Competent authorities and references
- Sicily Region
- PR ESF Managing Authority: Regional Department of Education and Vocational Training – viale Regione Siciliana 33, 90139 Palermo.dgiubilaro@regione.sicilia.ittel secretariat 091 7073154 – 091 7073018
- Managing Authority PR ERDFRegional Programming Department – Piazza L. Sturzo 36, 90139 Palermo.dipartimento.programmazione@regione.sicilia.it – dipartimento.programmazione@certmail.regione.sicilia.ittel: 091 7070013 – 091 7070032 – fax: 091 7070273
- RDP Managing AuthorityRegional Department of Agriculture – Area 4 “Coordination and Management of the Rural Development Plan” – 2771 Sicilian Region Avenue, 90145 Palermo.psrsicilia@regione.sicilia.it -agri.areacoordinamentopsr@regione.sicilia.it – agri.assistenzatecnicapsr@regione.sicilia.it
PR ESF SICILY
Approved by the European Commission on December 17.2014
Purpose
ESF investments in Sicily target education, skills and social inclusion, with the aim of achieving sustainable and inclusive growth.
The operational program (OP) of the’ ESF for the Sicily region will target education, employability and social inclusion as priority areas. The OP has a total budget of 820 million euros, and investments up to 2020 are expected to boost sustainable and inclusive growth and contribute for the region to meet national and EU goals regarding employment and society.
The ESF program for Sicily has identified three main investment priorities:
- more than 40 percent of funding will go to projects that boost job opportunities through better skills and qualifications. A particular goal is a higher employment rate among NEET youth and women; in addition, employment services will be modernized to better meet the needs of job seekers;
- social inclusion measures will receive 20 percent of available funding and will target disadvantaged people and those on the margins of society, helping them to access the labor market and improve their living standards;
- Continued improvements in education and training will be supported. Higher levels of qualification, wider access to learning opportunities, and specialized courses and training more relevant to the labor market and targeted to the needs of the local economy will be promoted. A significant reduction in the number of young people leaving school early without a qualification will be achieved. Lifelong learning as a means of improving one’s career opportunities will be promoted to the island’s population-more than 30 percent of available funding has been allocated to this area.
In addition, Sicily will invest in the skills and expertise of its civil servants to ensure that they know how to manage and deliver employment programs for the benefit of citizens.
Eligible subjects and partnership
Beneficiaries may be different, depending on the type of action and call for proposals: businesses, public entities, social cooperatives, public and private educational and scholastic institutions, universities, training institutions, public and private research organizations, technological districts, bilateral entities, public and private employment services, guidance centers, entities accredited for guidance, vocational training and employment services activities, trade representations, local public administrations, instrumental bodies of the Sicilian Region, third sector and associationism enterprises, social enterprises and cooperatives, voluntary associations, LAGs, local authorities, regional administration, care services, families and employers of disadvantaged and disabled people, care services, Health Authorities, Socio-Health Districts, regional administration and judicial bodies. The notices define the eligibility of beneficiaries.
Thematic reference goals
8. Promote sustainable and quality employment and support worker mobility
9. Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty and all discrimination
10. Investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning
11. Strengthen the institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders to promote efficient public administration
Priority axes
Axis 1 – EmploymentAxis 2 -Social inclusion and poverty alleviationAxis 3 – Education and trainingAxis 4- Institutional and administrative capacityAxis 5 – Technical assistance
Axis 1 – Employment
8.I Access to employment for job seekers and inactive people, including the long-term unemployed and people on the margins of the labor market, as well as through local employment initiatives and job mobility support
8.II Sustainableintegration into the labor market of young people, particularly those not in employment, education or training, including youth at risk of social exclusion and youth from marginalized communities, including through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee
8.IV Equality between men and women in all areas, including access to employment and career progression, work-life balance, and promotion of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value
8.VII Modernization of labor market institutions, such as public and private employment promotion services, by improving the fulfillment of labor market needs, including through actions that improve transnational job mobility as well as through mobility programs and better cooperation between institutions and stakeholders.
Axis 2 – Social inclusion and poverty alleviation.
9.I Active inclusion, including promoting equal opportunities and active participation, and improving employability
9.IV Improved access to affordable, sustainable and quality services, including social services and health care in the general interest;
Axis 3 – Education and Training
10.I Reducing and preventing earlyschool leaving and promoting equal access to good quality preschool, primary, and secondary education, including formal, nonformal, and informal learning pathways to resume education and training
10.II Improving the quality and effectiveness of and access to higher and equivalent level education to increase participation and success rates, especially for disadvantaged groups
10.III Strengthen equal access to lifelong learning for all ages in formal, nonformal and informal settings, update the knowledge, skills and competencies of the workforce, and promote flexible learning pathways including through career pathway guidance and recognition of acquired skills
10.IV Improving the relevance of education and training systems to the labor market, facilitating the transition from education to the world of work, and strengthening and vocational education and training systems and improving their quality, including through skill anticipation mechanisms, adaptation of curricula, and the introduction and development of work-based learning programs, including dual learning and apprenticeship systems
Axis 4 – Institutional and administrative capacity
11.I Invest in the institutional capacity andefficiency of public administrations and public services at the national, regional and local levels with a view to reforms, better regulation and good governance.
