Know-How Exchange Programme

The Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP) is a grant facility created in 2004 to support transfer of best practice and transformation experience from CEI EU to non-EU Member States.The CEI currently encompasses 9 EU and 9 non-EU members. Even though the non EU Member States have undergone a significant reform process, in many areas they still lag behind the countries which are now part of the EU, and therefore their economic development can be strengthened by transferring sound approaches (good practice) already in place in more advanced CEI countries.

Objectives:
• Strengthen economic and social advancement of the CEI non-EU Member States;
•  Help the recent EU members in their transformation from recipients to donors (emerging donors) of
development assistance;
• Promote principles of foreign development aid and support international collaboration among institutions in CEI member countries.

The programme is supported by Italy, through Italy-sponsored CEI Trust Fund at the EBRD, and Austria. Thanks to the support of Italy and Austria, 1.6 million EUR have been allocated since 2004 for 50 projects in know-how exchange, with up to EUR 40.000 each (see Project Database).

KEP AUSTRIA, financed by

Given the success of the KEP, in 2008 the Austrian government decided to support the programme, through an agreement between the CEI and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The Government of Austria has recently renewed its support  for the period 2011-2013. This window of the programme is called “KEP AUSTRIA” and it functions on the basis of annual Calls for Proposals, usually launched at the beginning of the year.