1
SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME
for NORTHERN IRELAND 2007 - 2013
(ERDF)
ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION
REPORT 2015
2
NORTHERN IRELAND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME
ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 2015
Section Title
Page
1.
Identification
3
2.
Overview of the Implementation of the Operational Programme
3
2.1 Achievement and analysis of the progress 3
General Progress 4
Qualitative Analysis of Performance against Core Indicators
6
2.1.2 Financial Information 8
2.1.3 Information about the breakdown of use of the Funds 10
2.1.4 Assistance by Target Group 12
2.1.5 Assistance Repaid or Re-used 12
2.1.6 Qualitative Analysis 12
2.2 Information about compliance with Community law 12
2.3 Significant problems encountered and measures taken to overcome them
12
2.4 Changes in the context of the operational programme implementation
12
2.5 Substantial modification pursuant to Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
14
2.6 Complementarity with other instruments 15
2.7 Monitoring and evaluation 16
2.8 National performance reserve 17
3. Implementation by priority
3.1 Priority 1 18
3.2 Priority 2 28
3.3 Priority 3 37
4. ERDF/CF Programmes: Major Projects 51
5. Technical Assistance 51
6. Information and Publicity 53
3
1. IDENTIFICATION
Operational Programme Regional Competitiveness and Employment
UK: Northern Ireland
2007 - 2013
2007UK162PO003
The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007 - 2013
Annual Implementation Report Year ending 31 December 2015
Date approved by PMC: 27 June 2016
2. OVERVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME
2.1 Achievement and analysis of the progress
Information on the physical progress of the Operational Programme (key on page 4): The table below outlines performance against the European Commission core indicators which apply to the Programme.
Indicator Priority SFC Code
Ind Type
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
Number of RTD Projects
P1 004 C
A 34 210 453 610 727 938 1073 1224 1266 1266
B
T 100 250 450 650 850 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Number of co-operation projects enterprises – research institutions
P1 005 C
A - - 3 6 7 8 12 18 24 24
B
T 4 8 12 12 12 12
Research jobs created P1 006 C
A 70 650 1080 1370 1700 1880 2100 DCiP 2100
B
T 152 312 479 655 1155 1655 2155 2155 2155 2155
SMEs – number of projects
P1 007 C
A 71 192 305 479 672 876 991 1179 1264 1264
B
T 820 1000 1180 1180 1180 1180
SMEs - Number of projects
P2 007 C
A - 16 51 67 82 97 110 152 179 179
B
T 65 130 130 130 130
SMEs - Gross direct full-time equivalent jobs created
P2 009 C
A - 259 782 960 1058 1073 1122 1532 1846 1846
B
T - 1020 1170 1320 1470 1500 1500
SMEs - Investment induced (€m)
P2 010 C
A 26.0 61.59 76.93 85.33 97.96 101.92 187.12 221.33 221.33
B
T 120 140 160 160 160 160
Tourism - Number of projects
P2 034 C
A 0 0 5 8 11 15 24 33 37 37
B
T 24
Tourism - Number of jobs created
P2 035 C
A - 27.77 35.67 51.67 51.67
B
T - 0 0 18 18 18 18 18 18 18
4
Indicator Priority SFC Code
Ind Type
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
Information Society – Number of projects
P3 011 C
A 0 5 9 10 11 11 11 11 11 11
B 0
T 11 11 11 11 11
Transport – Km of new roads
P3 014 C
A 0 0 DCiP DCiP
B
T 0 0 1.4 1.4
Transport – Km of reconstructed roads
P3 016 C
A 0 0 DCiP DCiP
B
T 0 0 2.1 2.1
Energy – Number of projects
P3 023 C
A 0 2 7 9 12 22 30 30 30 30
B
T 0 2 7 9 12 27 30 30 30 30
Annual reduction in greenhouse emissions (CO2 and equivalent, kt)
P3 030 C
A 6.1 13.4 16.8 16.8
B
T 1.5 3.0 4.5 4.5
CODE DEFINITION
SFC European Commission information system
Ind Type Indicator Type
C Core Indicator
O Output Indicator
R Result Indicator
DCiP Data Capture in Progress A Achievement B Baseline T Target
Footnotes
1. Gender based statistics are not collated for the Programme.
2. During the closure process a number of projects have been removed from the
Programme requiring revision to performance reported in previous years.
General Progress
1. During May 2016 Northern Ireland Central Government Departments
restructured. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)
merged with most of the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) to
become the Department for the Economy (DfE). The Department of Finance
and Personnel (DFP) became the Department of Finance (DoF). It should be
noted however that in terms of administrative responsibility and control, the
change in Department name did not impact on the Programme management,
audit and implementation bodies.
2. At 31 December 2015, 90% of the Programme allocation has been spent by
beneficiaries, verified, certified and included in claims to the European
Commission. The Managing Authority also plans to have the final interim
claim ready for submission by the Certifying Authority in May 2016.
5
3. In addition, most of the Programme targets (where data is currently available)
have been achieved or exceeded.
4. A Closure Team has been established within the Managing Authority and
work is well advanced in preparation for closure of the Programme. The Team
Manager reports to the Closure Project Board which meets quarterly. The
Closure Team is managing the entire Programme closure process centrally.
Given that there are in excess of 2,500 projects in the Programme for which
closure checklists have to be completed this represents a major piece of work
however the centralised approach was chosen to minimise the burden on
Intermediate Bodies and ensure consistency across the Programme.
5. By 31st December 2015 the Closure Team had closed in excess of 1,400
projects and these figures continue to increase on a daily basis with the
remainder on target to be closed by the 30 June 2016.
6. A Final Implementation Report will be completed by the Programme in line
with article 67 of council regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006.
7. At the midterm evaluation 9 impact indicators were established for the
programme (4115, 4116, 4203, 4221, 4303, 4309, 4320, 4322 and 4330).
However, per ‘EVALSED: The resource for the evaluation of Socio-Economic
Development’ ‘Impact indicators have been removed from Structural Funds
programmes, except those dealing with fisheries and rural development. For
the DGs for Regional Policy and Employment and Social Affairs impact is the
contribution of the intervention to change. It cannot be monitored; it requires
evaluation.’ The managing authority did not therefore request any
management information to monitor these indicators. More properly, they
should have been removed as part of a Programme modification but this was
administratively overlooked.
Link to EVALSED: The resource for the evaluation of Socio-Economic Development:
EVALSED: The resource for the evaluation of Socio-Economic Development
8. Core Indicator 24 (Additional capacity of renewable energy production) is
included in the Programme. However, it became clear that this indicator was
not directly applicable to the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme. Much
of the activity supported under the Programme enables the private sector in
Northern Ireland to increase the production capacity of renewable energy.
However, it is indirect and the actual increases in capacity are not likely to be
realised within the lifetime of the Programme. More properly, this indicator
should have been removed as part of a Programme modification but this was
administratively overlooked.
6
Qualitative Analysis of Performance Against Core Indicators Priority 1
(Code 004) Number of RTD Projects
The target of 1,000 projects over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed with
Invest NI, based on the anticipated number of projects to be supported under Grant
for R&D. During 2015 the actual achievement was 42, giving an overall total of 1266
to 31 December 2015.
(005) Number of Co-Operation Projects Enterprises – Research Institutions
A per annum target of 4 to 2013 was agreed based on the anticipated collaboration
projects under the Grant for R&D and Centres of Excellence. INI achieved 6 projects
in 2015, giving an overall total of 24 achieved against a cumulative target of 12 to the
end of December 2015.
(006) Research jobs created
The target of 2,155 was agreed during the Mid Term Evaluation. This represented
the baseline target of 655 to 2010 and 1,500 agreed to the end of the Programme. In
2014, 220 new jobs were created giving an overall total of 2,100 to the end of
December 2014. The 2015 outturn will be taken from the next research and
development statistics report which is due to be published in December 2016 and
will be reported in the Final Implementation Report.
(007) Number of SME projects
This indicator is based on projects supported through MIS, Interim Manager and
Design Development schemes which each have a cumulative target of 550, 250 and
380 respectively, giving a total cumulative total target of 1,180. The cumulative
achievement to end of December 2015 is 1,264.
Priority 2
(007) Number of SME projects
The reported outturn is based on the number of projects supported under Invest NI’s
Selective Financial Assistance (SFA) scheme. In 2015, 27 projects were supported
giving an overall achievement of 179 projects against a target of 130.
(009) SMEs – Gross Direct Full-time Equivalent Jobs Created
In 2015, the actual achievement based on projects supported under the Selective
Financial Assistance (SFA) Scheme was 314, giving an overall total of 1,846
achieved against a target of 1,500 to December 2015.
(010) SMEs – Investment Induced
The targets for each year are based solely on projects funded under the SFA
Scheme. Achievement in 2015, based on an exchange rate of 1.25, was €34.2m
7
giving an overall achievement to the end of December 2015 of €221.33, against a
cumulative target of €160m.
(034) Tourism – Number of Projects
There were 4 new tourism projects in 2015 bringing the total number of projects
supported to 37.
(035) Tourism – Number of Jobs Created
Across tourism, a total of 51.67 jobs were created; 35.67 of which relate to the
Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience.
Priority 3
(011) Information Society – Number of Projects
The number of projects delivered by 2015 is an amalgam of the Northern Ireland
Broadband Fund 8 supported projects, Logon NI, the Next Generation Broadband
project and the NI Broadband Infrastructure Project. The projects that have been
undertaken have resulted in the deployment of extensive infrastructure into
prioritised locations and the delivery of widespread access to fixed wireless
broadband services. A total of 11 projects have been delivered against a target of
11.
(014) Km of new roads
This core indicator was introduced in the 5th programme modification and the new
road opened to traffic in September 2015. Performance of this indicator will be
reported in the Final Implementation Report when the post project evaluation has
been completed.
(016) Km of reconstructed roads
This core indicator was introduced in the 5th programme modification and the new
road opened to traffic in September 2015. Performance of this indicator will be
reported in the final implementation report when the post project evaluation has been
completed.
(023) Energy – Number of Projects Three Intermediate Bodies contribute to the current target of 30 [INI (4), DARD (10)
and DETI Energy (16) projects]. In 2015 a cumulative total of 30 projects were
achieved (INI (2), DARD (10) and DETI Energy (18)). The reduction in the
cumulative total performance reported is due to one project voluntarily withdrawing
from the Biomass Processing Challenge Fund scheme to pursue an alternative
finance route.