Financial allocation
Total resources PR ESF Sicily (EU resources and regional and national co-financing): € 820,096,428

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PR FESR SICILY
Approved by the European Commission on August 17, 2015
Purpose
The Sicilian Region jointly orients the PR ERDF Sicily 2014-2020, other operational programs financed by the EIS funds, national resources for regional development, and other relevant funds to address in an integrated way some key challenges for Sicily: boosting employment, growth, and social cohesion; increasing competitiveness; enhancing territorial, environmental, and cultural resources as drivers of expected development; improving the quality of life of citizens, including through the pursuit of greater territorial cohesion; and improving the ecosystem and making services more efficient and accessible. The starting context in which these challenges are set is very complex: the severe problems hindering the growth of the regional system and the social cohesion of the Sicilian community have been made more severe in recent years by the harshness of the international crisis grafted onto the structural deficits present in the region.
The program thus aims to create growth and jobs by boosting innovation and competitiveness and improving the efficient use of resources. Shares the goals outlined in the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The program aims to increase the competitiveness of SMEs, strengthen research and innovation and ICT, protect the environment, promote resource efficiency, and develop transportation networks. It will ultimately help improve energy efficiency in the region and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Eligible subjects and partnership
Beneficiaries may be different, depending on the type of action and call: Corporations, Start-ups, SMEs, Business Networks, Large Enterprises, Science and Technology Parks and Districts, Health Corporations, Public and Private Entities, Bodies and Foundations, Public Administrations, Educational Institutions, Public-Private Partnerships, Public Service Managers, Nonprofits and the Third Sector. The notices define the eligibility of beneficiaries.
Thematic reference goals
1. Strengthening research, technological development and innovation
2. Improving access to and use and quality of information and communication technologies
3. Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Agricultural Sector (for EAFRD) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (for EMFF).
4. Supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
6. Preserve and protect the environment and promote the efficient use of resources
7. Promoting sustainable transportation and improving network infrastructure
9. Promote social inclusion and fight against poverty and any discrimination
10. Investing in education, training and lifelong learning
Priority axes
Axis 1 – Research, Technological Development and InnovationAxis 2 – Digital AgendaAxis 3 – Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Agricultural Sector and the Fisheries and Aquaculture SectorAxis 4 – Sustainable Energy and Quality of Life.Axis 5 – Climate Change, Risk Prevention and Management.Axis 6 – Protecting the Environment and Promoting the Efficient Use of Resources.Axis 7 -Sustainable Transportation Systems.Axis 9 – Social InclusionAxis 10 – Education and training
Investment Priority
Below is the detail of investment priorities for each of the axes priority.
Axis 1 – Research, Technological Development and Innovation
1(a) Strengthen research and innovation (R&I) infrastructure and capacities to develop excellence in R&I as well as promote centers of expertise, particularly those of European interest.1(b) Promote business investment in R&I by developing linkages and synergies between enterprises, R&D centers, and the higher education sector, especially investment in product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation, eco-innovation, applications in public services, demand stimulation, networks, clusters, and open innovation through smart specialization, as well as supporting technological and applied research, pilot lines, early product validation actions, advanced manufacturing capabilities and first production especially of key enabling technologies, and dissemination of general purpose technologies.
Axis 2 – Digital Agenda
2(a) Expand the deployment of broadband and high-speed networks and support the adoption of future and emerging networks and technologies in the digital economy;
2(b ) Develop ICT products and services, electronic commerce, and ICT demand.
2(c) Strengthen ICT applications for e-government, e-learning, e-inclusion, e-culture and e-health.
Axis 3 – Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Agricultural Sector and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector
3(a) Promote entrepreneurship, particularly by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and promoting the creation of new companies, including through business incubators;
3(b ) Develop, implement new business models for SMEs, especially for internationalization;
3(c ) Support the creation and expansion of advanced capabilities for product and service development;
3(d ) Support the ability of SMEs to engage in growth in regional, national and international markets and innovation processes.
Axis 4- Sustainable Energy and Quality of Life
4(a) Promote the production and distribution of energy from renewable sources
4(b ) Promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy use in enterprises
4(c ) Support energy efficiency, smart energy management, and renewable energy use in public infrastructure, including public buildings, and the housing sector
4(d ) Develop and implement intelligent distribution systems operating at low and medium voltage
4(e) Promote low-carbon strategies for all types of local organisations, particularly urban areas, including the promotion of sustainable multimodal urban mobility and adaptation measures aimed at emissions mitigation.
Axis 5 – Climate Change, Risk Prevention and Management.
5(b ) Promote investments designed to address specific risks, ensure disaster resilience, and develop disaster management systems
Axis 6 – Protecting the Environment and Promoting the Efficient Use of Resources.
