Hatch to evaluate the €3.6-billion England 2014–2020 ERDF Programme

London, UK—Hatch has been appointed by the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to evaluate the entire 2014–2020 English European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme. The $3.6-billion ERDF programme provides funding for organizations that serve a number of priority areas. Organizations can include not-for-profits, local authorities, registered charities, higher/further education institutions, voluntary/community organizations, statutory and non-statutory public-funded bodies, and public or private sector.

We will lead a team of expert evaluators including Belmana, Middlesex University, and BMG Research, as well as a number of other leading evaluation specialists. Our team will deliver an independent and robust assessment of the Programme as well as provide valuable evidence to inform future local growth policy and programmes. This comes at a time when EU funding is high on the agenda in the UK and will provide a key element of the blueprint for government funding post-Brexit.

Neil Evans, overall evaluation manager and a director of Hatch said, "This is a great opportunity to assess the impact of the Programme over the next three years, to set a precedent for robust evaluation methods, and to help shape future local growth policy for the UK."

To date, there have been over 550 projects funded through the ERDF with a total investment of £1.4 billion. These have reached all 38 local enterprise partnership (LEP) areas, funding a wide range of activities. Our team has a long history and a wide breadth of experience in the evaluation of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) across the UK, as well as a range of other major economic development and regeneration policies and programmes. ESIFs are the European Union's main funding programmes for supporting growth and jobs across EU member states. They form a small but significant part of the UK Government’s overall growth activity.

For more information, please contact:

Glenn Sakaki
Global Director, Marketing & Communication
Tel: +1 905 403 4241
Email: media@hatch.com

About Hatch

Whatever our clients envision, our teams can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient and innovative. We draw upon our 9,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve.

Find out more on www.hatch.com