(030) Reduction greenhouse emissions (CO2 and equivalents, kt)
The target was set based on non condensing boilers being installed. However, NIHE
did not install non condensing boilers as part of the Boiler Replacement Scheme,
and therefore the achievement against the target is greater.
8
2.1.2 Financial information (all financial data expressed in euro) Priority axes by source of funding (EUR)
Expenditure paid out by beneficiaries included in payment claims sent to the managing authority
Corresponding public contribution
Private expenditure (¹)
Expenditure paid by the body responsible for making payments to the beneficiaries
Total payments received from the Commission
Priority axis 1 – ERDF
€107,113,578 €80,334,379 €26,779,199 €214,227,156 €104,721,595
Priority axis 2 – ERDF
€83,580,519 €81,915,198 €1,665,320 €167,161,038 €78,285,690
Priority axis 3 – ERDF
€60,374,112 €60,374,112 €0 €120,748,224 €59,290,373
Priority axis 4 – ERDF
€2,543,577 €2,543,577 €0 €5,087,153 €2,520,626
Grand total
€253,611,786 €225,167,267 €28,444,519 €507,223,571 €244,818,284
Total in transitional regions in the grand total
0 0 0 0 0
Total in non-transitional regions in the grand total
0 0 0 0 0
ESF type expenditure in the grand total where the operational programme is co-financed by the ERDF (²)
0 0 0 0 0
ERDF type expenditure in the grand total where the operational programme is co-financed by the ESF
NA NA NA NA NA
(¹) Only applicable for operational programmes expressed in total cost. (²) This field shall be completed where operational programme is co-financed by the ERDF or the ESF where use is made of the option under Article 34(²) of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
9
Analysis of Sterling Allocation, Designation, Commitment and Expenditure Position
to 31 December 2015
To note regarding allocation, designation, commitment and expenditure
figures
The programme allocation is €565.667 made up of €213.314m Priority1, €215.649m
Priority 2, €131.037m Priority 3 and €5.667m Priority 4. For the purposes of the
table above, the sterling equivalent of these allocation figures have been calculated
using a notional exchange rate of £1 = €1.25 which is an approximate average of the
exchange rate over the lifetime of the Programme.
As illustrated on the chart above, the Programme has been over-committed. Also,
additional expenditure has been recorded in excess of the priority allocations and
designations. This is recognised best practice in terms of programme management
and is done in recognition that there will be inevitable slippage within a number of
projects and Programmes. Additionally, this will enable management of any
irregularities that might emerge in order to protect the ERDF position. The Managing
Authority is proactively monitoring the situation and will work closely with the
Member State throughout the Programme closure period. Any adjustments required
to bring this closer to the agreed allocation amounts will be handled through national
budget adjustments. It is however intended to over-declare at closure in order to
ensure that there is sufficient eligible expenditure included to cover any unforeseen
issues that might emerge.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
Programme Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4
Allocation
Designation
Commitment
Expenditure
10
2.1.3 Information about the breakdown of use of the Funds
Part B: Indicative breakdown of Community contribution by category in the operational programme
Commission reference No: 2007UK162PO003
Name of Programme: The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007-2013.
Date of the last Commission decision for the operational programme concerned: 03/11/2015
Combination of codes of dimensions 1 to 5
Code Dimension 1
Code Dimension 2 Form of finance
Code Dimension 3 Territory
Code Dimension 4 Economic Activity
Code Dimension 5 Location
Amount
(€)
02 02
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
5,642,105 3,038,056
03 03
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
2,645,310 1,424,397
04 04
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
49,392,561 26,595,995
06 06
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
1,617,201 870,800
08 08
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
3,312,535 1,783,673
09 09
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
44,560,819 23,994,287
10 10
1 1
1 5
10 10
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
12,867,236 6,928,511
14 14
1 1
1 5
10 10
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
12,221,235 6,580,665
15 15
1 1
1 5
10 10
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
1,465,726 789,237
22 22
1 1
1 5
11 11
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
7,129,611 3,839,022
39 39
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
32,061 17,263
40 40
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
0 0
41 41
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
629,552 338,990
42 42
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
3,525,888 1,898,555
43 43
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
5,235,277 2,818,995
52 52
1 1
1 5
11 11
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
11,701,711 6,300,921
53 53
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
0 0
57 57
1 1
1 5
22 22
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
20,021,173 10,780,632
85 85
1 1
1 5
17 17
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
1,560,887 840,478
86 86
1 1
1 5
17 17
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
280,848 151,226
Total 282,833,439
This table reflects the indicative amounts noted against the categories of expenditure included in the Operational Programme at 31 December 2015.
11
Part C: Cumulative breakdown of allocations of the Community contribution by category in the annual and final report on implementation
Commission reference No: 2007UK162PO003
Name of programme: The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland 2007-2013.
Date of the last Commission decision for the operational programme concerned: 03/11/2015.
Combination of codes of dimensions 1 to 5 Code Dimension 1
Code Dimension 2 Form of finance
Code Dimension 3 Territory
Code Dimension 4 Economic Activity
Code Dimension 5 Location
Amount
(€)
02 02
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
5,391,761 2,903,256
03 03
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
3,017,474 1,624,794
04 04
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
62,065,450 33,419,858
06 06
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
1,426,393 768,058
08 08
3 3
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
3,598,015 1,937,392
09 09
1 1
1 5
06 06
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
53,216,669 28,655,130
10 10
1 1
1 5
10 10
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
14,682,032 7,905,710
14 14
1 1
1 5
10 10
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
8,974,729 4,832,546
15 15
1 1
1 5
10 10
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
1,194,041 642,945
22 22
1 1
1 5
11 11
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
5,808,075 3,127,425
39 39
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
29,250 15,750
40 40
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
0 0
41 41
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
516,026 277,860
42 42
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
2,886,740 1,554,399
43 43
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
6,684,895 3,599,559
52 52
1 1
1 5
11 11
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
10,617,577 5,717,157
53 53
1 1
1 5
21 21
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
0 0
57 57
1 1
1 5
22 22
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
16,812,674 9,052,979
85 85
1 1
1 5
17 17
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
1,478,898 796,330
86 86
1 1
1 5
17 17
UKN01/UKN02 UKN03-UKN05
253,178 136,327
Total 305,621,352
This table reflects the amounts recorded on the programme database against the categories of
expenditure included in the Operational Programme at 31 December 2015. These figures represent
over commitment to ensure that the value of the programme is maximised.
12
2.1.4 Assistance by targets groups
The Programme is implemented on a region-wide basis and is not focussed
on specific groups or areas.
2.1.5 Assistance repaid or re-used
Intermediate Bodies continue to populate the Programme database with
irregularity and withdrawal/recovery information. The Managing Authority
ensures that this information is accurate and is kept up-to-date.
2.1.6 Qualitative Analysis
See narrative under section 2.1 above.
2.2 Information about compliance with Community Law
The Audit Authority‘s review of expenditure claimed from the Commission in
any year is formally reported to the Commission by 31 December in the
following year in an Annual Control Report.
The Audit Authority reported sample and projected error rates of 0.26% and
0.83% respectively in the Annual Control Report (ACR 2015). These error
rates are well within the Commissions materiality threshold.
The Managing Authority continues to work with the relevant Intermediate
Bodies to maintain this level of control.
2.3 Significant problems encountered and measures taken to overcome
them
2.3.1 There were no significant problems encountered in 2015.
2.4 Changes in the context of the Operational Programme implementation (if
relevant)
The Northern Ireland (NI) economy has generally continued to move into
economic recovery mode throughout 2015. This was particularly evident in the
labour market where the number of jobs increased in every quarter of 2015,
adding an average of almost 1,000 jobs per month (11,580 over the year). In
addition, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits decreased in
eleven of the past twelve months, with the number falling by 9,500 in total
over the year. As demonstrated in Figure 1 this resulted in a narrowing of the
gap between the UK and NI claimant count rate over the period.
13
Figure 1: NI vs. UK Claimant Count Rate
Source: Claimant Count, NomisWeb
In 2015, economic output performance was mainly positive. For instance, on a
rolling annual basis production output in 2015 increased by 1.8% compared
with 2014. Over the same time period, services output increased by 1.3%
and construction output increased by 11.4%.
The business base grew in 2015 compared with 2014, with the number of
VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses in NI increasing by 0.6% (the first
increase since 2008). The number of businesses operating in NI that were
foreign owned (i.e. not UK owned) also increased slightly over the year to
reach 885 as of March 2015. A range of unofficial business surveys have also
suggested that businesses were experiencing growth and renewed
confidence in 2015.
NI has also continued to see some positive trends in its research and
development (R&D) performance. There was an increase in both higher
education expenditure (21%) and government expenditure (29%). However
business expenditure in R&D declined by 5% over the year albeit it is still 25%
above the level of such expenditure in 2009. Further positive news was that
the total number of companies spending on R&D increased from 534 in 2013
to 657 in 2014.
It is worth noting however that while there has been a largely positive
sentiment coming from both official and independent sources over the year to
2015, NI’s economic performance has been at a slower rate compared to the
UK.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
Cla
iman
t co
un
t ra
te
UK NI
14
For example, although economic inactivity levels have been falling in NI, and
are currently at 26.8% (working age population) in the final quarter of 2015,
this remains significantly above the UK level (21.8%). In addition, in 2014
labour productivity in Northern Ireland, as measured by output per hour, was
only 81% of the UK average with the gap widening when compared with the
previous year.
Additionally, the number of employee jobs in NI at the end of 2015 was 0.3%
below its mid-2008 jobs level while the UK had 3.5% more employee jobs
over the same period.
In terms of total annual economic activity in Q4 2015 in NI, as measured by
the NI Composite Economic Index, this was almost 1% higher than the same
quarter for 2014. As evidenced in Figure 2, over the same time period,
economic output in the UK, as measured by GDP, has grown at a faster rate -
by over 2%.