6 (a) Investing in the waste sector to meet the obligations under the Union’s environmental acquis and meet the needs, as identified by member states, for investment beyond these obligations
6 (b) Investing in the water resources sector to meet the Union’s aquis environmental obligations and meet the needs, identified by member states, for investments beyond those obligations
6 (c ) Preserve, protect, promote and develop natural and cultural heritage
6 (d) Protect and restore biodiversity and soils, and promote ecosystem services, including through Natura 2000 and by means of green infrastructure
6 (e) Take action to improve the urban environment, revitalize cities, redevelop and decontaminate brownfield sites (including redevelopment sites), reduce air pollution, and promote noise reduction measures
6 (f) Promote innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and efficient use of resources in the areas of waste, water, and with regard to soil or to reduce air pollution
Axis 7 – Sustainable transportation systems.
7(b ) Improve regional mobility by connecting secondary and tertiary nodes to the TEN-T infrastructure, including multimodal nodes;
7 (c) Develop and improve environmentally friendly (including low-noise) and low-carbon transport systems, including inland waterway and maritime transport, ports, multi-modal connections, and airport infrastructure, in order to foster sustainable regional and local mobility.
Axis 9 – Social Inclusion
9(a) Invest in health and social infrastructure in a way that contributes to national, regional and local development, the reduction of disparities in health conditions, the promotion of social inclusion through improved access to social, cultural and recreational services as well as the transition from institutional to local services
9(b) Providing support for the physical, economic and social regeneration of disadvantaged communities in urban and rural areas
Axis 10 – Education and Training
10(a) Investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning by developing school and training infrastructure
Financial allocation
Total resources PR ERDF Sicily (EU resources and regional and national co-financing): € 4,557,908,024

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RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SICILY
Approved by the European Commission on November 24, 2015
Purpose
The rural development program for Sicily places special emphasis on actions related to strengthening the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector and the preservation, restoration and enhancement of ecosystems, as well as actions aimed at promoting social inclusion and economic development in rural areas. The Sicily RDP will finance actions under all six rural development priorities, with a focus on preserving, restoring and enhancing ecosystems related to agriculture and forestry as well as strengthening the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and promoting social inclusion and economic development in rural areas. Specifically, the program identifies the following main objectives:
- Increasing the profitability and economic size of agricultural enterprises, targeting stable enterprises and encouraging forms of association, in order to improve business efficiency market orientation, increase added value and production quality;
- Encourage the creation, start-up and development of agricultural and non-agricultural entrepreneurial activities, especially generational renewal;
- To encourage integration in supply chains, the level of concentration of supply, organizational and process innovations, to facilitate market access and internationalization of quality production, with particular reference to organic;
- Preserve and enhance biodiversity, conserve and improve soil quality, and defend the local organisations from hydrogeological disruption and surface erosion, including through forestry sector interventions;
- Improve infrastructure, development of production systems (crafts, services, tourism, ICT), including through local development strategies, to promote the permanence of the working population in the local organisations.
Eligible subjects and partnership
Beneficiaries may be different, depending on the type of action and call. The main beneficiaries are: Providers of training, demonstration, information, advisory and knowledge transfer services (public or private), Farmers, family helpers, Foresters, Groups of Farmers (natural or legal persons), Associations of farmers and/or producers, micro/SMEs and large enterprises, Public Entities, Municipalities, Local Authorities, Administrations, Public and/or Private Institutions, Temporary Purpose Associations, Land Management Entities, Public-Private Partnerships, Sicilian Region, NGOs and organizations working in the environmental, landscape and tourism sectors, Owners, Public Owners and/or Holders of the management of agricultural and forestry land, Cooperative Groups, Local Action Groups (LAGs). The notices define the eligibility of beneficiaries.
Priority
Priority 1: Knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture and forestry and rural areas.
Priority 2: Competitiveness and profitability of farms, sustainable forest management
Priority 3: Promote the organization of the food chain, including the processing and marketing of agricultural products, animal welfare and risk management
Priority 4: Preserve, restore and enhance ecosystems related to agriculture and forestry
Priority 5: Encouraging resource efficiency and the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy in the agribusiness and forestry sector
Priority 6: Promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas
Focus Area
Below is the detail from the area focuses for each of the priority axes .
Priority 1
1A Stimulateinnovation, cooperation and development of the knowledge base in rural areas;
1B Strengthen the links between agriculture, food production and forestry, on the one hand, and research and innovation, on the other, also with a view to improving environmental management and performance;
1C Training.
Priority 2
2A Economic performance, restructuring & modernization
2B The generational change
Priority 3
3A Improve competitiveness of primary producers
3B The prevention and management of business risks
Priority 4
4A Biodiversity
4B Water Resources Management
4C Soil erosion management.
Priority 5
5A Water Efficiency
5B Energy Efficiency
5C Renewable energy
5D Reduce greenhouse gases and NH 3
5E Carbon conservation and sequestration.
Priority 6
6A Promote diversification, SME creation as well asemployment
6B Stimulating local development
6C ICT access and quality.
Financial allocation
Total resources RDP Sicily (EU resources and national co-financing): € 2,212,747,107
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