New framework contracts enhance CASE project activity
In the past few months CASE has been successful in forging new institutional partnerships and competing for a series of Framework Contracts from several donors. Framework contracts enable CASE to quickly respond to calls for academic, research and technical expertise by being a member of a shortlisted group of institutions ready to undertake such assignments. CASE currently participates in 11 Framework Contracts.
Starting in October CASE won a Framework contract with the European Parliament under the title, Assessment of certain horizontal issues with a bearing on Regional policy: Social aspects. For a period of 12 months, CASE along with IRS - Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale (IT), Verwey-Jonker Instituut (NL), Engender (BE) will receive service requests for briefing notes, studies and other ad-hoc services related to the different areas of responsibility of the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament. Requests for services will cover equal opportunities, gender-mainstreaming, the disabled, minorities, the disadvantaged, the fight against discrimination, training and social inclusion, the role of NGOs and volunteering.
The following month CASE won two additional Framework contracts. The first contract for the European Parliament, is the Provision of external expertise in economic and monetary affairs, financial services, taxation and competition where CASE participated in lots dedicated to competition and impact assessments in economic and monetary affairs (incl. taxation and competition). Initially lasting for 12 months, but renewable for up to 48 months, CASE along with ECORYS (NL), ETLA (FI), WIFO (AT) will provide external expertise in the form of briefings, studies and oral briefings on the subjects of: EU rules and regulations on competition, as well as state or public aid, notably, antitrust policy, merger control, state aid rules, services of general economic interest, sector enquires on competition and procedural rules for the application of competition policy. The consortium will also help to evaluate impact assessments on European Commission policies.
Also new in November is a 4 year Framework contract with the European Investment Bank, in which CASE is participating with Rambøll Danmark (DK). Under the Framework Agreement for Technical Assistance to JASPERS' Beneficiary Countries Solid Waste & Energy, CASE will corroborate Rambøll Danmark in providing services to support the preparation of large infrastructure projects in the sub-sectors of energy generation, energy efficiency district heating and oil and gas. Support will be provided to the JASPER countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). The institutes may also be required to analyze horizontal issues affecting a project or particular country by promoting the development of methodological guidelines, and researching model project approaches, PPP-grant blending or State-aid issues.
Lastly, along with 7 other European Institutes, CASE has entered into the Provision of economic analysis in the area of taxation framework contract with the European Commission Directorate-General Taxation and Customs Union. Over the next 2 years, the consortium of institutes made up of CAPP (IT), CPB (NL), CEPII (FR), ETLA (FI), IFO (DE) IFS (UK) and IHS (A) will conduct studies and economic analyses with the assistance of various economic tools including, microsimulation and computable general-equilibrium (CGE) models and econometric methods. A meeting of consortium members and a delegation from DG Taxud is anticipated for the end of January 2011 to kick off the partnership.