Figure 2: Yearly growth in Economic Output/Activity Levels (Q4 2015 - Q4 2014)
Source: Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index, NISRA
2.5 Substantial modification pursuant to Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No
1083/2006
As at 31 December 2015 no modifications under Article 57 of Regulation (EC)
No 1083/2006 have been detected.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
NI UK
% C
han
ge in
Eco
no
mic
Act
ivit
y/O
utp
ut
Leve
ls
15
2.6 Complementarity with other instruments
To ensure complementarity with other Structural Funds Programmes and
financial instruments, the Monitoring Committee includes representation from:
The Managing and Certifying Authorities from both the European Regional
Development Fund and the European Social Fund within the Department
for the Economy;
The Managing Authority for the Peace III and Cross Border Territorial Co-
operation Programmes for Northern Ireland (the Special EU Programmes
Body);
The Managing Authority for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural
Affairs);
The Managing Authority for the European Fisheries Fund (the Department
of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs);
The rural development sector, Local Government, Community and
Voluntary sector, Trade Unions, Business, Education, Research and those
representing equality and environmental interests; and
Representatives from the main NI political parties.
Steps taken by the Managing Authority and Programme Monitoring
Committee to ensure quality and effectiveness of implementation
Managing Authority
The Managing Authority has been working closely with the Intermediate
Bodies to ensure that the Programme is implemented effectively. During
2015, the existing suite of guidance documents was reviewed and updated
and meetings with the Intermediate Bodies to monitor progress, address any
areas of concern and share best practice took place during 2015.
The Managing Authority has put in place a system for carrying out additional
management verification checks on the work of the Intermediate Bodies to
ensure that they are implementing the Programme in line with requirements
and are conducting their own verifications on projects to the required
standard.
The Managing Authority continuously reviews Programme progress and
where necessary takes proactive action to align the Programme to ensure that
maximum impact and benefit is derived. As necessary, changes required to
16
the Operational Programme document are brought for consideration to the
Programme Monitoring Committee prior to submission to the EC.
Programme Monitoring Committee
The last full PMC for the Sustainable Competiveness Programme (SCP) was
held in November 2014. The PMC for the Investment for Jobs and Growth
Programme (IGJ) has responsibility for monitoring the closure of this
Programme. The IGJ PMC met in May and November 2015 and a progress
report on the SCP was tabled covering finance, the annual control report and
progress on closure.
There are standard formal mechanisms in place to enable the PMC to
effectively oversee the work of the Programme:
The Annual Implementation Report must be approved by PMC before it
can be submitted to the European Commission;
The annual report on the implementation of the Communication Plan
must also be approved;
A Programme Progress Report is presented at each PMC meeting to
provide an update on the key implementation issues since the previous
Monitoring Committee meeting; and
The Programme Working Groups (Equality, Environmental and
Evaluation) formally reported to each PMC.
Working Groups
There were 3 working groups operational under the Programme, reporting
separately to the Programme Monitoring Committee:
Environmental
Equality
Evaluation
By 2014 the requirement for the working groups to meet had diminished and
in 2015 no meetings took place. The monitoring committee decided that the
working groups had fulfilled their remit and due to closure being the main
focus for the remainder of the Programme, the working groups were
disbanded.
2.7 Monitoring and Evaluation
Staff in the Managing Authority, Certifying Authority and all Intermediate
Bodies have received full database training and work is ongoing to keep the
database up to date with the relevant application, financial, monitoring and
verification information. Management verification checks examine the
consistency and accuracy of data being recorded.
Formal reporting against the agreed Programme indicators takes place
through this Annual Implementation Report each year. A Performance
Measurement Framework was agreed following on from the Programme’s Mid
17
Term Evaluation and the indicators agreed through that process now provide
a much better tool for monitoring the results of the activities being supported
through the Programme. The relevant data can be found under the core
indicator and respective priority sections of this report.
2.8 National performance reserve (where applicable and only for the Annual
Implementation Report submitted for 2010) Not applicable.
18
IMPLEMENTATION BY PRIORITY
3.1
PRIORITY 1
SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION
19
3.1.1 ACHIEVEMENT OF TARGETS AND ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRESS Information on the physical and financial progress of the priority
Indicator PMF SFC Code
Ind Type 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
RTD Projects 1.1 4101 O
A 34 210 453 610 727 938 1073 1224 1266 1266
B
T 100 250 450 650 850 1000 1000 1000 1000 1,000
Total planned investment in respect of supported RTD projects (£m)
1.2 4102 R
A 12.2 53.9 184.9 309.6 348.1 412.4 459.5 516.7 529.9 529.9
B
T 75 150 225 300 375 450 450 450 450
Number of R&D Collaborations to be produced
1.3 4103 R
A 0 0 3 6 7 8 12 18 24 24
B
T 4 8 12 12 12 12
Number of research jobs supported
1.4 4104 R
A 425 1015 1330 1642 1783 1783
B
T 500 1,000 1500 1500 1500 1500
Number of companies to engage in R&D for the first time
1.5 4105 R
A 11 37 71 114 149 242 291 328 337 337
B
T 80 160 235 310 435 560 560 560 560
Number of SMEs receiving assistance for development of MIS
1.6 4111 O
A 33 130 222 301 382 516 577 658 696 696
B
T 470 550 550 550 550 550
Total planned investment in Management Information Systems in supported businesses (£m)
1.7 4112 R
A 2.89 8.11 12.69 16.74 20.40 25.46 27.52 30.88 32.74 32.74
B
T 24 28 28 28 28 28
Number of Interim Manager projects supported
1.8 4113 O
A N/A N/A 21 43 58 73 73 85 85 85
B
T 150 200 250 250 250 250
Investment leveraged from the private sector (£m)
1.9 4114 R
A 0.24 0.49 0.68 0.87 0.87 1.01 1.01 1.01
B
T 0.52 1.04 1.56 2.08 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6
Number of Proof of Concept projects supported
1.10 4117 O
A N/A 54 81 81 86 89 97 137 146 146
B
T 100 100
% of proof of concept projects to proceed to development of commercialisation roadmap
1.11 4118 R
A N/A 50 54 54 56 56 55 66 67 67
B
T 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60
Number of Design Development Programmes facilitated
1.12 4119 O
A 3 5 5 12 20 24 28 35 38 38
B
T 3 5 15 26 34 38 40 40 40 40
Number of SMEs participating in the Design Development Programme
1.13 4120 R
A 38 62 62 135 232 287 341 436 483 483
B
T 52 104 156 208 260 320 380 380 380 380
20
Indicator PMF SFC Code
Ind Type 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
Number of events provided by NISP Connect Programme
1.14 4121 O
A 29 76 121 182 216 216
B
T 25 50 75 75 75 75
Amount of private sector pro-bono support leveraged for the NISP Connect programme (£m)
1.15 4122 R
A 0.247 1.011 1.713 2.664 2.874 2.874
B
T 0.3 0.6 0.9 0.9
CODE DEFINITION
PMF Performance Measurement Framework
SFC European Commission information system
Ind Type Indicator Type
C Core Indicator
O Output Indicator
R Result Indicator
DCiP Data Capture in Progress A Achievement B Baseline T Target
21
ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE AGAINST PRIORITY 1 INDICATORS
(4101) RTD Projects
The target of 1,000 projects over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based
on the anticipated number of projects to be supported under Grant for R&D. During
2015 the actual achievement was 42, giving an overall total of 1266 to end
December 2015.
(4102) Total planned investment in respect of supported RTD projects (£m)
A target of £450m over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based on
anticipated R&D projects. £13.2m was achieved in 2015 giving an overall total of
£529.9m to the end of December 2015.
(4103) Number of R&D collaborations to be produced (to include GRD, CoE
and CC)
A per annum target of 4 to 2013 was agreed based on the anticipated collaboration
projects under the Grant for R&D and Centres of Excellence. INI achieved 6 projects
in 2015, giving an overall total of 24 achieved against a cumulative target of 12 to the
end of December 2015.
(4104) Number of research jobs supported
A target of 1,500 jobs was agreed for the period from 1 January 2011. In 2015, 141
jobs were promoted giving an overall total of 1783 against a cumulative target of
1,500 to the end of December 2015. Invest NI had overestimated the long term
damage to the Research and Development environment, which influenced the target
set. However the launch of the ‘Boosting Business’ campaign has driven the positive
results of the target.
(4105) Number of companies to engage in R&D for the first time
A target of 560 companies over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based on
the anticipated numbers of offers to companies participating in research and
development activities for the first time. In 2015, the actual achievement was 9
giving an overall total of 337. The shortfall against the target is due to the prevailing
economic climate which led to reluctance to undertake R&D for the first time.
(4111) Number of SMEs receiving assistance for the development of
Management Information Systems
Actual achievement in 2015 was 38. To the end of December 2015 an overall total
of 696 has been achieved against the cumulative target of 550.
22
(4112) Total planned investment in Management Information Systems in
supported businesses (£m)
A target of £28m over the lifetime of the Programme was agreed, based on
anticipated MIS projects. In 2015, the planned investment achievement was
£1.86m, giving an overall total of £32.74m.
(4113) Number of Interim Manager projects supported
In total Invest NI has supported 85 projects through this scheme against a target of
250. Companies have focussed on other areas during the economic downturn and
are also availing of other assistance. Invest NI has not funded this scheme through
ERDF since April 2014. Therefore the target has not been met.
(4114) Investment leveraged from the private sector (£m) through the Interim
Manager Programme
An overall target of £2.6m was agreed, based on anticipated projects under the
Interim Manager scheme. There were no additional projects supported in 2015 as
Invest NI has not funded this scheme through ERDF since April 2014. The
cumulative total remains at £1.01m. Therefore, the target has not been met.
(4117) Number of Proof of Concept (PoC) projects supported
During 2015, 9 PoC projects were supported. In total 146 projects had been
achieved to the end of 2015 against the target of 100.
(4118) % of Proof of Concept projects to proceed to development of
commercialisation roadmap.
By the end of 2015 67% of supported projects had proceeded to development of
commercialisation stage against at overall target of 60%.
(4119) Number of Design Development Programmes facilitated
In 2015, 3 Design Development Programmes had been facilitated giving an overall
total of 38 against a cumulative target of 40.
(4120) Number of SMEs participating in the Design Development Programme
An overall Programme target of 380 was agreed. Actual achievement is 2015 was
47, bringing the overall achievement to 483 by the end of December 2015.
(4121) Number of events provided by NISP Connect Programme
In 2015 the NISP Connect Programme provided 34 events (in the period January to
March), bringing the total to 216 against a cumulative target of 75 to the end of 2015.
This is substantially above the original target. Once the Programme was established
it became clear that the original target significantly underestimated the demand for
NISP CONNECT events and the Programme has responded with additional events
to meet demand.
