EUROPEAN MARITIME AND FISHERIES FUND (EMFF)
Risk & Policy Analysts (RPA) Ltd have been commissioned by Defra to carry out work on the evaluation of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and its implementation in England and the devolved administrations, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The aim of this study is to evaluate grant delivery including enablers and barriers to grant funding and the initial impacts of the fund as a whole. The work shall consider why applications have or have not been made and what issues have arisen. It will focus on social impacts, complementing the mid-term evaluation of the EMFF to be commissioned by the MMO.
The approach to the evaluation will include engagement with relevant stakeholders to gather their views on the EMFF. This engagement will be undertaken over the next few months and will include focus groups and interviews. To this end, we have selected a number of locations where specific grants will be evaluated in greater depth. Agreed case study locations to date include Cornwall/Devon, East Riding and Grimsby, Norfolk/Suffolk and Northern Ireland.
RPA will be contacting a selection of grant recipients between November and February as part of our evaluation. However, we would also welcome your views of the Fund more generally. Please feel free to provide us with your opinions on the grant-making process, and how receiving a grant has helped you and your business. Equally, we would welcome views where you have chosen not to apply to the Fund.
If you would like more information about the project, or would like to tell RPA about your views on the EMFF, please contact Elizabeth Daly by email (Elizabeth.daly@rpaltd.co.uk).