20278 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND FUNDING OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

The project approach is a major means for promoting socio-economic development. The World Bank, UN agencies, EU, national governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) rely on projects and programs to promote and sustain endogenous economic grow and societal development and to face exceptional events (peace-keeping, natural disasters, Olympic games). The knowledge of these development programs is relevant for public, private and non profit entities, which could benefit from the financial opportunities offered or the cooperation with those international Institutions. The course pays a specific attention to European financial programs, devoted to EU countries but also to external regions.

The course has three main objectives:

• to illustrate the main types of projects/initiatives endorsed by the EU and other international organizations and the financial tools used (grants and subsidies, project finance, mezzanine financing, public private venture capital);
• to let students acquiring practical skills about projects calls for proposals and tenders within International funding and or development programs;
• to make students familiarizing with approaches and techniques of project cycle management (from writing a good project proposal to monitoring and evaluating an international program/project).

The course exposes students to the main systems used by international organizations to fund and evaluate projects carried out by enterprises, non governmental organizations and public institutions. Students also learn how to design and manage projects in a variety of challenging contexts (e.g. in poor countries and after natural disasters).

• International funding and development Programs managed by EU, BEI, World Bank, National Governments, Major donors
• Principles and approaches to international project funding
• Funding for local public Institutions (mainly for infrastructures and development programs i.e. structural funds)
• Funding for enterprises: grant, equity finance, mezzanine financing, mixed venture capital, state aid regime
• International aids and the role of projects’ funding
• EU funds for domestic development and international co-operation
• Managing Institutional lobbying with International Institutions.
• Program design and evaluation
  • Methodologies for the program design (appropriate financial tool selection and beneficiaries selection)
  • Financial analysis and cost-benefit analysis
  • Impact evaluation
• Project management of international development projects
  • Project cycle management
  • Logical framework
  • How to write a successful application (to call for tenders and call for proposals)
  • Major issues in managing projects
  • Strategic approach to public funds and grants
  • Staffing (human resources issues)
  • Budgeting, accountability & reporting

Teaching methods include lectures, class discussions, case and incident presentations and discussions of students’ presentations. Students are asked to develop an international project to be discussed with the instructors. Some guest speakers are hosted during the course to expose students to the main challenges of international project management.

Attending students

• Two case mini-reports (20%)
• Oral presentation on EU funding programs (10%)
• Project development (max 3 students per group) (30%)
• Written exam (40%)
• There is no partial exam for this course

Non attending students

• Major individual paper agreed with the instructors (30%)
• Written exam (70%)

V. VECCHI, EU Funds, strategy & management, Milano, Egea, 2012.