23
(4122) Amount of private sector pro bono support leveraged for the NISP
Connect Programme (£m)
Against a cumulative target of £0.9m, NISP Connect achieved pro bono support of
£2.874m. The success is due to the willingness of the Northern Ireland business
community to participate in activities across all NISP Connect programmes.
24
OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTED UNDER PRIORITY 1
This priority focuses on three key areas:
- Increasing the level and quality of R&TD;
- Exploiting the commercial opportunities of the R&TD base; and
- Promotion and mainstreaming of innovation.
The aim of the support provided is to assist businesses to grow and improve their
productivity / capability, hence benefiting the sustainability of the business. Support
to date has directly resulted in strengthening and accelerating the growth of locally
based business ventures.
Priority one is largely implemented by Invest NI through a wide range of schemes as
outlined below. In addition, the NISP Connect Programme is implemented through
DETI’s Innovation Policy Unit.
INVEST NI
A total of 23 Invest NI schemes have been formally designated under Priority 1 by
the Managing Authority. Of these 23 schemes, one (EU Directorate) was withdrawn
by the Intermediate Body and one (E-Business) was superseded by the introduction
of the ICT Awareness and Management Information schemes. Following a review of
INI activities within the Programme, 5 schemes (BITP, Collaborative Networks,
Energy – Carbon Trust, HEIF and Mini KTP) were withdrawn from the Programme.
Grant for Research & Development
The Grant for Research & Development programme (R&D) was launched in
December 2008 and supersedes several legacy R&D programmes i.e. SMART,
START, Compete, Product and Process Development (PPD) and Centres of
Excellence.
The programme provides streamlined, transparent and accessible support for
research & development and technological innovation at all stages of company
development.
During the period 1 January to 31 December 2015, Invest NI approved 42
applications from companies wishing to receive grant assistance, resulting in over
c£3.7m in grant assistance being offered to companies.
25
Business Information Centre (BIC)
Invest NI’s Business Information Centre (BIC) is designed to improve business
growth by providing companies with specialised guidance. This guidance covers a
number of areas including:
technical issues, such as intellectual property, product/process control and
development;
environmental requirements; and
engineering and manufacturing issues.
During the period 1st January to 31st December 2015, the Business Information
Centre (BIC) dealt with:
1,135 Enquiries
1,413 Visitors
As well as through internal meetings, BIC is promoted through regional clinics.
Brochures and sector guides are disseminated internally, and to other bodies such
as Belfast Central Library.
There is a permanent display in the Invest NI HQ foyer, to attract visitors to Invest NI
into the Centre, and there is a plaque within the Business Information Centre itself
which declares that INI has received ERDF funding.
Groups welcomed into the Business Information Centre have included graduates
from the Export Sales and Marketing Academy, and Fashion students from Belfast
Metropolitan College.
BIC resources were also promoted at events such as the ARISE programme (28th
May) where an information session was delivered to a group of 15 young
entrepreneurs, and the Ballymena NEED Step Up to Export Programme (25th
February).
Design Development Programme (DDP) Invest NI’s Design Service supports businesses by helping them to build better
knowledge, skills and capability in relation to design. Demand for design is high with
a total of 483 businesses availing of Invest NI’s Design Service which included
Regional Design Clinics, Collaborative Design Programmes and Design Advice visits
47 businesses participated in the Design Development Programmes that have been
delivered throughout 2015.
In March 2015, an evaluation was published for the Scheme covering the period
September 2008 to April 2014.
Link to the evaluation:
http://secure.investni.com/static/library/invest-ni/documents/design-service-
evaluation-march-2015.pdf
26
Northern Ireland Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP)
Industrial symbiosis engages traditionally separate industries and other
organisations in a collective approach to competitive advantage involving the
physical exchange of materials or by-products together with collaboration on the
shared use of assets, logistics and expertise.
From 1st January 2015 to 31st March 2015 the Industrial Symbiosis Service carried
out 38 company visits collectively.
By applying the principles of industrial symbiosis to their resource streams and
availing of a range of resource efficiency support provided by Invest NI NISP has
achieved;
potential diversion of 134,633 tonnes of waste from landfill; and
businesses involved have achieved £336,074 in cost savings and £521,016 in
additional sales.
E-BUSINESS SCHEMES
There are two schemes under this heading, ICT Awareness and Management
Information Systems (MIS). Their objectives are to increase the usage of ICT by
businesses in Northern Ireland. The ICT Awareness and advisory services highlight
the best use of ICT and help scope ICT projects, whilst the MIS scheme provides
financial support to companies wanting to implement software based ICT solutions.
ICT Awareness
The ICT Awareness scheme received Programme support until 2012.
Management Information Systems
Businesses throughout Northern Ireland continue to face a wide range of
challenges on a daily basis. The Boosting Business campaign was developed
by Invest NI in direct response to the continuing impact of the economic
downturn which in turn has increased demand for both small and large
projects within MIS. The result is that the MIS scheme progressed strongly,
with an encouragingly significant increase in the number of large investments
compared to earlier years. Invest NI has supported 696 projects for
businesses in Northern Ireland through ERDF, with 38 offers in 2015.
Interim Manager Programme The Interim Manager Programme was established in August 2004 with the purpose
of providing a short-term (normally 60 days in a six month period) experienced
management resource for client companies. In April 2009 the programme was
aligned to the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) and it became eligible
for ERDF (for SMEs only) in June 2009. A total of 85 projects have been supported
throughout the Programme period.
27
Proof of Concept The objective of the Proof of Concept (PoC) Programme is to encourage and support
the pre-commercialisation of leading-edge technologies emerging from our
universities, research institutes and NHS Boards. It is designed to develop
research/technologies to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or 4 or “proof of
concept” stage, and ultimately, to position projects for commercialisation and
industry adoption.
Demonstrating proof of concept involves adding commercial value to a discovery by
generating evidence that the technology actually works and could lead to a
commercially viable product, service or process. Proof of concept activities are
aimed at progressing the discovery to a stage where (a) additional external
investment in the intellectual property (IP) is possible or (b) an industry partner or
licensee might agree to license the discovery. During 2015, 9 PoC projects were
supported giving a total of 146 projects supported by the Programme.
Subtitling software 'BLIS' - where imagination meets engineering
Financial Engineering – Co-Investment Fund
Invest NI’s Co-Investment Fund aims to support early stage technology within
businesses which will have the potential to compete in global markets. The primary
objective of the Co-Investment Fund is to support new and innovative existing
businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity.
Clarendon Fund Managers Ltd delivers the Co-investment Fund (‘Co-Fund NI’), a
£16million equity fund that co-invest with business angel/private led investor deals.
Nine deals were completed in 2015. During this period the total ERDF investment
amount was £919k, which leveraged over £1.27m of private match. Typically the
Fund expects to invest in deals valued between £250,000 and £450,000, and will
invest at up to 45% of the total deal value with an expectation of 55% leverage.
INNOVATION POLICY UNIT Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) CONNECT DETI’s Innovation Policy Unit was formally designated in January 2011 as a second
Intermediate Body for Priority 1 to deliver a "Connect" Programme focused on
technology led start up ventures and on the commercialisation of science,
technology and research & development. Effectively the NISP CONNECT
Programme ‘connects’ prospective entrepreneurs with a network of highly
experienced business people in Northern Ireland and further afield so that they can
access the resources and knowledge required to bring their products to market.
During 2015, NISP ran 34 events and workshops with 708 participants.
28
PRIORITY 2
SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
29
3.2.1 Achievement of targets and analysis of the progress
Information on the physical progress of the priority
Indicator PMF SFC Code
Ind Type
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
NI Screen projects supported
2.1 4201 O
A 13 25 43 54 76 76
B
T 11 21 31 31 31 31
4.65:1 ratio achieved in value of direct spend achieved through the NI Screen Fund relative to ERDF contribution
2.2 4202 R
A 3.65 3.6 6.57 3.57 4.35
B
T 4.65
Calls to Go For It Helpline 2.3 4204 O
A 10,369 21,383 37,862 46,774 54,453 - - - - 54,453
B
T 10,369 21,383 37,862 46,774 55,000 - - - - 55,000
Number of follow-up meetings attended following calls to the Go For It helpline
2.4 4205 R
A 7,750 13,720 20,661 25,946 31,097 - - - - 31,097
B
T 6,000 12000 18000 24000 30000 - - - - 30,000
Number of SMEs supported
2.5 4206 O
A 16 51 67 82 97 110 152 179 179
B
T 10 30 50 70 90 110 130 130 130 130
Number of jobs promoted 2.6 4207 R
A 259 782 960 1058 1073 1122 1532 1846 1846
B
T 1,200 1,350 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500
Amount of investment committed in Letters of Offer to (SFA) supported projects (£m)
2.7 4208 R
A 25.30 60.10 75.52 83.63 96.10 100.66 175.91 206.22 206.22
B
T 120 140 160 160 160
Number of (LED) projects supported
2.8 4209 O
A 86 142 150 150 150
B
T 100 100
Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs to develop their export focus
2.9 4210 R
A 15 39 41 41 41
B
T 20 20
Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs in business improvement activities
2.10 4211 R
A 73 118 122 122 122
B
T 100 100
Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs in innovation
2.11 4212 R
A 13 34 38 38 38
B
T 12 12
Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs in entrepreneurship
2.12 4213 R
A 56 84 88 88 88
B
T 70 70
Number of (LED) projects that support SMEs through collaborative activities
2.13 4214 R
A 20 36 38 38 38
B
T 10 10
Number of tourism projects developed
2.14 4215 O
A 0 0 5 8 11 15 24 33 37 37
B
T 24
30
Indicator PMF Code Ind
Type 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
Amount of additional investment leveraged from Programme contribution (£m)
2.15 4216 R
A 9.25 9.25 9.25 10.04 13.28 13.28
B
T 9.25
Excellence “BREEAM” rating achieved by the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre
2.16 4217 R
A 1 1 1 1 1
B
T 1 1 1 1 1
Number of promotional campaigns
2.17 4218 R
A 5 8 11 14 17 21 22 22
B
T 3 6 9 9 9 9 9
Generate a return in investment from promotional activities of £1:£4
2.18 4219 R
A 1:6 1:16 1:12 1:23 1:22 1:26 N/A*
B
T 1:4 1:4 1:4 1:4
Achieve industry awards for promotional campaigns
2.19 4220 R
A 1 3 7 7 15 15 15
B
T - - - - - - N/A
*Figures are annual, not cumulative, and therefore no total recorded.
