Updated last 18.06.2025
What is OP “Education”
Programme “Education” 2014 – 2020 (EP ) is one of the national programmes funded by the Structural Funds of the European Union, with activities aimed at supporting the improvement of the administrative capacity of School Education and providing external expertise related to the planning, management, implementation, monitoring, and control of the Education Programme.
What are the measures supported by Programme “Eductaion“?
The support is focused on improving the administrative capacity of School Education to conduct internal evaluations of the procedures implemented under the Education Programme and ensuring external expertise to conduct evaluations of the Education Programme.
What is the size of the budget from which they can benefit under the program?
The total budget of the EP 2021-2027 is 1 887 219 068.98 BGN
How is the budget of the Programme allocated?
The resources under the Programme for SMEs are allocated in four priority axis:
- Priority axis 1 “Inclusive Education and Educational Integration”
- Priority axis 2 „ Modernization and Quality of Education “;
- Priority axis 3 „ Linking Education with the Labor Market “;
- Priority axis 4 „ Technical Assistance’
Each priority axis has open procedures that are planned on an annual basis and published in Indicative Annual Working Programme of EP 2021-2027 on the official website of ‘Information System for Management and Monitoring of EU Funds in Bulgaria’ (UMIS).
| For more information | |
 | Information regarding launched calls to provide grants under the programme is also available in the Information System for Management and Monitoring (UMIS 2020) especially created for the programming period 2021-2027. It contains the approved Operational Programmes co-financed by the EU Cohesion and Structural Funds. More specific information is available on the website of: |
How can you apply to receive a grant?
- You have to register in the UMIS system in order to create and file a project proposal on a specific EP call.
- The system is interactive and easy to work with. If you have any difficulties in filing the project proposal, you may read the system manual which is published in order to provide directions and facilitate the work of the users;
- On the official website of EP for a specific call you can find information as to how, who to and within what deadlines you may ask additional questions and request clarifications in relation to the Terms of Reference of the call.
What are the terms and conditions to participate in calls under EP?
There are Terms of Reference published to each call where you can find specific information as to:
- The objectives, indicators of the call;
- The total grant under the call;
- The minimum (if applicable) and maximum grant to a specific project;
- Eligible actions – they depend on the respective call;
- Eligible costs are in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, Regulation (EU) 2021/1057, Regulation (EU Euratom) 2018/1046, ZUSEFSU, and Government
- Decree No. 86/2023, and must be necessary for the implementation of eligible activities under the operation.
- Applicable minimum / state aid regime;
- Project proposals evaluation procedure, criteria and methodology;
- Ways and deadlines to receive clarifications under the call;
- Others.
Project proposals evaluation procedure, criteria and methodology?
Project proposal evaluation has two stages, as follows:
Evaluation of the administrative compliance and eligibility
This stage is aimed at answering the following questions:
- Are all required documents provided?
- Is the project proposal filed properly, is the qualified electronic signature (QES) used to sign the proposal valid?
- Is the power of attorney for the filing of the project proposal valid?
- Is the proposal compliant with all the specific eligibility criteria set out in the Terms of Reference, etc.?
Following completion of the administrative compliance and eligibility evaluation, a list of the project proposals not admitted to technical and financial evaluation stating the grounds for the non-admission is published on the website of the Managing Authority (www.opic.bg) and UMIS 2020 (if such functionality is available).
Applicants whose project proposals are included in the list may file written objections to the Head of the Managing Authority within one week of the announcement.
Technical and financial evaluation
Technical and financial evaluation is only performed for project proposals that have passed successfully the evaluation for the administrative compliance and eligibility. At this stage the following is evaluated:
- Technical capacity of the participants (for example, implemented standards and systems such as BSS EN ISO 14001, BSS EN ISO 9001, EMAS, certificates available, etc.);
- Financial stability (for example, weighted value of profit before taxes, interest, depreciation and amortisation; grant under the project, profit margin, revenue generated, etc.);
- Social and/or environmental effect of the project;
- Compliance of forecast data to the call indicators and priorities set, etc.
It should be pointed out that the evaluation also includes check of the feasibility, efficiency and eligibility of all activities and expenses envisaged – i.e. this check tries to answer the following questions:
- Are ineligible activities, ineligible and/or unrealistic expenses included in the project proposal?
- Is there duplication of envisaged activities and/or expenses?
What are expense eligibility conditions?
To be eligible under EP expenses have to meet the following conditions:
- They have to be required for the implementation of the project and they have to comply with the good financial governance principles – economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the invested funds. This means that an expense that is not justified may be eliminated from the budget.
If the evaluation committee eliminates all expenses from the budget of the project, the project proposal is rejected.
- They have to be incurred after the date of the signing of the administrative grant contract and by the report submission deadline;
- They have to comply with the terms and conditions of the respective call. During the implementation of the projects the beneficiaries have to comply with the Guidelines issued by the Minister of Finance on the treatment of VAT as an eligible expense in the implementation of projects under the Operational Programmes co-financed by the European Regional
- Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund of the EU during the programming period;
- There has to be adequate audit trail with respect to the expenses;
- The expenses have to be actually paid by the beneficiary, i.e. the total amount under the submitted invoices or other primary accounting documents (including the VAT) have to be paid by bank transfer or in cash;
- The expenses have to be included in the beneficiary’s accounting documents through individual analytical accounts or in a separate accounting system;
- They must be identifiable and subject to inspection, they must be supported by original expense documents;
- They have to be incurred for eligible activities in accordance with the respective call;
- The expenses have to be paid for actually supplied products and rendered services.
As beneficiaries you must comply with the eligibility rules for costs, and these must be incurred lawfully and must not conflict with the rules described in Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 for ESF+, Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 for the General Provisions applicable to EFT (European Structural Funds) and related regulations, Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, Government Decree No. 86 of 01.06.2023 establishing national rules for the eligibility of expenditure under programmes co-financed by the European Funds under shared management for the programming period 2021–2027 (Gazette No. 49 of 06.06.2023), as well as all other statutory and subordinate normative acts from applicable EU law and Bulgarian legislation and these Application Conditions.
| For more information | |
| Additional information regarding the Operational Programme is available on the website of: |