6. What happens once an application is submitted
6.1. Assessment procedure
All applications will be assessed through a two-stage application process:
Stage 1 – Eligibility and financial capacity checks.
Stage 2 – An external assessment of the application against the published assessment criteria, outlined in the relevant Pathway Programme Guide.
Taith will provide feedback to all applicants. An appeals process will be available to unsuccessful applicants (see section 8.1 of this Programme Guide).
Stage 1 – Eligibility and financial capacity checks
Applications at Stage 1 will be examined by Taith, who will check that each application:
- Is submitted by an eligible applying organisation no later than the advertised pathway call deadline
- Is submitted by an organisation with a verified legal entity status, sufficient financial capacity to deliver the proposed project and the required policies and procedures in place
Any application that fails to meet the eligibility and financial capacity checks will not proceed to Stage 2 of the assessment process. An applying organisation that fails to meet the eligibility checks at Stage 1 is entitled to appeal. The process for this is outlined in the ‘appeals’ section of the Programme Guide.
Stage 2 – Qualitative assessment
At Stage 2, applications will be assessed by two external, independent assessors. Each application will undergo:
- A qualitative assessment, to assess the extent to which the application meets the Taith programme objectives and assessment criteria.
- A validation of the planned project activities against eligible activities and costs.
6.2. Funding decision
The list of applications deemed eligible for funding will be considered by the relevant Taith Funding Committee. The purpose of the Committee is to scrutinise the robustness of the assessment process and to provide assurance on the recommendations to the ILEP Ltd Board of Directors that the assessment has been conducted in a manner that is fair and transparent. Committee membership consists of an ILEP Ltd Director, the Chair of the Taith Advisory Board and an independent expert.
The Funding Committee have the option to agree or reject the recommendations which are then presented to ILEP Ltd Board of Directors for final agreement.
Inclusivity and accessibility are a strategic focus for Taith and as such, we will be looking to fund as many and as wide a range of organisations as possible. Our aim will be, where possible, to fund all organisations who pass the assessment process and are thus considered to be fundable.
Taith funding is finite, and it is likely that there will be funding calls where the value of successful, ‘fundable’ applications exceeds the available allocated budget. Where there is not sufficient budget to fully fund all applications, Taith may adopt an approach to reduce the funding across successful organisations on an equitable basis. If requests for funding significantly exceed the available budget, then Taith may adopt an alternative funding model such as a ranking list or similar.
Whilst Taith aims to be as accessible and inclusive as possible, there will always be a requirement for applying organisations to pass the specific Pathway quality thresholds, and not all applications will be successful. Taith is committed to providing feedback and support to organisations who are unsuccessful to enable and encourage them to submit future applications.
Please refer to the relevant Pathway Programme Guide for further information on the funding available, including maximum application values.
6.3. Notification of outcome
Following the ILEP Ltd Board of Directors consideration and approval of the Funding Committee’s recommendations, all applicants will be informed of their application outcome via an email from Taith within four months of the application deadline. For successful applicants, this email will be followed with further information and resources, including the project’s Grant Agreement letter.