CODE DEFINITION
PMF Performance Measurement Framework
SFC European Commission information system
Ind Type Indicator Type
C Core Indicator
O Output Indicator
R Result Indicator
DCiP Data Capture in Progress A Achievement B Baseline T Target No annual target set
31
Analysis of Performance against Priority 2 Indicators
(4201) NI Screen projects supported
In 2015, a further 22 projects were supported, bringing the overall achievement to 76
against a cumulative target of 31. NI Screen has not been supported under the 2007-
2013 ERDF Programme since April 2015. However, overall the target set has been
surpassed due to the success of NI Screen attracting indigenous and new projects to
Northern Ireland.
(4202) Leverage additional direct spend
This is an annual target and not cumulative and is based on direct spend achieved
through the Screen Fund. For 2015 the ratio achieved was 3.57:1. Across the period
that this indicator has been reported against, an average direct spend ratio of 4.35:1
has been achieved.
(4204) Number of calls to Go For It Helpline
This enterprise promotional and development activity was funded under the
Programme until December 2011 and reported 54,453 calls against a cumulative
target of 55,000.
(4205) Number of follow up meetings attended following calls to the Go For It
helpline
This enterprise promotional and development activity was funded under the
Programme until December 2011 and reported 31,097 against a cumulative target of
30,000.
(4206) Number of SMEs supported under Selective Financial Assistance
Scheme (SFA)
The reported outturn is based on the number of projects supported under Invest NI’s
Selective Financial Assistance (SFA) scheme. In 2015, 27 projects were supported
giving an overall achievement of 179 projects against a target of 130.
(4207) Number of jobs promoted under Selective Financial Assistance Scheme
(SFA)
In 2015, the actual achievement based on projects supported under the Selective
Financial Assistance (SFA) Scheme was 314, giving an overall total of 1,846
achieved against a target of 1,500 to December 2015.
(4208) Total Planned investment (£m)
In 2015, over £30.3m was committed in letters of offer giving an overall achievement
of £206.22m to the end of December 2015 against a cumulative agreed target of
£160m for the Programme.
Local Economic Development (LED)
(4209) Number of LED Projects Supported
(4210) Number of LED based projects that support SMEs to develop their
export focus
32
(4211) Number of LED projects that support SMEs in business improvement
activities
(4212) Number of LED projects that support SMEs in innovation
(4213) Number of LED based projects that support SMEs in entrepreneurship
(4214) Number of LED based projects that support SMEs through collaborative
activities
A total of 150 projects have been approved up to 31st December 2015 by both Invest
NI and DETI against a target of 100.
41 projects have been approved which aim to support SMEs in developing
their export focus against a target of 20;
122 focus on business improvement activity against a target of 100;
38 innovation projects have been approved against a target of 12;
88 aim to encourage entrepreneurship against the cumulative target of 70;
and
38 projects have a collaborative aspect against a target of 10.
All projects aim to encourage the growth of businesses within council areas.
(4215) Number of Tourism projects developed
There were 4 new tourism projects in 2015 bringing the total number of projects
supported to 37.
(4216) Additional investment leveraged beyond ERDF national public match
(£m)
Additional leverage relates to the total additional investment in Tourism projects. A
total of £13.28m additional investment was leveraged across the Giant’s Causeway
Visitors Experience (GCVE) and TDS projects, including the Belfast Waterfront. Prior
to 2014 only the GCVC additional investment had been available.
(4217) Achieve ‘BREEAM’ rating for the Giants Causeway Visitors Centre
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment
Methodology) is the world’s foremost environmental assessment method and rating
system for establishing the sustainability of buildings, with 250,000 buildings having
certified BREEAM assessment ratings. The Giant’s Causeway Visitors Centre
achieved an ‘excellent’ rating.
(4218) Number of Tourism promotional campaigns
The reason for this indicator significantly exceeding target is that the Managing
Authority agreed to fund a further 3 years of the Programme activity. Additionally, the
marketing activity for the Giro d’Italia and the Irish Open was included. By end of
2015, 22 campaigns had been supported through the Competitiveness Programme.
(4219) Generate a return on investment from promotional activities of £1:£4.
A return on investment of £1:26 was generated in 2015. The hotel sector, domestic
market and attractions all reported increases during a year which saw NI host the
Irish Open.
33
(4220) Achieve Industry Awards for NITB Promotional Campaigns
To end of 2015 TNI achieved 15 industry awards for ERDF supported campaigns:
CIM Awards 2010 – Best online marketing programme
Travel & Tourism Awards – Marketing Initiative 2011
Nokia Digital media awards – MTV – Best use of Facebook application
PANI Digital Media Marketing Awards Integrated Campaign – Silver Award
PANI Digital Media Marketing Awards Best use of Social Media – Gold Award
Travel & Tourism Awards Marketing Initiative – Our Time Our Place
Campaign
CIM Awards Best Brand Development
NI Travel and News: NI Marketing Initiative 2014
CIM: Best use of digital marketing
CIM: Chairs award
UTV Business Eye Awards: UTV Tourism/Hospitality Project of the year
Chartered Institute of Marketing: Best use of digital for Giro d’Italia
Charted Institute of Marketing: Chairs award for Giro d’Italia marketing
Northern Ireland Travel News best marketing initiative for Giro d’Italia
UTV Business Eye – Best use of online video
34
OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTED IN PRIORITY 2 INVEST NI
The Invest NI element of Priority 2 focuses on two key areas – expanding the private
sector and creating a world class business climate in Northern Ireland. Support
received under this Priority covers Selective Financial Assistance (SFA) and NI
Screen. In addition, since September 2011, Invest NI has undertaken responsibility
for the Local Economic Development (LED) Measure.
SELECTIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
SFA is designed to accelerate the growth of new and established companies through
innovation and export. This will lead to job creation, improvement of workforce skills,
productivity improvements, an increase in locally-based businesses and expansion
of Northern Ireland’s private sector.
The main aim of SFA is to achieve higher levels of growth leading to long-term stable
jobs. The purpose of the assistance which can be provided includes:
(a) Promoting the development or modernisation of an industry or of any
industrial undertaking;
(b) Promoting the efficiency of an industry or of any industrial undertaking; and
(c) Creation, expansion or sustainability of productive capacity in an industry
or in any industrial undertaking.
Due to the changes in State Aid requirements, which came into place on 1st July
2014, support to SFA capital projects has been significantly reduced and only a
small number have been supported through ERDF since April 2014. In 2015, and
additional 27 SMEs received support through the SFA scheme.
LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Up until September 2011, LED projects were administered by DETI. From
September 2011 Invest NI assumed responsibility for LED and for 24 of the DETI
approved projects which at the time had not completed.
In total 150 projects from local councils have been approved to December 2015.
There were no additional projects approved in 2015 but all projects approved prior to
2015 continue to progress with a large proportion of them successfully completing by
June 2015.
NORTHERN IRELAND SCREEN
ERDF funding for this scheme under EUSCP ended on 31st March 2015. NI Screen
supported 22 projects in the period from January to March 2015.
35
TOURISM NORTHERN IRELAND (Tourism NI)
Please note that NITB has changed its trading name to Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI). Tourism Development Scheme
The scheme, which is administered by TNI, provides grant support to the tourism
industry for tourism products, amenities and infrastructure.
Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre
Representing one of the largest projects supported in the 2007-2013 Programme,
with an ERDF investment of £13.4m, Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition
Centre (BWCEC) will provide state-of-the-art, world class conference and exhibition
facilities at the Waterfront. It officially opened on 29 April 2016. More than 30
international and national events have been confirmed over the next 3 years,
including the BBC Good Food Show and the Royal College of Nursing. The first
conference is the annual International Surgical Congress of the Association of
Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland will attract 2,000 delegates generating £2.2m
for Belfast through bed nights, transportation and other visitor spend. Without the
significant ERDF financial support, this project would not have been achieved as
neither Belfast City Council nor TNI had the financial resources to commit to the
project.
The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience completed in 2012 and by the end of
2015, a further 11 schemes have been supported bringing the total value claimed
from the Commission for TDS to over £19.5m (ERDF).
Promotional Activity in Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland Markets During 2015 NITB delivered 1 spring marketing campaign which included marketing
the Irish Open. It generated 108,000 overnight/day trips taken or booked and
generated £10.4 million in revenue.
New Technology Platform The New Technology Platform Project (NTP) was initiated in March 2012 with the
aim to support the tourism industry and the marketing of Northern Ireland inside NI
and within the Republic of Ireland by increasing the use of social media and email for
marketing purposes, thus reducing reliance on external organisations support for
digital marketing and web development. TNI are introducing a number of integrated
systems and the supporting infrastructure needed to run them.
The various strands of the project went live throughout 2015. This has enabled TNI
to increase its marketing potential via third party organisations displaying up to date
TNI data. Additionally, the original target of having 10 organisations using the TNI
tools for their website has grown to 45. The original project timeline was expanded to
36
allow for current digital trends that were not present at the outset of the project. This
has meant that although targets have been achieved, there will be greater
opportunities to come as industry and visitors engage with the new tools available.
