Monitoring Committee No 2 for the IVB Programme was held on 28-29 February in Northampton, UK.

A number of issues of relevance for the future Programme were discussed, most importantly the issue of  Private Sector Beneficiaries under the IVB Programme.

Private Sector Beneficiaries
The issue of Private Sector Beneficiaries has been discussed in some detail during the Programme preparation period and subsequently after formal Programme approval. It was originally anticipated that Private Sector Beneficiaries could be allowed if participation would take place on a public similar basis. Shortly after Programme approval, this option was ruled out by the European Commission, which caused some uncertainty amongst the stakeholders of the Programme.

It has always been very important to the Monitoring Committee to eliminate any unnecessary uncertainty amongst the stakeholders and following some debate, the Monitoring Committee agreed to allow Private Sector Participation in projects under the de minimis rules. More information on the practicalities associated with this will follow shortly.

Fact Sheets
The Fact Sheets are being updated according to decisions made by the Monitoring Committee No 2 and will be made available shortly. Please check the Downloads section of the Programme website.

Info Sheet on Innovation
A new Info Sheet on Innovation has been produced, which will complement the other three Info Sheets available. The Info Sheet gives some background and insight into the role of Innovation within the Programme and outlines the reasons for promoting Innovation in the transnational North Sea Region context.

In addition, the Info Sheet explains where there is scope for transnational partnerships and actions, highlights some tangible results in the field of Innovation and describes the added value to be ascertained through transnational cooperation on Innovation.

The Info Sheets can be downloaded from the Downloads/Document Library section of the Programme website.