Application process
- Overview: Application procedure
The Register Committee decides on inclusion of a quality assurance agency following a formal application. The Procedures for Applications set out the application process described below. It aims to be clear, transparent and fair.
Application documents
A complete application comprises of the following documents:
- Application Form
Please make sure that the Application Form is duly completed and signed by a person authorised to engage legally the applicant vis-à-vis third parties. - Further Information Sheet
The Further Information Sheet should be completed to provide EQAR with all necessary information to be published in case the application is successful. - No-conflict-of-interest Declaration
The No-conflict-of-interest Declaration needs to be duly completed and signed by the review coordinator. - Terms of Reference of the external review
- Self-evaluation report provided for the external review
Please see frequent questions for further information. - External review report
The external review report is expected to be published by the applicant before making its application.
The following documents are optionally included:
- Applicant’s statement on the external review report (if any)
- For ENQA full members: Confirmation letter (or equivalent proof of ENQA membership); including prior correspondence between the applicant and ENQA, if any
EQAR will treat all documents except the external review report and the Further Information Sheet as confidential and will not disclose them to third parties, unless obliged to do so by law.
Please refer to the section Application forms to download the required forms.
Supplementary documentation
In addition to the documents mentioned above, applicants might wish to include supplementary documents in their application for inclusion on the Register. This might be appropriate especially where changes have been introduced after the completion of the external review on which the application is based, or where recommended improvements have already been implemented.
Applicants should, however, bear in mind that, as a rule, the external review report serves as the main basis for EQAR’s decision making. Therefore, supplementary documentation should be as extensive as necessary, but as concise as possible. Supplementary documentation should add to the analysis in the external review report, and should not replace it.
Language
Please note that all documents mentioned above have to be submitted in English. If original documents are in another language the applicant is expected to arrange for their translation.
Format and submission of applications
The Application Form needs to be sent by regular mail or fax. The submission of the signed Application Form constitutes a contractual relationship.
All other application documents should be sent by email (application[at]eqar.eu). In order to ensure readability across all platforms and to prevent any unintentional modifications, all documents should be sent as PDF files (Portable Document Format).
Deadlines
The Register Committee will convene approximately twice a year. Before each meeting there will be a deadline for which complete applications must have reached the Secretariat in order to be considered at that meeting.
The next meeting of the Register Committee will take place in April 2010. To be considered in April 2010, applications must reach the EQAR Secretariat by Friday, 12 February 2010 at the latest.
The following meeting of the Register Committee will be in the autumn of 2010.
Requests for information or clarification
Rapporteurs are assigned to each application in order to prepare the Register Committee’s deliberations. In some cases, rapporteurs might request additional information or clarification of information from the applicant before the Register Committee considers the application at its meeting.
This happens if a request can be plausibly answered in a 2 – 3 week period. If such a request is made, it usually reaches the applicant about 3 – 4 weeks after the application deadline.
If a request is referred to the review coordinator or the review panel, the applicant will also receive a copy for information.
Response, possibility of withdrawal
Following consideration of application by the Register Committee, the applicant will receive an official response by EQAR, normally about two months after the application deadline.
There are three possible responses:
- If the Register Committee admits the applicant to the Register, this is confirmed in writing. The applicant will be able to preview its entry on the Register a few days before publication and will be invoiced for the listing fee.
- The Register Committee might request further information or clarification from the applicant, the review coordinator or the review team. The applicant will receive a copy of any request for information sent to the review coordinator or the review team.
- If the Register Committee considers rejection, the applicant will receive an account of the grounds for which rejection is considered. The applicant will be invited to make additional representation before the Register Committee takes a final decision.
In cases 2 and 3, the application remains to have a pending status until the subsequent meeting of the Register Committee. Applicants are usually granted a deadline of 2 – 3 months to submit additional information or make additional representation, respectively. The applicant has the possibility to withdraw the application before the stipulated deadline. Should EQAR not receive any notice by the deadline this will be deemed a withdrawal of the application. The Register Committee will not take any decisions on withdrawn applications.
Rejection
If an application is rejected, the applicant will be notified of the grounds for rejection in writing. For information on the appeals procedures, please consult the Guide for Applicants.
A re-application will normally only be possible after a 3-year period and has to be based on a new external review. The Register Committee might however invite a rejected applicant to re-apply earlier and/or without a new external review in individual cases. This will be specified in the rejection letter.
Reporting obligation
All agencies listed on the register are obliged to inform EQAR of their own accord if any changes to their legal status, their statutes, their processes or methodology or any other substantial aspect of their work occur.
Fees
Applicants will be charged two types of fees: an application fee and an annual listing fee.
After submission of an application you will receive an invoice for the application fee (see the FAQ for further details). The application fee is not refundable.
Once approved, the annual listing fee must be paid for each year of inclusion on the register. Agencies will receive an invoice for each calendar year (for the first time a few weeks after their inclusion, then in the beginning of each year) requesting payment of the listing fee for full months included on the register in the respective year.
For instance, an agency included from 15.4.2010 until 31.5.2012 would receive the following invoices (excl. VAT):
2010: 8 full months (May – December) > 633,33 €
2011: full year > 950,00 €
2012: 5 full months (January – May) > 395,83 €
Applicants that have their registered office in a state party to the European Cultural Convention will be charged the reduced “European” fee. All other applicants will be charged the “Others” fee.
The following fees will be charged:
| European | Others | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ex. VAT | incl. VAT | ex. VAT | incl. VAT | FAQ | |
| application fee | 950.00 € | 1,149.50 € | 1,900.00 € | 2,299.00 € | |
| annual listing fee | 950.00 € | 1,149.50 € | 1,900.00 € | 2,299.00 € |