37
PRIORITY 3
IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY AND PROTECTING AND ENHANCINGTHE ENVIRONMENT
38
3.3.1 Achievement of targets and analysis of the progress Information on the physical and financial progress of the priority
Indicator PMF SFC Code
Ind Typ
e
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
EREF – Number of renewable energy projects
3.1 4301 O
A 1 2 2 2 2
B
T 4
EREF – Total planned investment in renewable energy projects (£m)
3.2 4302 R
A 7.995 22.26 22.26 22.26 22.26
B
T 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 8.0
BPCF – Number of renewable energy projects supported
3.3 4304 O
A 5 10 10 10 10
B
T 10
BPCF – Percentage of supported projects to have started to install the renewable energy biomass technologies by 2013
3.4 4305 R
A 100 60 100 100 100
B
T 50
BPCF – Additional investment leveraged from the private sector (£m)
3.5 4306 R
A 3.4 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3
B
T 3.0 3.0
BPCF – Number of projects achieving > 10% of total energy requirements from renewable energy resoucres
3.6 4307 R
A 0 0 0 10 10
B
T 10
BPCF – Number of projects achieving >35% carbon saving over conventional fossil fuel use
3.7 4308 R
A 0 0 0 10 10
B
T 10
Energy Division – Number of renewable energy projects supported
3.8 4310 O
A 0 2 7 9 12 16 18 18 18 18
B
T 0 2 7 9 12 16 16 16 16 16
Energy Division – Number of renewable energy facilities projects to have been awarded development rights by the Crown Estate by December 2012
3.10 4312 R
A 3 3 3 3 3
B
T 2
Energy Division – % of total electricity generated sourced from renewables
3.11 4313 R
A 12.54 13.6 17.35 19.05 25.4 25.4
B 3.8
T 12 20
39
Indicator PMF SFC Code
Ind Type
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
Energy Division - Increased awareness of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures
3.12 4314 R
A See Narrative
B
T
Invest £16.5m in Telecoms infrastructure to support next generation broadband services
3.13 4315 O
A 0 0 0 8.251 12.788 16.359 16.359 16.359 16.359 16.359
B 0
T 16.5
Number of exchanges upgraded
3.14 4316 R
A - - - - 169 169 169 169 169 169
B 0
T 166 Number of cabinets to be upgraded across NI by 2013
3.15 4317 R
A - - - - 1,265 1,265 1,265 1,265 1,265 1,265
B
T 1,265
Km of additional fibre optic cable provided across the region
3.16 4318 R
A - - - - 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000
B
T 3,000
Number of new next generation retail communications providers to be attracted to NI by 2013
3.17 4319 R
A 0 0 0 0 14 24 24 25 25 25
B 0
T 20
Number of projects assisted under the broadband fund developing generating or making use of innovative broadband technologies in offering next generation broadband products in rural locations across NI
3.18 4323 O
A 0 2 5 7 8 8 8 8 8
B 0
T 8
Number of rural areas where the accessibility of next generation services has been enhanced through ERDF assisted broadband fund projects
3.19 4324 R
A 0 0 0 58 132 132 132 132 132
B 0
T 100
To lever at least £2m additional investment from the private sector
3.20 4325 R
A 0 0 0.193 0.378 1.087 1.136 1.136 1.136 1.414 1.414
B
T 2.0
Investment in a broadband guidance programme for SMEs (£m)
4326
O
A 0 0.027 0.937 1.685 2.402 3.123 3.674 3.674 3.674 3.674
B 0
T 3.9
Number of ICT Demonstration Centres to be developed
3.21 4327 R
A 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
B
T 2
40
Indicator PMF SFC Code
Ind Typ
e 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
Number of teams of broadband advisors to be established
3.22 4328 R
A 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
B
T 1
Number of broadband action plans to be delivered to participating SMEs by 2013
3.23 4329 R
A 0 0 883 3117 6344 8795 10497 10497 10497 10497
B
T 9,500
Programme amount to be invested in telecoms infrastructure to improve highspeed broadband services (£m)
5301 O
A 4.86 9.873 9.873
B
T 14.3
Number of exchanges upgraded
5302 R
A 5 153 153
B
T 50
Number of cabinets upgraded
5303 R
A 165 405 405
B
T 200
Additional fibre optic cable provided (km)
5304 R
A 315.42 846.01 846.01
B
T 500
Number of next generation retail communications providers attracted
5305 R
A 29 30 30
B
T 7
Amount to be invested in upgrading public transport buses to Euro Standard V (£m)
4331 O
A 11.6 22.1 25.004 29.193 29.193
B
T 11.6 14 14 29.19 29.19
Number of Euro I standard buses upgraded
4332 R
A 42 53 129 144 144
B
T 42 53 107 144 144
Programme amount invested in upgrading the A2
5306 O
A 17.871 17.871 17.871
B
T 17.871 17.871
Return journey time is reduced by 15 minutes
5307 R
A 0 DCiP DCiP
B
T 15
300 construction jobs 5308 R
A 125 300 DCiP DCiP
B
T 300
Number of boilers replaced 6301 O
A 6118 7440 8520 8520
B
T 3094 7219 8250 8250
Average annual household energy saving (kwh)
6302 R
A 21.17 46.62 58.28 58.28
B
T 6 12 18 18
CODE DEFINITION
PMF Performance Measurement Framework
SFC European Commission information system
Ind Type Indicator Type
C Core Indicator
O Output Indicator
R Result Indicator
DCiP Data Capture in Progress A Achievement B Baseline T Target
41
Analysis of Performance against Priority 3 Indicators
(4301) Number of renewable energy projects
Invest NI did not approve any new projects under this scheme in 2015. A cumulative
total of 2 renewable energy projects have been supported to the end of December
2015.
(4302) Total planned investment in renewable energy projects
Invest NI exceeded this target due to the success of the two EREF projects
approved to date. To date, £22.26m of planned investment was achieved.
(4304) Number of renewable energy projects supported
Since AIR 2014, 1 project withdrew from the scheme voluntarily .Consequently, there
are now 10 projects remaining within the scheme. A target of 10 projects over the
lifetime of the Programme was agreed. In Tranche 1 (T1) Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development has supported 5 biomass projects and in Tranche 2 (T2) 5
biomass projects. The Biomass Processing Challenge Fund closed in November
2014.
(4305) Percentage of supported projects to have started to install the
renewable energy biomass technologies by 2013
At the end of December 2013 60% of projects supported had started installation. At
the end of 2015, all 10 projects (100%) within the scheme had commenced
installation.
(4306) Additional investment leveraged from the private sector (£m)
Over £3.4m has been invested by the private sector on 5 projects under T1 and
further investment of £4.9m on 5 projects under T2. In total, £8.3m will be invested
by the private sector. The target of £3m leverage for additional private sector
investment has been exceeded due to the higher than expected number of large
scale projects coming forward. The reduction from 2014 is due to the withdrawal of 1
project. Note: ‘Investment’ is determined from anticipated private sector investment
from Letters of Offer.
(4307) Number of projects achieving >10% of total energy requirements from
renewable energy resources
In order to provide a meaningful interpretation of the data, an amendment to this
indicator was made at the last Operational Programme Modification in 2015. The
previous iteration of the indicator did not support how the information was collated.
The technical agents who check the biomass processors have confirmed that all 10
biomass projects are obtaining more than 10% of their energy requirements from
renewable energy resources.
(4308) Number of projects achieving >35% carbon saving over conventional
fossil fuel use
In order to provide a meaningful interpretation of the data, an amendment to this
indicator was made at the last Operational Programme Modification. The previous
iteration of the indicator did not support how the information was collated. The
42
technical agents who check the biomass processors have confirmed that all 10
biomass projects are achieving more than 35% carbon saving over conventional
fossil fuel use.
(4310) Number of renewable energy projects
DETI Energy Division did not initiate any further projects in 2015, therefore the total
number of projects remains at 18 against a target of 16.
(4312) Number of renewable energy facilities projects to have been awarded
development rights by the Crown Estate by December 2012
1 wind project and 2 tidal projects have been awarded offshore development rights.
(4313) % of total electricity generated sourced from renewables
The Strategic Energy Framework target of 12% of total electricity consumption from
renewable by 2012 has been met and the target of 20% by 2015 was exceeded –
achievement was 25.4%.
(4314) Increased awareness of renewable energy and energy efficiency
measures
Sustainable Energy Campaigns: Post advertising campaign research is carried out
annually after each campaign and reports by the Government Advertising Unit and
the appointed marketing agency (Navigator Blue) and their specific research partner
(Millward Brown) are available for the 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 campaigns.
The effectiveness of these campaigns is also monitored by numbers visiting the
specific Energywise page on the NI Direct website
(https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/energy-wise).
The 2013/2014 analysis has reported good progress on an effective media
promotion in terms of TV and radio and print media advertising and also the outdoor
advertising campaign on buses and billboards. The tracking surveys Millward Brown
have demonstrated the campaign is continuing to increase awareness of the
Energywise branding both within the non domestic and domestic sectors.
(4315) Programme amount to be invested in telecoms infrastructure to support
next generation broadband services (£m)
The target of investing £16.5m in infrastructure for the delivery of next generation
broadband services relates solely to the Next Generation Broadband Project which
completed in 2012. The final spend on the project was £16.359m due to the
contractor paying penalty fees of £141k for delays in meeting milestones.
(4316) Number of exchanges upgraded
The target to upgrade exchanges relates solely to the Next Generation Broadband
Project which completed in 2012. In total 169 exchanges were upgraded under the
project to allow for the delivery of fibre-based, Broadband Enhanced Technology
(BET) and bonded DSL services, exceeding the target by 3.
43
(4317) Number of cabinets to be upgraded across NI by 2013
The target to upgrade 1,265 cabinets relates solely to the Next Generation
Broadband Project which completed in 2012. The target was achieved. Additionally,
the project acted as a catalyst for the contracted provider to upgrade additional
cabinets under its own investment resulting in a further 1,201 cabinets being
upgraded to deliver next generation services.
(4318) Km of additional fibre optic cable provided across the region
The target around deployment of fibre-optic cable also relates to the Next Generation
Broadband Contract which completed in 2012. The contractor (BT) has advised that
the project led to more than 3,000km of cable being deployed through ERDF support
and private investment leveraged. Additional cable was also provided under the
Broadband improvement project. In total more than 3,800 Km of fibre optic cable has
been supported or leveraged under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme.
(4319) Number of new next generation retail communications providers to be
attracted to NI by 2013
The target to attract new next generation retail providers also relates to the Next
Generation Broadband Project. By the end of December 2013, 24 providers had
signed up to deliver the services available on a wholesale basis under this project.
By 31 December 2014, 25 providers had signed up and this figure did not change in
2015.
(4323) The number of projects, assisted under the Broadband Fund,
developing, generating, or making use of innovative broadband technologies
in offering next generation broadband products in rural locations across
Northern Ireland
The Broadband Fund supported 8 projects and achieved this by 2011. There has
been no change since this time as the Fund has been closed.
(4324) The number of rural areas where the accessibility of next generation
services has been enhanced through the ERDF assisted Broadband Fund
projects
With regard to the target to increase accessibility to next generation services in 100
remote rural areas, under the terms of the Next Generation Broadband Project, the
target was exceeded by 2011 with some 132 rural areas targeted for fibre-to-the-
cabinet services.
