Both calls for propasals are closed, no further calls are envisaged within NIL Fund.
NIL Fund Supporting Cooperation in the Field of Education
Since May 2004 when 10 new countries joined the EU and European Economic Area (EEA), 28 members benefit from a common access to the Internal Market characterised by four freedoms — the free movement of goods, services, persons and capital. At the same time Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein established the EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms to support social and economic cohesion within the enlarged European Economic Area. The overall aim of the EEA and Norway Grants is the reduction of economic and social disparities in the EEA through grant support of investment and development projects in various areas. Support to education and cooperation between secondary schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) from the involved countries represents one of the priorities of the EEA and Norway Grants.
NIL Fund Supporting Cooperation in the Field of Education managed by SAIA, n. o. (the Slovak Academic Information Agency) has been established with the aim to contribute to strengthening of bi- and multilateral cooperation between Slovakia and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein in the field of education. NIL Fund is supported by the Governments of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein within the EEA Financial Mechanism, Norwegian Financial Mechanism and from the state budget of the Slovak Republic.
NIL Fund is implemented from July 1, 2007 to April 30, 2011. Within this programming period, SAIA opened two calls for proposals (14. 12. 2007 and 1. 10. 2008) in which a possibility to submit projects and apply for grants was open to all types of Slovak secondary schools and HEIs recognised by the State in co-operation with partners in donor countries – Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein. At the time of application the maximum grants available were 50,000 EUR for secondary schools and 150,000 EUR for higher education institutions.
Within the first call for proposal of the NIL Fund 10 projects were approved by the NIL Fund Board – 6 sub-projects of secondary schools in cooperation with 3 partner schools from Norway and 3 from Iceland and 4 sub-projects of HEIs in which there are involved 6 HEIs from Norway and 1 from Iceland. Within the first call there were submitted 11 project applications by secondary schools and 11 by HEIs. Selected projects have been implemented since July 2008 til September 2010. The total amount of 798,428.40 EUR was distributed within the first call.
In the second call for proposals of the NIL Fund there were submitted 9 secondary school and 15 HEI project applications. 3 secondary school projects and 5 HEI projects were selected by the NIL Fund Board.9 partners from abroad are involved in the project consortia – 2 secondary schools from Norway an 1 from Liechtenstein and 5 HEIs from Norway and 1 from Iceland. Among these 8 sub-projects that have been implemented since April 2009 and will have been finished by the end of February 2011, a total amount of 693,343.44 EUR was distributed.
Since September 2009 other 3 projects of secondary schools and 5 projects of HEIs have enlarged the group of 18 supported end-recipients. These 8 additionally approved end-recipients cooperate with 10 partners from Norway – 4 secondary schools and 6 HEIs. Financial support of their sub-projects has been possible thanks to an increase in the financial allocation for the NIL Fund based on the signature of an amendment to the Agreement on the non-repayable contribution between SAIA, n. o., and the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic as the national Focal point for the EEA and Norway grants. The additional funding represents an amount of money from the EEA and Norway grants and the state budget of the Slovak Republic that was not allocated to other block grants or individual projects at the national level by the end of April 2009. The additionally supported projects were selected from a reserve list of applicants from both calls. Their projects had been evaluated as quality projects, complying with all evaluation and performance criteria, though initially, due to limited funds, it was not possible to support them. The total amount of funding from the EEA and Norway grants and the state budget of the Slovak Republic allocated to additionally supported sub-projects is 645,461.62 EUR. These projects are specific because of the short period of implementation. They will have been finished by the end of February 2011, like the projects from the second call. A particularity of the additionally supported sub-projects is that the partner schools are only from Norway.
The approved projects enable a mutual familiarisation of students, doctorands, teachers and researchers through mobility and exchange stays. They promote experience sharing, development of joint study programmes and diplomas and support publishing of jointly prepared teaching aids and publications, organisation of seminars, conferences, specialised excursions, learning about diverse cultural heritage and promotion of the Slovak language in the target countries and Norwegian, Icelandic and German languages in Slovakia. The thematic focus of the approved projects is various and often interdisciplinary; they cover the domains such as informatics, cryptology, biology, sport sciences, teaching of mathematics and sport education, economics, sustainable and regional development, nursing, environmental protection, waste manegement or historic and cultural heritage of the involved countries.
The approved projects respect diverse regional distribution. It is noteworthy that all self-governing regions of Slovakia are represented within the NIL Fund. Another particularity of the 26 sub-projects supported within the NIL Fund is the almost equal number of involved students, teachers and researchers from Slovakia and from the partner organisations in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. About 450 students and 160 teachers and researchers on both sides, 80 Slovak doctorands and approximately 60 doctorands from the EEA countries should be progressively involved in the project activities.
SUB-PROJECTS SUPPORTED WITHIN THE NIL FUND
Call n° 0001
Secondary Schools
NIL-I-008 - Environment Has No Boundaries
NIL-I-013 - Discovering Heterogeneous Cultural Cumulative Legacies and UNESCO National Monuments in Slovakia and Norway
NIL-I-019 - Cultural Bridges over Borders
NIL-I-020 - Energy, Chemistry and Society
Higher Education Institutions
NIL-I-005 - MIM – Move in Mathematics Education
NIL-I-006 - Training and Education of Students in Nanotechnology Focused Bioelectrochemistry and Biophysics
Call n° 0002
Secondary Schools
NIL-II-003 - Once upon a Time, in Slovakia and Norway
NIL-II-011 - The Flight over Europe
NIL-II-015 - How to Become a Model…
Higher Education Institutions
NIL-II-009 - Quo Vadis Europe?
NIL-II-021 - Cooperation between TUKE and NTNU in the Area of Distributed Computer Networks Security
Additionally supported sub-projects
Secondary Schools
NIL-II-002-d - Slovakia – Norway Dialogue: Principles of Sustainable Development in School Education
NIL-II-005-d - Acquiring Professional Skills in the Field of CNC Programming by Students in Slovakia and Norway
NIL-II-023-d - How we are Influenced by the Past…
Higher Education Institutions
NIL-I-007-d - Enhancing NO-SK Cooperation in Automatic Control
NIL-II-001-d - Human Skeleton Muscle and in Vivo and in Vitro Muscle Analysis Techniques in Sport Sciences
NIL-II-013-d - Development of Cooperation in the Scope of Research of Innovation Processes Impact on Regional Development in Slovakia and Norway
NIL-II-017-d - Summer School of Alpine Biology
For more information see parts - Call for proposals no. 0001, Call for proposals no. 0002 or the publication Cooperation of Slovak Secondary Schools and HEIs with Partners in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
CONTACT
SAIA, n. o., Námestie slobody 23, 812 20 Bratislava 1, Slovakia
Fund Manager: Katarína Mózová
Financial Managers: Zuzana Čuláková, Lucia Lacková
Tel.: +421 2 54 41 14 64, Fax: +421 2 54 41 14 29
E-mail contact: fondNIL@saia.sk
Supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. This project is also co-financed from the state budget of the Slovak Republic.
-- updated 30-03-10 --