Within the Framework credit on migration, amounting to 200 million Swiss Francs, 25 million Swiss Francs are reserved for projects responding to particularly urgent needs in the area of migration. This Rapid Response Fund (RRF), which runs until 2029, will support one or more EU Member States in the event of a crisis resulting in particular from sudden and large-scale migratory movements.
The general objective of the RRF is to strengthen migration management structures in the EU member states. The fund aims at strengthening the capacity of non-state actors to intervene rapidly with focussed actions in case of an urgent need.
The RRF is a specific instrument managed directly by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), who is in charge of the selection of projects, which can be submitted by different stakeholders with relevant experience in the field of migration, such as international organisations and NGOs in the EU member states. The Fund will support projects dealing with migration issues and challenges linked to international migration movements in the areas of asylum, infrastructure, voluntary return and reintegration as well as prevention of secondary migration.
The first RRF Appeal was carried out in 2023 and the projects are still ongoing.
Now the SEM launches the second RRF Appeal for the years 2024-2025. As in 2023, two types of projects will be supported, namely Targeted projects and Emergency projects.
The first type are projects that meet short-term objectives, while the second are projects, which meet urgent needs.
In the case of targeted projects, the implementation is planned for a short to medium term. The project duration for Targeted Projects can last up to two years, and the funding of the project partners is at least 15%. For Targeted projects, priority is given to countries in pre-defined geographical locations. For the years 2024-2025 priority will be given to projects carried out in EU-countries neighbouring or in proximity to Ukraine as well as in Spain and Malta. The project budget should approximately range between CHF 250’000 and CHF 1 Mio.
Emergency projects are eligible in any of the EU Member States, are foreseen to meet urgent needs and can be implemented almost immediately. The project duration is a maximum of one year, and no co-funding is required.
Targeted projects can only be entered from 18 March 2024 to 21 April 2024. Emergency projects can also be submitted after 21 April 2024 as long as not all funding for 2024 has been allocated. The project applicant is welcome to submit a concept note to the SEM using provided project application and budget forms.
As an important part of the Rapid Response Fund budget has already been allocated in previous years, the funding possibilities for 2024 will be limited and only few projects will be selected.
Last modification 13.12.2024