(4325) To lever at least £2m additional investment from the private sector
The target to lever at least £2m (rounded from £1.97m) of private sector investment
relates to the NI Broadband Fund. A total of £1,973,393 had been expected to be
levered from the private sector under the 8 projects supported through this fund.
Target achieved.
(4326) Investment in a broadband guidance programme for SMEs (£m)
The target to invest £3.9m in broadband guidance to SMEs relates to the Logon-ni
Programme. The programme ended in November 2013 having realised investment
44
of £3.674m. This is below target and is due to savings made with regard to
marketing and expert advice.
(4327) Number of ICT demonstration centres to be developed
The target to establish 2 ICT demonstration centres relates to the Logon-ni
Programme and has been met through the creation of a fixed demonstration centre
in Omagh, Co Tyrone and a mobile demonstration centre which travels the length
and breadth of Northern Ireland delivering ICT advice to SMEs. The programme
ended in November 2013.
(4328) Number of teams of broadband advisors to be established
The target to establish 1 team of 10 broadband advisers relates to the Logon-ni
Programme and has been met in full. 1 team of 10 advisers was established in 2009
and delivered the Programme until its closure in late 2013.
(4329) Number of broadband action plans to be delivered to participating SMEs
by 2013.
The target to deliver 9,500 broadband action plans relates to the Logon-ni
Programme which completed in November 2013. At programme end, 10,497 action
plans had been delivered which is some 10.5% over target. This is accredited to
targeted advertising and very extensive cold calling campaign.
(5301) Programme amount to be invested in telecoms infrastructure to improve
highspeed broadband services (£m)
This target relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project for which a contract
was awarded to BT in February 2014. The project is being delivered in eight phases
with payment based on completion of milestones. A challenging target of £14.3m
expenditure by 31 December 2015 was established, however, due to project delays,
expenditure for milestones completed by 31 December 2015 amounts to £9.873m.
(5302) Number of exchanges upgraded
This target relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project which commenced in
February 2014 and is delivering improvements in the availability of basic and
superfast broadband services across Northern Ireland. To achieve this, a number of
technology options are being deployed, some of which require upgrades at the
exchange. The target of 50 exchange upgrades was based on initial high level plans
for the project. However, due to the nature of the project, more upgrades were
required than initially thought to ensure the project would deliver outcomes for end
users
(5303) Number of cabinets upgraded
This target relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project. The project includes
the roll-out of a number of different technology options including Fibre-to-the-Cabinet
(FTTC) and Fibre-to-the Premises (FTTP) across a number of phases. To the end of
December 2015, some 405 cabinets had been upgraded with Fibre-to-the Cabinet
technology under this project.
45
(5304) Additional fibre optic cable provided (km)
This target also relates to the NI Broadband Improvement Project. In improving the
spine infrastructure to accommodate the technology upgrades, some 846.01km of
fibre optic cable was deployed by 31 December 2015.
(5305) Number of next generation retail communications providers attracted
The target for 7 retail providers to be attracted by the wholesale access to
broadband services relates specifically to the NI Broadband Improvement Project.
However, 46 Retail Service Providers are offering the services made available
through the project in the intervention areas, 16 of which had previously been
attracted under the Next Generation Broadband Project, meaning that 30 are new to
the market under the Broadband Improvement Project.
(4331) Amount to be invested in upgrading public transport buses to Euro
Standard V (£m)
The Operational modification completed in 2015 amended the target from £14m to
£29.19m, reflecting the increase in funding that the Clean Urban Transport project
had received to upgrade buses to Euro V standard. The subsequent cumulative
achievement in 2015 was £29.193m.
(4332) Number of Euro I standard buses upgraded
In 2015, the Operational Modification included an amendment to the target for this
indicator reflecting the increase in funding to the Clean Urban Transport project. The
increase in funding meant that the number of buses to be replaced increased from
50 to 144.
(5306) Programme amount invested in upgrading the A2
Funding for the A2 has been capped at £17.871m. This was reflected in a change to
the indicator target via the Operational Modification in 2015.
(5307) Return journey time is reduced by 15 minutes
The impact on journey times cannot be measured until the post project evaluation
reports later in the year, therefore this indicator is deemed ‘Data Capture in
Progress’.
(5308) 300 construction jobs
The project co-ordinators have confirmed that over the course of the project the
equivalent of 300 construction jobs were supported but this will be confirmed when
the post project evaluation reports later in the year, therefore this indicator is deemed
Data Capture in Progress’.
(6301) Number of boilers replaced
A target of 8,250 boilers replaced across the 3 years the scheme was funded within
the Programme. An additional 270 boilers were funded over and above that
expected, therefore a total of 8,520.
46
(6302) Average annual household energy saving (kwh)
As more boilers were replaced than was originally envisaged plus the type of boilers
being replaced were more efficient than the non condensing boilers which had been
planned, the energy saving achievements was far greater than anticipated with the
average annual household energy saving being 58,270 kwh.
47
OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTED UNDER PRIORITY 3 DETI TELECOMS BRANCH NEXT GENERATION NETWORKS The objective of the Scheme was achieved by April 2011 meaning 85% of NI
businesses had access to next generation broadband services of at least 2 megabits
per second. The services made available through this project have been taken up by
130,707 customers by the end of December 2015, of which 121,466 are residential
products and 9,241 are business products.
While all monies owing to the project have been paid out, the contract will continue
to be monitored until 2016 to ensure that pricing arrangements specified are
continuing to be applied and to identify any clawback due as a result of the Sharing
in Benefit arrangements set down under the terms of the contract. It should be noted
that there has been no clawback identified to date.
NI BROADBAND IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
The contract for the Northern Ireland Broadband Improvement Project was awarded
to BT on 4 February 2014 and aims to provide improvements in access to a basic
broadband service (2Mbps) and to increase availability of superfast broadband
(24Mbps or more) across Northern Ireland by the end of 2015. The project is
receiving some £19.3m of public sector funding, which includes £9.873m ERDF from
the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme.
Due to difficulties encountered with regard to power supply, wayleaves etc the final
phase of the project was extended to 31 March 2016. As such, this phase could not
be supported with ERDF and was withdrawn from the Programme. Likewise,
changes to the ‘in-fill’ elements of the project could not be supported as this is now to
be delivered outside the period of the programme. Expenditure for milestones
completed by 31 December 2015 amounts to £9.873m ERDF.
The project is being delivered in eight phases with an overall completion date of 31
December 2015. By December 2015 over 40,000 premises had benefitted from the
upgraded infrastructure and it is anticipated that by completion, over 45,000
premises in total will have seen improvements to broadband access. At 31
December 2015 over 9,300 premises had taken up a fibre based broadband service
made available through this project.
DETI ENERGY DIVISION Renewable Electricity 2020 Target – Cost Benefit Review External consultants were appointed in early February 2014 to undertake a review of
the costs and benefits of achieving the 2020 target for renewable electricity. The final
report was published in 2015 and its final outcomes will feed into the ongoing
broader review of the Strategic Energy Framework.
48
A copy of the report can be accessed via the following link:
Review of the Costs and Benefits of the Northern Ireland Executive's 40% Renewable Electricity Target DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DARD) Biomass Processing Challenge Fund (BPCF) This scheme is designed to utilise cost effective and sustainable methods of
processing agricultural wastes and other agricultural biomass material to generate
renewable energy and improve business efficiency on farms.
The BPCF closed in November 2014 and there were no further Tranches. In 2015, 1
of the 11 projects that had received grant refunded the grant paid in order to receive
funding under another scheme.
Some applicants under T1 and T2, specifically for Anaerobic Digester (AD) projects,
had difficulty securing finance given the scale of investment required for such
projects.
In total 28 letters of offer were accepted for the scheme. However, the high number
of projects not proceeding to operational status was caused by several issues
outside the control of the implementing body, including issues with NIE grid
connection in that the existing electricity grid infrastructure in some areas in Northern
Ireland cannot cope with the increase in demand for grid connection and private
finance arrangements being withdrawn as the lending environment tightened.
Invest NI Invest NI has one programme designated under Priority 3 - the Environmental and
Renewable Energy Fund (EREF) with an allocation of £7m in the Programme.
EREF provided pump prime assistance to stimulate the under developed Northern
Ireland Renewable Energy market and to accelerate the development of
demonstration projects from a conceptual design stage through to actual
commissioning, seeking to bring selected projects to market more quickly than would
normally have been the case.
Two projects have been established: Tyrone Energy & Granville Eco Park.
The Tyrone Energy project had some initial technical difficulties with the waste wood
supplies, which caused delays in the plant getting to maximum capacity. Most of
these issues have now been resolved. Initially the company had intended to employ
5 operatives, however, in order to operate and maintain the plant effectively the
company has had to employ 11 staff at a higher skill level and higher salaries than
initially anticipated.
49
The Granville project supported through the Environmental and Renewable Energy
Fund (EREF) is to assist in the installation of an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant
through a joint venture between B9 Organic Energy Ltd (B9 Organic) and Linergy
Power Ltd (a subsidiary of Linergy Ltd). This project forms Phase 3 of an overall
closed loop system which will be installed at Linergy Ltd’s premises at Granville
Industrial Estate. Dungannon. Phase 3’s aim will be that the plant will generate
biogas for the production of electrical power. The plant encompasses a front end pre
treatment plant which pasteurizes the feed material making the process much more
efficient and a back-end waste water cleanup system. The remaining solid digestate
will feed back into the Phase 2 gasification plant. The project is considered therefore
to be an excellent fit with the overall objectives of the EREF Fund.
Department for Social Development (DSD) Boiler Replacement Scheme
The Boiler Replacement Scheme is unique to Northern Ireland and provides support
for homeowners with an income of less than £40,000 to help them replace their old
inefficient boiler which are more than 15 years old.
By replacing an old non condensing boiler with a new condensing boiler,
householders in an average three bedroom semi-detached house are saving on
average £350 per year and increased fuel efficiency of up to 30%. The average
saving increases when older boilers are replaced (figures based on RdSAP 2009
EPC assessments).
On average a householder can expect a saving of 1.8 tonnes of CO2 and annual
kilowatt savings of 6,542 for each boiler being replaced.
