Division 3.1.1 Exceptional utility of projects

Proposals for projects requesting more than 60 % co-funding will need to comply with the following criteria:

• At least 60 % of the total budget of the action must be used to fund staff. This criterion is intended to promote capacity building for development and implementation of effective public health policies.

• At least 25 % of the budget of the proposed action must be allocated to Member States with a GDP per capita (as published by Eurostat in its latest statistical report) in the lower quartile of all EU Member States This criterion is intended to contribute to the reduction of health inequalities among EU Member States.

• A score of at least 5 out of 8 marks must be achieved for all the award criteria of the policy relevance block mentioned in Annex II. This criterion aims at promoting the improvement of the health of European citizens, in the sense of enhancing policy relevance.

• At least 10 % of the budget must be allocated to organisations that have not received any funding under the Health Programme of the European Community in the past 5 years. This criterion is intended to promote the involvement of new actors for health.