DEPARTMENT FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DRD) TRANSPORT DRD has been allocated £29.19m to upgrade the Translink fleet to more energy
efficient buses. By 1 April 2015, the average age of the fleet would have been 8.87
years for Ulsterbus and 9.48 years for Metro with 44 Ulsterbus buses over the age of
18. Translink has taken delivery of a total of 144 buses. The purchase of new buses
will benefit the environment through lower emissions which comply with the latest EU
emission standards. The procurement also benefited the local economy as
Wrightbus (based in Northern Ireland) were part of a successful bid to supply buses
for this contract.
ROADS DRD were allocated £17.871m for a major project to upgrade the A2 Shore Road.
The contract was awarded to Graham Construction Ltd on 30 January 2013. The
50
project involved the upgrade of 2.1km of existing road and 1.4km of new road. This
project is intended to strengthen the links between the two urban centres of Belfast
and Carrickfergus and forms part of Northern Ireland’s strategic road network. This
will allow enhanced opportunities for export by improved access to Ireland, the UK
and beyond. The road was opened to traffic in September 2015.
51
3.3.2 Significant problems encountered and measures taken to overcome
them None.
4. ERDF/CF Programmes: Major Projects (if applicable)
Not applicable. 5. Technical Assistance
Of the €282.833m ERDF allocated to the Programme, €2.833m (1%) has been allocated to Technical Assistance (Priority 4).
Financial Position at 31 December 2015 (Sterling)
Designated Committed Expenditure
Community Funding
National Counterpart
Community Funding
National Counterpart
Community Funding
National Counterpart
4.1.1
Preparation, implementation,
monitoring, inspection
£2.205m £2.205m £2.132m £2.132m £2.070m £2.070m
4.1.2
Evaluation, studies,
information, communication
£0.318m £0.318m £0.289m £0.289m £0.288m £0.288m
Total £2.523m £2.523m £2.421m £2.421m £2.358m £2.358m
The applications approved to date have supported the following types of activity:
Economic appraisals;
Programme-related publicity activities;
Staff required to undertake Programme management / implementation / verification activities;
Costs of DETI officials travelling to Great Britain and mainland Europe for meetings with representatives from other UK regions, Member States and Commission officials;
Evaluations;
Technical support; and
Audit.
52
6. Information and Publicity
Throughout 2015 the ERDF Managing Authority, in conjunction with the
Intermediate Bodies, was geared towards closure of the 2007-2013 Programme
and the implementation of the new Investment in Growth and Jobs (IGJ)
Programme 2014-2020. Never the less, all available opportunities to promote the
Sustainable Competitiveness Programme were taken to ensure the maximum
Programme publicity.
The Managing Authority took the opportunity to produce a publication to highlight
some of the main achievements and successes of the Programme. The
“Achievements and Successes” brochure was published by the MA and was a
co-ordinated effort by all the IBs to showcase schemes and projects and the
benefits of ERDF funding.
The brochure was issued to all attendees at the 2015 major event which was
the launch of the new IGJ Programme. The “Achievements and Successes”
brochure was used as the platform highlighting the success and benefits of
ERDF funding and was the ideal transition to the new Programme. The
brochure can be found at the following link:
http://www.jobsandgrowthni.gov.uk/downloads/Achievements_and_Successes
_Brochure.pdf
53
Belfast Conference Centre at the Waterfront During 2015, one of the largest projects supported by the programme was well
underway. The extension to the Belfast Waterfront Hall had its ‘topping out’
ceremony held in October. This represented the finishing touches being put to
the outer shell of the extended building, and with 200 days to go until the
opening, there was much excitement at what the building was promising. For
further information and pictures of the event, click on the link:
Belfast Waterfront Promises the `Wow Factor` With 200 Days To Go
A2 Shore Road Greenisland
The A2, which received a Programme allocation of £17.87, opened to traffic in
September 2015. The project involved the upgrade of 2.1km of existing road
and 1.4km of new road. This project is intended to strengthen the links
between the two urban centres of Belfast and Carrickfergus and forms part of
Northern Ireland’s strategic road network. This will allow enhanced
opportunities for export by improved access to Ireland, the UK and beyond.
Signing for the A2 Shore Road upgrade
Information on all successful beneficiaries is available on the ‘Successful
Applications’ portal, available at the following link:
http://successes.eugrants.org/
54
Further information on the communications activity in 2015 can be found in the
Communications Report (Annex A).
55
Annex A
NORTHERN IRELAND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAMME
2007 – 2013
ANNUAL COMMUNICATION REPORT 2015
56
Programme Communication Actions 1. Throughout 2015 the ERDF Managing Authority, in conjunction with the
Intermediate Bodies, was geared towards closure of the 2007-2013
Programme and the implementation of the new Investment in Growth and
Jobs Programme 2014-2020. Never the less, all available opportunities to
promote the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme were taken to ensure
the maximum Programme publicity.
The Programme website – www.eucompni.gov.uk
2. 2015 was the last year of the dedicated website being operational. The
website proved to be a success as the main platform for communicating with
IBs. The Managing Authority used the website to provide easy access to
guidance notes, published reports such as the Annual Implementation Report,
the programme e-Zine, logos and information and publicity. The Managing
Authority took every opportunity during 2015 to ensure the website was
promoted. It was also important not to lose the information contained on the
website and it has been made available on the IGJ Programme website –
www.jobsandgrowthni.gov.uk.
The final home page of the programme’s website – www.eucompni.gov.uk
57
Major Event
3. In 2015, the Managing Authority hosted an event in the Titanic Building. It
covered the launch of the new Programme and successes of the 2007-2013
Programme period. Successful beneficiaries of the Sustainable
Competitiveness Programme spoke about the benefits of receiving EU
funding and networked with potential beneficiaries of the new Programme.
(L-R) Paul Brush, Head of DETI European Support Unit; Owen Lamont, Managing Director
of Equiniti; Dr Hugh Cormican, CEO Cirdan Imaging; and Kevin McCann and Willian
McCulla both of Invest NI
This event also saw the launch of the ‘Achievements and Successes’ brochure which
showcases the diverse range of projects and schemes which have been part funded
through the Programme during the 2007-13 programming period.
58
The ‘Achievements and Successes’ Brochure
Page from the ‘Achievements and Successes’ brochure showcasing part funded projects:
Cross Refrigeration Banana Ripening Room (Priority1: Sustainable Competitiveness and
Innovation) and the Giro d’Italia (Priority 2: Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneurship)
59
A copy of the brochure was given to each member at the Autumn 2015 PMC, given
to all attendees of the major event in the Titanic, a copy was posted in the Northern
Ireland Executive library and is available for download on the new Programme
website.
To see more of the projects which have been funded, click on the link:
Achievements and Successes Brochure
4. Belfast Conference Centre at the Waterfront (£29.5m)
During 2015, one of the largest projects supported by the programme was well
underway. The extension to the Belfast Waterfront Hall had its ‘topping out’
ceremony held in October. This represented the finishing touches being put to the
outer shell of the extended building, and with 200 days to go until the opening, there
was much excitement at what the building was promising. For further information and
pictures of the event, click on the link:
Belfast Waterfront Promises the `Wow Factor` With 200 Days To Go
5. Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI) (formally known as the Northern
Ireland Tourist Board (NITB))
Tourism NI again took forward highly successful promotion and marketing
campaigns throughout 2015, which were widely advertised through the media. The
ERDF logo is included in all of the Tourism NI’s visual media campaigns supported
by the Programme.
To see the TV advert for the Irish Open, click on the link:
Irish Open 2015 TV Advert
Screen shot from the Irish Open TV advert showing the Sustainable Competiveness logo.
60
ANNEX 1
Communication Outturn for 2015 – ERDF Managing Authority
Measure Target Group
Type of Action (1 to 9)
Total Expend (2012)
Indicator Outturn (2015)
Target Outturn (2014)
Comments
Programme Publications
A-H Number of Programme e-Zines published
1 2 2 Due to the focus on closure, 1 eZine was published. This was used to promote information on the new programme.
Annual Major Information Activities
A-H Number of major events participated in 2015
1 1 1 Article in the Parliament Magazine as part of the open Days week in Europe.
ERDF Promotional Materials
A-H Publicity stands at other relevant events
4 2 6 Permanent NI Science Park display; Europe Week at MA headquarters and Invest NI Headquarters; NITB series of events; Energy ‘Renewable Electricity’ workshop; ERDF seminars
ERDF Web Site A-H Number of visits to Programme website
4,623 5,000 5,200 Number of visits to Programme website taken from monthly Google Analytics
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ERDF Web Site A-H Number of unique visitors to Programme website
3,373 3,000 3,703 Number of unique users/browsers taken from monthly Google Analytics statistics
ERDF Web Site A-H Number of page views
17,939 20,000 14,233 Number of page impressions taken from monthly Google Analytics statistics
Press releases A-H Number of press releases referencing ERDF
12 50 41 The MA receives information on all press releases and monitors and advises for appropriate ERDF recognition. As the 2007-13 Programme was winding down there was more focus on the new Programme period.
Publicising the Programme
A-H Number of new case studies on website
0 5 2 The case studies are designed to showcase the benefits of ERDF funding. The focus was placed on case studies for the “Achievements and Success” brochure which featured approximately 20 case studies from across the entire Programme.
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Publicising the Programme
A-H Number of new pod casts on the website
0 1 0 Due to the focus on closure the MA did not pursue an additional podcast for the website. However, Invest NI produce videos, uploaded to their YouTube channel which acknowledge ERDF funded projects.
Publicising the Programme
A-H Amount of TA invested in publicity
£6,685 £2,000 £8,146 As well as maintaining the Programme website, the MA also produced an “Achievements and Successes’ Brochure showcasing the successes of the programming period. Additionally, the launch event for the new programme featured testimonies by some recipients of funding of the Programme.
Publicity Toolkits
B, D, G, H MA guidance and FAQs reviewed and updated on the website
1 At least 1 review per year
1 MA guidance, including the Operational Manual and FAQs was fully reviewed in 2015.
Networking B, D, G, H Number of attendees at ERDF funding training seminar events
0 50 45 As focus had shifted to the new Programme, no further training sessions for the competitiveness programme was taken forward.
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Networking D Participate in the UK ERDF Programmes Forum
2 At least 2 meetings per year
2 2 ERDF forums took place in 2015.
Publicising the Programme
Flag flown on Europe Day (9 May) and publicise work of EU within MA HQ
Complete Flag flown 9 May and work of the EU publicised for Europe Week.
Complete The MA maintained a display at headquarters providing information on the EU.